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The right way to update honey oak
If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me how to “tone down” honey oak floors over the almost 20 years I’ve been writing this blog, I could probably afford to replace everyone’s floors myself. In today’s’ post I’m showing you three kitchens where the ‘orange’ does look ‘toned down’ but not because anyone choose a magical paint colour.
Oak is back, by the way. It just doesn’t look this orange anymore. Today’s clear finishes are much less likely to yellow and amber with age, so natural oak stays looking much lighter and fresher.
Remove the cathedral raised panel cabinets
I get a recap on Reddit every day and this one popped up on my feed last week so I thought I’d search a few more to show you what can be done with a little creativity.
I love this makeover! This homeowner refaced the cabinets, because honestly, it’s hard to make that cathedral detail of the uppers look current. The floors stayed honey oak, and they painted the uppers a pretty warm neutral (something like SW Accessible Beige, a warm green grey in my system) instead of defaulting to stark white. And because the hood fan is the focal point of this kitchen, replacing it made a huge difference. The other update I would always make is to remove the microwave from the focal point.
Also notice the three different styles of hardware on the cabinets. That little detail goes a long way toward making the kitchen feel collected and designed, rather than the 4″ builder pull most people add without thinking about it.
The retro modern honey oak kitchen update
I had to look at this kitchen for a while to figure out why I like the vertical stacked green tile so much. Normally, I would not specify a modern backsplash like this with traditional raised-panel cabinets.
But then I realized the cabinets are really the only traditional element left in the room.
Everything else has a modern, slightly retro feel. The skinny moulding, vaulted ceilings, solid white quartz countertops, the white grid-pattern floor, the globe lighting, modern shelving and the styling all pull the kitchen in a fresher, more modern direction.
And that green is SO good with the orange oak.
Instead of trying to disguise the orange, this homeowner leaned into it and created a colour palette around it. The cabinets almost become less about their traditional door style and more about the warm wood colour they bring to the room.
That’s the lesson here. If the honey oak is staying, stop treating it like the elephant in the room. Work with the orange and suddenly it looks intentional.
Pick up the warm wood with a pattern
This third kitchen is my favourite, and I know this is actually Maple not oak but the lesson is the same.
I’m obsessed with this wallpaper. The cool blue-grey flowers are repeated in the paint colour, while those tiny orange centres pick up the warmth of the cabinets. This is how you work with orange wood instead of wishing it away.
And look at the black. There’s just enough. The arched black cabinet repeats the black appliances, and that’s really all this kitchen needed. Too much black in an orange kitchen (and the same goes for today’s cognac orange kitchens) looks like Halloween, and we don’t want that.
Also notice the small black knobs here, just like the second kitchen in this post. Knobs win every time for me. Especially now that the ubiquitous clunky 4-inch black builder pull has been installed in approximately every kitchen built since this trend arrived.
The expensive part isn’t always the renovation
None of these kitchens needed to be ripped out to look better. What made them work were the details: the right backsplash, the wallpaper, the hardware, the lighting, the right amount of black, and knowing which existing finishes to leave alone.
And you do not need to have some magical creative gene to figure all of this out yourself.
In fact, if you’re a DIYer, this may be exactly where getting expert advice saves you the most money. Social media combined with AI is extremely good at giving you a thousand creative ideas. It is not very good at telling you which ones are a terrible idea for your house.
Because there’s a big difference between interesting and timeless. And an expensive DIY project you’re sick of in three years is still an expensive mistake.
If you’re planning a kitchen refresh, you don’t necessarily need a whole new kitchen. You may just need someone to tell you what to keep, what to change, and which details will make everything you already have look intentional.
That’s exactly what we do in my Kitchen Refresh eDesign package.
And if you are planning a complete kitchen renovation, my Create a Classic Kitchen Package is for you!
If you’re not sure which one applies to your kitchen? Email photos taken in good natural light to my team here.
I’d love to know which of these kitchen transformations you like best, tell me in the comments.
Related posts:
Less is More for Kitchen & Bath Hardware
Decorating around Orange Floors
Transform your Kitchen with this One Update: Before & After
Wow it’s amazing what the right design choices can do.
I don’t have honey oak but instead a strange oak-ish trim throughout my 1991 house that almost has a blue undertone from aging stain. I’ve painted a lot of it but the trim all around the stairs and the banister remain. I don’t know what to do with it!
Love all 3 updates. I’m curious about something from the 1st example. When the microwave is removed from being ventilator above the range, where does the microwave go instead of that spot?
They likely put the microwave away for the photo shoot. It would usually be on the counter to the left of the sink. (We have the same layout).
Or bought a much smaller one and installed it in a pantry. Maria
But what color countertop would you get to lighten it up? orange undertone? warm obviously but not very easy to choose.
I just did a vanity (my first ever expensive update) and I chose this Glacier Gold brushed finish. I’m happy so far. It seems warmer than all the bright white countertops! But the kitchen is a way more expensive decision!
I don’t care for #1. The upper cabinets seem to disappear since they match the walls. It looks like they forgot to finish the kitchen. I’m a fan of refacing wood cabinets to avoid tearing out perfectly good boxes. But I’m over painted cabinets. I have painted wood in my kitchen and I wish every day that I didn’t, but it’s not my forever house, so I’m not doing anything about it….except touch up wherever nicks appear.
I like the 2nd one, by far the best, but I love all shades of green.
The changes are effective in all 3 scenarios, BUT there’s no mention of the expense of replacing the counter tops, which makes an even bigger improvement???
The third is very sweet. I can imagine the peninsula painted a similar paler shade of the same blue.
I I love my honey oak cabinets and floors. With a window over the sink and big windows over the counter and stove looking out into the forest, the room glows. They are custom and original to our 1987 cedar-sided home. Fortunately, I didn’t care for the cathedral doors and have simple raised panels (like the second kitchen). The room has had one remodel (counter, sink, backsplash and, more recently, a refresh with paint. The floors and cabinets keep plugging along.