If you intend to buy laminate flooring for your house there are a few things you should consider first. For example, what if you have natural maple cabinets/bookshelves/ etc. all through your house and now you want to put in laminate flooring. What would be best then; stay with the natural maple for the flooring or go with a cherry that has more contrast?

Most people have a tendency to recommend a contrast when it comes to flooring. The white sap wood in American Cherry would certainly be complimentary to the natural maple cabinets. It is a beautiful wood, but notes that it is very soft and tends to ding and dent easily. Hickory is a fun wood if you like a more rustic look, and it is very hard and dense like maple. Its white sap wood contrasts with the deep, rich, reds and browns of the heart wood. Or, you can select the unparalleled most wanted oak with a warm stain for contrast.

Or you could consider going more along the lines of a darker stain. Contrasting maple with a dark tone is striking and may be the design statement you're looking for; i.e., Chestnut, Dark Walnut, and Ebony.

In addition to selecting a flooring that will compliment your cabinets/bookshelves, etc. also be thinking about how it will work with the actual colours that you'll be using for upholstery, drapery, wall paint, etc. particularly if you're thinking of using burgundys, reds, rusts, browns, golds, etc. the yellow and/or reddish tones in wood can get rather tricky.