Paint Colors For Oak Kitchen Cabinets – Content may contain affiliate links. If you buy links, we will earn you a small commission. Thank you for supporting my small business.

Learn how to choose colors that work with your oak cabinets, plus I’ll share my favorite wall paint colors that go well with oak cabinets.

Paint Colors For Oak Kitchen Cabinets

Take an old kitchen and affordably update it by painting the walls for presentation, not your cabinets.

Ways To Avoid A Total Remodel In A Kitchen With Oak Cabinets

What can you do when your kitchen is outdated but the kitchen of your dreams is nowhere to be seen? You may be able to do a partial remodel—paint the cabinets white, install countertops or subway tile, and update the baseboards.

Or these updates are not available. Maybe they’re not in your budget or you don’t have the time. Maybe you rent and don’t want to make any permanent changes to your place.

That’s where I ended up a few years ago. After a busy summer of renovations, we decided to wait for a kitchen overhaul. However, I knew I wanted to make some changes without committing to painting our orange oak cabinets.

My goal was to make simple, affordable changes that would help me embrace our imperfect kitchen until we were ready to remodel. I had to find simple and creative ways to update the space. Fortunately, I like to be creative!

My Favorite Paint Colors For Kitchen Cabinetry

I decided to find wall colors to match the oak cabinets that would compliment the orange rather than compete with it.

But first, here are some before pictures of our kitchen. It was functional and served us well in many ways. But it was old and not what I wanted. I knew I could do better with one simple change.

Our kitchen was similar back in the day. It was filled with worn oak wardrobes from the 1980s, dark green worktops that made the space feel heavier and smaller, light brown tiles that blended into the cabinets, and only one small window above the sink.

The kitchen had a few things going for them. The cupboards were in good condition, for one. And while the desk was a little boring, it didn’t compete with the cabinets or the floor. That was the beginning!

How To Choose Kitchen Cabinet Paint Colors

First I knew I had to paint the walls. The existing colors – dark green and red – did not compete with the orange oak cabinets, but were dark and heavy in the already dark room. I wanted to make things easier.

Color is one of my tricks for adding light to a room. There’s nothing like a can of paint to brighten up a dark room and make it look clean and fresh! Plus, painting on a budget is convenient, easy, and quick—you can paint your kitchen as a weekend project!

I love a nice warm white or soft cream on the walls and decor. Sometimes I even paint the walls and trim the same color to really open up the room and make it feel bigger and more cohesive.

In this kitchen I painted the ceiling, walls and ceiling a lovely soft cream. It also matched the cream tones on the back of the record. The dark green sofa burdened the kitchen and also made the room dark.

A Beautiful Oak Kitchen Makeover

Painting the underside a creamy white made the kitchen feel more open, light and airy – it was fantastic! The ceiling blended into the ceiling and almost disappeared, making the ceiling appear higher.

Since it was closer to the color of the backboard, the whole room seemed less colorful and felt much bigger and brighter!

I also painted the interior white for the perfect finish. Fresh white finishes and trim around the entryways and windows showcased the cream walls and accentuated their beautiful soft color. The whole effect was a clean, fresh, light and airy kitchen!

The problem arises when many cool-toned homeowners neglect their homes and paint their oak kitchens gray or blue.

Best Kitchen Cabinet Paint Colors, According To Interior Designers

Or maybe they think they want to play it safe and paint the walls white—only to choose a crisp white with cool undertones.

Make your cabinets more – not less – orange! Now those cabinets you hated at first stick out like a sore thumb.

The trick is to paint your walls with a color that complements the orange tones of the oak rather than overdoing it.

The warmth of the wall color that matches the cabinetry—not competing—makes it look more cohesive and more.

Kitchen Paint Colors Going Out Of Style In 2024 |

Here are some of my favorite warm whites. I have used them all at home:

Here are some neutral colors in my home that have more color than white. All are colors that match oak cabinets:

If you want color, why not try a natural color like Sherwin Williams Rosemary or Pewter? After all, green is the trend right now.

I know that in my small kitchen I painted my sofa dark green. But if your room is more open, a warm olive green could be the perfect combination with your oak cabinets.

Paint Color Advice For A Kitchen With Oak Cabinets

To tone down the orange or yellow tones of honey oak or maple, choose a calm, fresh neutral that’s warm enough to balance, yet soft enough to distract.

While I would argue that quality wood cabinets will always be in fashion, it’s true that the orange-yellow cabinetry of the 80s isn’t very popular these days! Tone down the finish by choosing a skin-soothing color!

Although our brass bowls are no longer sold, they are very similar in style and finish.

What do you think? Will painting your kitchen walls the right color help you embrace your oak cabinets for a long time? Content may contain affiliate links. When you buy links, I get a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business.

Sage Green Kitchen Cabinets Story (copy)

If you’re looking to update your home and need to pass up honey oak kitchen cabinets or finishes, a coat of the right color of paint can instantly bring your space into the modern era.

Oh dear dam. Oak, the preferred wood for homes in the 80’s and 90’s, is naturally not this honey shade, but over time it turns amber due to stains and the use of polyurethane.

Unfortunately, honey oak kitchen cabinets, fixtures, cabinets, doors, and even floors are not the modern look most homeowners today.

Whether you’re on a budget or just not interested in furniture pieces or whole house decorating right now, the honey oak nightmare can be done!

Kitchen Color Ideas And Paint Color Inspiration

Interior wall colors can do wonders to transform any room, and rooms full of wood are no different.

First of all, you have to decide whether you want to emphasize the tone of the wood or mix it and mask it a little.

The most important thing to understand about honey oak is that it has color, and that color is orange or more yellow-orange.

Of course, other types of wood can be stained and get the same orange or yellow color, but generally when we see these colors we call them “honey oak”.

Teal Cabinet Paint Colors

Other woods, such as maple or pine, can be distinctly yellow or orange due to the stain or polyurethane used to finish them and the amber color over time.

When looking for honey oak, flooring, or even cabinet colors, always keep in mind the shades of wood you’re working with.

Unfortunately, that probably won’t happen. Like many things from the 80s and 90s, honey oak has had its heyday, and it probably won’t be coming back anytime soon.

But just because honey oak is no longer the standard doesn’t mean your home has to stay in the same era forever.

Best Paint Colors For A Kitchen You’ll Never Want To Leave

Whether it’s a beautiful shade of orange trim, cabinets, or flooring, there are actually things you can do to update your home.

To understand which paint colors work well with these wood tones, it is important to first understand the basics of color theory.

Honey oak, known for its orange color and strong grain, should either be softened or simply embraced and chosen with a color that goes well with it.

To achieve this with paint, you either create a harmonious color palette (analogue) that uses colors similar to the dominant tone (orange) to help blend in with the honey oak, or you create a contrasting palette that includes some complements. or contrasting colors. which reinforces or creates a focal point for honey oak.

Popular Farmhouse Kitchen Paint Colors That Go With Oak Cabinets

Regardless of what color palette you’re working with, consider the tone of your wood to determine which paint colors work best.

There are two main ways to change the decor to honey oak, doors or cabinets simply by painting the wall:

Find the right color for you

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