have a kitchen floor that we want to switch over to hardwood, but it runs into the dining room which is oak and then against maple kitchen cabinets. Ugh - does not match. Any ideas for transition or framing to pull them together?

You can do different types and colors of hardwoods and it will look fine. The big thing to avoid is to try to match the woods and fail - making it look like a mistake.

Go for a wood type that compliments your cabinets. Maybe have the planks run at an opposite angle to the dining room, or install a wide threshold to divide the two wood floors.