It depends on what you want. Solid color will cover up the wood like a paint does. Semi transparent will let the texture of the wood show through.

I"ve been staining wood a very long time. Don't tell me gel stains don't penetrate and that you should do 4 coats. you are not supposed to do 4 coats. gel stains do get lightly absorbed into the wood with also sitting on the surface. But It's not nail polish christinero. GF has enough pigments to 'stain' the wood w/one coat. putting on additional coats results in a tacky, gummy finish, and could also result in cabinets w/a poor finish, especially for a kitchen. this is from GF website on applying gel stain: Optional: apply a second coat to deepen the color. Apply no more than 2 coats https://generalfinishes.com/wood-finishes-retail/oil-based-wood-stains-sealers/oil-based-gel-stains I have worked w/ GF stains on many, many wood projects. one coat is fine. Like I said, if you want a darker color, then go with a darker shade. there is no need to do 4 coats! good lord. why create more work for yourself? Gel stains act more like a paint and tend to hide the grain of the wood. I would never use a gel stain on a beautiful piece of walnut, tiger oak or bridseye maple. it would cover the beautiful wood details. If you want to use 3-4 coats of a gel stain, then you might as well use an espresso paint. you will get similar results with a lot less work. you will need at least 3 coats of a clear top coat after the stain dries. please read the above link for the complete how-to's in staining your cabs. especially this part Preparation for Projects with an Existing Finish and Christinero,,,,,there are dyes, stains and gels. all three penetrate, but at different levels. gels are the lightest and don't bring out the depth of the wood grain like the stain or even the dye would. (I've used all three). but gel stains still penetrate. gels have a heavier ratio of pigments and tend to give off more even looking coloring.

I agree with your boyfriend... I don't think you want the entertainment center and the hutch all in a row. You could tape some poster board to the wall and see how the spacing would look for vertical placement. I wouldn't want the top picture more than a few inches higher than the hutch, and the bottom one could be the same distance above the chair rail as the glass in the hutch doors. (Does the 67" include the crown molding?) Flanking the hutch is not bad... but my brain always sees that situation as the hutch having ears.

I an not sure if i should go dark since the front door is dark brown and the ballister are dark brown. My floor is lighter then the pic! The floor is a more natural color. Please help pick a stain for the banister! Thank you.