When it comes to hardwood, trends are something to ignore! Why? Because hardwood is pretty much a lifetime purchase, and unless yours is damaged in some way, you're probably not going to replace it. So, light wood vs. dark wood, wide planks vs. narrow planks -- that stuff's all going to come and go. With that in mind -- as well as the very real concerns about cleaning dark wood -- I'll vote for a nice, neutral midtone every time. Not too much contrast, not too red, and (unless it's a beach house) not too pale. I think this is the wood that's most likely to give you good service and stand the test of time.

There is a lot of controversy right now about the glues in engineered flooring making people sick. That being said...I just don't like it, you can always tell it's engineered and just looks cheap to me. With hardwood, you can sand it down if it gets damaged, with engineered, you can't.If it is anywhere near water pipes, you have to look into the future, a leak, or flood will ruin engineered..hardwood will dry out. Hardwood won't cup if it's been dried properly. Cupping is from wet wood (not dried down to 8% or less moisture)being laid down, then trying to dry, and having nowhere to go because it's been nailed down. It then cups.

That is a pretty rug! I’m thinking of changing out most of my previous furniture since I had a lot of old world looking things that don’t look well with the rustic...maybe a more transitional, restoration hardware look. The floor is by Villa Blanca and is Andalucia color. It has a 6mm top layer and is fumed white French oak. Every batch they get is different tho due to the fuming. Mine turned out a bit darker and more brown that most other batches...and unfortunately in my view, more knots, but I like it in general.

I have a feeling your husband likes the COLOUR and the PRESENTATION of the bamboo rather than the material itself. That means I would purchase a sample of the bamboo that he likes and then go shopping for a wood floor in the same colour/presentation. Happily the trend for gloss levels is matte or satin. That will automatically get you several factory finished options without having to special order anything. Remember: factory finished colours are perfect. You don't have to worry about the staining process because all of that is done for you. When it comes to 'healthy' flooring, it is easy to stick with something that is CARB II compliant. And stay away from bamboo. Yep. I said it. Bamboo (regardless of how it is made or by whom) is made up of (roughly) 30% glue. And it is the GLUE in a product that is unhealthy...not the wood/grass itself. The more glue you have in a product the more chances you have for unhealthy. An engineered hardwood will naturally have less glue than a bamboo floor. Not to mention that bamboo is picky. And when it isn't being picky...it is finicky. And when it isn't being finicky it is being SUPER fussy! Bamboo CRAVES climate control. As in PIN-POINT accurate humidity and temperature. The lower the cost of the bamboo (I would look at anything that is $9/sf and over) the more upset it becomes with poor climate control. That means you MUST HAVE whole home humidity control (whatever that means for your location). And engineered hardwood still requires climate control but it has a slightly wider range of 'happy'. Bamboo needs TIGHT control between 35% and 50% humidity whereas many engineered woods have a range of 35% - 65%. That doesn't sound like much but it is HUGE in the flooring world. Before you choose ANYTHING please check your budget (engineered worth $6/sf and over; or bamboo $9/sf or more). And then check your climate control. Make your choices based on that information.