skip to main content
Photos
Photos
Advice
Stories From Houzz
Houzz Discussions
Houzz Research
Sign In
Houzz Logo Print
Explore Discussions
Design Dilemma
chloebud

HELP - Best Paint Color with Oak Cabinets

chloebud
10 years ago
Our kitchen has those honey-colored oak cabinets (great good quality, though). We have to live with them for a while...a certain husband likes them. Can someone please suggest a paint color that would look decent on the walls? I'd like to stick with something light. Again, lots to change but just need paint suggestions for now. The walls look a little odd due to mega wallpaper removal we just had completed. We do have new knobs for the cabinets in brushed nickel.
Featured Answer
  • Susan Finn
    10 years ago
    I have oak which I have hated for years, but I have fell in love with them. I've painted my walls a warm cappuccino. It really compliments the cabinets. This year I've added brown black granite and tumbled marble backsplash. Now I wouldn't dream of painting the cabinets

    Comments (146)

    • chloebud
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      Tina, such a nice kitchen! Looks like you really do have similar cabinets...and husbands who don't want to paint them! Your paint looks great...probably a little too dark for our kitchen. We STILL haven't painted the kitchen. I know....I'm very good at procrastination. To be honest, nothing looked quite right to me. Ben Moore's Maritime White and Winds Breath came close. I like the MW with the cabinets, and WB with the appliances. However, I think a soft-ish white might be a safe choice for now...most likely BM's Simply White. I think it will work okay...there's really minimal wall space due to all the cabinets. I do love the storage!
    • sandyr1
      9 years ago
      We finally painted our kitchen using SW Rice Grain because I have seen many posts about that being a good color with honey oak cabinets. I think it looks like someone sneezed all over my walls (creamy with a green tinge). I don't know if the flourescent lights affect the color in that way but I was hoping to get a warmer, browner color to complement the darker lines in the wood. white is sounding good to me about now, too.!

    • Related Discussions

      How best to care (longterm) for Solid Oak cabinets.

      Q

      Comments (1)
      you can get a rubber matting for the internals of the shelves and the bases of the units , this come in large rolls that can be cut down, make sure you remove these periodically to ensure there are no scratch's under the mat's. hope that helps. try Hafele for the mats
      ...See More

      Help has anyone got photos of char oak cabinets

      Q

      Comments (1)
      Hi - there's a few examples if your look on google images... - first person to speak with is your supplier - ie the people you bought from... They may have come across this before and will swap out any inconsistent doors ? Be polite but firm - you were expecting something like the sample - this is not the case - how are they going to rectify this amicably ?
      ...See More

      Please I need help on best colours tobrighten up dark brownn sofas

      Q

      Comments (9)
      @Milfordmaid: thanks a lot for the suggestion. Lime green is sounding very nice to me. What did you mean by smaller bits of pillar box red? What do you think of the rug? I actually had a re-think and was thinking maybe I should leave out the rug. Just to use bright cushions, lampshades, and some decorative accessories combining the cushion colours and sofa colours and a bit of cream. What of the wall art?
      ...See More

      Best paint colours for artwork in a north facing room?

      Q

      Comments (7)
      Our north facing wall is a dark moss, combines really well with the pine floors, desk (cabinets are white, top is pine) and offwhite trim. No warm colour, but very soothing, cozy and calm. Personally I like yellow for hallways, not bedrooms. But a (burnt) orange accent wall would work (and a greige or offwhite on the other walls) really well with black and white artwork.
      ...See More
    • chloebud
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      Uh-oh, Sandy, "sneezing all over the walls" isn't exactly what you want! Actually, I like Rice Grain...it was one of many we tested on a large piece of core board...just didn't look right in the kitchen to me. Probably the lighting...lol, vs. sneezing!
    • sandyr1
      9 years ago
      Chloe, Did you pick out a cream/white color and if so, do you have any opinions on Sherwin colors? There are so many variations of cream.
      I am thinking about changing the Rice Grain to a cream and then do a fun accent wall in SW Ryegrass(6423) or Sassy Green(6416). We have white appliances/orangey oak cabinets so I think bright might work. Any comments?
    • chloebud
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      Sandy, we've decided on Ben Moore's Simply White, but it's a soft white vs. cream. As I mentioned somewhere here, there's really minimal wall space due to the amount of cabinets. You might go to SW and ask about a neutral cream color and try some sample cans. They have a color called Canvas Tan which is probably darker than you want, but it's really neutral and could be lightened up. I like that it doesn't seem to have any pink or yellow-ish undertones. Another one I considered is Ben Moore's Maritime White.
    • laurakhederian
      9 years ago
      I used SW Lemongrass with my oak cabinets. I think it looks great! :)
    • chloebud
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      Laura, I looked online and the Lemongrass looks really nice. Does it have any green/yellow undertones?

      Sandy, here are a couple links with the Maritime White I mentioned on the walls...light and neutral. We'll probably put it on the walls above beadboard in our laundry room and half bath. The beadboard will be Simply White.

      Bay Front Cottage · More Info


      Lakeview Residence · More Info
    • sandyr1
      9 years ago
      Thanks. Those whites look nice! I'll have to look up Canvas Tan and Lemongrass since the online colors are not accurate. I need a free interior designer. ; )
    • laurakhederian
      9 years ago
      Chloe, yes, it's a light olive green color. Don't want to go that route?
    • chloebud
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      Laura, I'd rather keep it more neutral...for now, anyway. Just wish I could talk my husband into painting the cabinets white. If so, I'd go with Ben Moore's Wind's Breath in a heartbeat.
    • sweettwist
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      Every person's situation and honey oak cabs are different. (Note that Chloe said her cabinets are good quality). We ended removing the existing cabinets as some parts were veneer which was heavily grained. Plus, we were unable to find a cost effective method to add on to the cabinets. We finished in Nov. of 2014 (just in time for the holidays). 1st photo is the before photo.
    • PRO
      Sound Painting Solutions, LLC
      9 years ago
      White Dove, Decorators White, and Navajo White.

      Good luck:)
    • chloebud
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      Looks great, sweetwist! Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending how you look at it, our cabinets are very good quality. I wish they weren't...there would be no question about replacing them.

      Just noticed...looks like you have the same Moen faucet as us...somewhat visable in the pics I posted. Our soap dispenser's on the left...sprayer on the right.
    • sweettwist
      9 years ago
      last modified: 9 years ago
      Thank you Chloe. I know it is a lot of work no matter what you do. Once you decide you can execute your plan and not look back, knowing you made the right decision for yourselves. I do like your kitchen with the oak, it has many great features. Yes we do have the same faucet! I bought it 5 years ago and re-used it because I like the deep neck. Sweet.
    • chloebud
      Original Author
      9 years ago
      Definitely a lot of work! Just removing the wallpaper was a big deal, even though we didn't do it ourselves. Guess the previous owners loved wallpaper...It was EVERYWHERE in the house!
    • smartdonkey
      9 years ago
      Look at Kilm beige sherwin williams. Nice neutral
    • elizabethream
      9 years ago

      I have both ramie and rice grain in my house. In the entryway. I have red oak floors and it works really well with them. They are actually on adjoining walls and I can't tell the difference between them because of the way the light hits, so they are very similar. In the kitchen I have loggia, which is similar to the ramie, but maybe a little more tan/gray, not sure how to describe. I do want to repaint my cabinets eventually...


    • elizabethream
      9 years ago

      I will post pics so you can see the colors when it is better light. We had someone help pick colors as we couldn't agree, and although I wasn't sure about the colors at first I really like them now.

    • chloebud
      Original Author
      9 years ago

      Elizabeth, I'd love to see the pics! We tested both Ramie and Rice Grain...I especially liked the Rice Grain but just not with the lighting in our kitchen. I'm keeping it in mind for a future possibility for elsewhere in our house.

    • elizabethream
      9 years ago

      Here are some pics. Hope they help

      Here is the Ramie in the living room area and entryway, (the Orange is rustic Adobe and the part above the fridge is Loggia)

      More of the Ramie and the wall above behind the rail is the rice grain. I can only tell a difference when I look for it in the corner at the top.



      Here is my kitchen with Loggia. Sorry for the mess:)

    • cucina1990
      9 years ago

      Tina-I love your kitchen paint choice-I think golden oak cabinets go best with a country colour scheme- so copper, sage, garnet and French blue are gorgeous choices. Aqua blue is also pretty is you want a lighter effect.

    • Mark
      8 years ago

      @Chloebud - what did you end up doing? Would love to see your after pictures. We are in a similar situation, deciding on colors etc.

    • chloebud
      Original Author
      8 years ago

      Mark, it's still a work in progress...long story due to some other changes we decided to do. However, the wall color for the kitchen will be Maritime White and trim/ceiling Simply White. Fairly subtle and neutral. You can see some examples of Maritime White in the pics I posted above of the Bay Front Summer Home and Barrie Residence.

    • happywlife1234
      8 years ago

      I, too have the oak cabinets. I just painted my kitchen Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore. In my kitchen it is a very soft grey/beige. I love it. It looks good with the cabinets, but I am still probably going to paint them Simply White by Benjamin Moore. I will be 100 years old by the time they get finished!

    • beattieboggs
      8 years ago

      You will be glad you did!

    • samanthaband
      8 years ago

      A cream or egg color would look great and bring in great lighting!

    • Jeane Saunders
      8 years ago

      OMG!!!!!! Even our realtor said OMG. New house in August 2015, kitchen is baby poo orange/yellow????? No clue on the color. I am more home/ country I am taking my red checked curtains with me. Will repaint kitchen ASAP, Light oak cabinets, counter tops are a dark, floor can't remember. I am thinking of white trim and a light sand?????

    • kathleen MK
      8 years ago
      argh, what is it about men and oak? I wavered between sage and butter cream and settled on Val spar Oatlands yellow which work with the gold in the oak and set off my blue willow. you have blue and white tile so a greyed blue might work but chose yellow for some contrast.
    • mssnell
      8 years ago
      Just a comment on SW paint. The chips ate never big enough but you can get a small sample container, maybe 7$. Paint a big enough spot so you really tell. You cannot use them permanently bc missing some type of pigment. Color Urban Putty warm neutral works with wood. Love Gourmet Mushroom with cream woodwork. Quiver, all time favorite. Painted outside of house quiver. Now thinking willow tree with house full of woodwork.
    • Diane Walden
      8 years ago
      last modified: 8 years ago

      Thanks to everyone here..I read these thankfully before painting and, after one mistake, had the paint remixed from a cool gray to Sherwin Williams Perfect Greige. Here are a couple of photos of the results. 80's oak cabinets had me stumped but I love the results, sets off the old Delft and white accents. So happy! The wall in the dining area is opposite the kitchen and I painted it with the Greige as well, leaving the two side walls white. I have an oak mantle on the fireplace on that wall now but plan to paint that white as my next project in a week or two as time permits. Am also thinking of doing this faux treatment to the cabinets to make them less oak-y: http://thedecoratedhouse.blogspot.com/2008/08/black-glaze-for-wood-cabinets-furniture.html The old Norwegian cutting board hanging by the window makes me happy with a Grandpa from Oslo. Even my husband likes it against the Perfect Greige.

    • Jeane Saunders
      8 years ago
      my cabinets are oak and the owners befor me painted the walls Behr ultra Pumpkin butter at frist I didn't care for it but everyone loves it.
    • zzmom40
      8 years ago
      Dorian grey from Sherwin Williams would be beautiful...keep the color cool rather than warm with these cabinets. Good Luck
    • gatrask
      8 years ago

      If you want to use the tan family and keep the oak color cabinets, Sherman-Williams Kiln Beige and Latte are magic with the oak.

    • janedoe2012
      8 years ago
      I think the original photo look better than anything suggesting in the thread. Why not white? The cabinets are dated, but I think the "yuck" reaction to honey oak is overdone. They aren't avocado appliances. There is nothing intrinsically awful about light oak cabinets. And I think the bright counters look great with them. And I am surprised to see how well the stainless appliances coordinate.

      I am just not seeing a problem here (although I am a little wary of the floor I can't quite make out).
    • mary_norman194889
      7 years ago

      Did I miss something. I would like to know the paint color

    • mary_norman194889
      7 years ago

      Also my oak cabinets r not a very good quality. Would u suggest I demo the kitchen?

    • Betty
      7 years ago
      Another color that might be good with honey oak is BM Natural Willow. No yellow undertones.
    • jhmarie
      7 years ago

      @mary_norman - try starting a new thread with a couple of pics of your kitchen - show full kitchen if possible. Demoing the kitchen is expensive, but if cabinets are in poor shape then new cabinets might be needed. Older threads are often not viewed as often as new ones.

    • Nat Lee
      7 years ago

      I don't know what the wall color is, but it works very well with the oak cabinets. It is some kind of yellow-grey color. Here is a picture: https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-ideas-phvw-vp~37100410[https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-ideas-phvw-vp~37100410[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen-ideas-phvw-vp~37100410)

    • Nat Lee
      7 years ago

      This brown color on the walls is very nice with golden cabinets

    • cindy smith
      6 years ago
      last modified: 6 years ago

      Hello,

      I have the golden oak cabinets with black appliances in my Kitchen. The granite is Alpine White (has gray, black, Shitake color, crystal and small amount of a orange. The back splash above the stove top is Shitake solid. We are thinking of the subway white tile on the other backsplash with a small diamond of Shitake in the middle spaced out in the center, just about 6 across. I am not sure if this will all look good. I was wondering what paint color would look good with all of this. I am looking for a color to look wondering with all the colors I have.

      Do you think I have too much going on?

    • silvsideas
      5 years ago

      @chloebud It's been a couple years now, and I'm facing the same situation as you. Curious if you posted pics of the finished kitchen. I have medium oak cabinets and a hardheaded husband who refused to paint or change our custom oak cabinets (or wood trim) from 1994. Light yellow kitchen turned out to be too much and we're about to start painting, but your fellow commenters have made me doubt my choice of SW Sea Salt. We flip houses on the side and used Sea Salt on a few before the overwhelming popularity of gray made me give in to Repose Gray, but it never means as much as when it's your own!

    • chloebud
      Original Author
      5 years ago

      @silvsideas, I don't have a good photo, but we ended up using Simply White...a very safe choice with the minimal wall space in the kitchen. We need to have some work done in other parts of the house, and I'm thinking about...maybe...another change for the kitchen.

    • silvsideas
      5 years ago

      @chloebud A month later I am thrilled with our choice of SW Sea Salt. The golden tones in the wood trim and cabinets were neutralized and the kitchen/dining area looks fresh and modern. So glad I trusted my instincts! We know someone who did paint her oak cabinets - white on the uppers and black on the lower. She warned us that one thing they don't tell you about painting cabinets white is that you run the risk of yellowing with time. Hope your kitchen makes you as happy as mine does! God bless!

    • sandyr1
      5 years ago

      @silvsideas, Does your Sea Salt have more of a green or blue tone in your room? Thanks

    • silvsideas
      5 years ago
      last modified: 5 years ago

      @sandyr1 It does have a green tone, which I do like very much.

    • bookbuff3
      5 years ago

      I guess I would be the odd man (or woman in this case) out. It is me and not my husband who actually love our honey oak kitchen cabinets. Oak is timeless to me and gives a home a rich, warm feel. I digress though. Chloebud, did you ever post a picture of your painted kitchen? We are about to paint ours and my cabinets are exactly like yours. We're adding hardware to the cabinets and changing out the faucet. Post if you can and thanks.

    • jhmarie
      5 years ago

      bookbuff3 - my oak kitchen wall are cream - with a hint of beige to set off the white trim and it works well with my backsplash:

      https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~110720042

      https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~109854052

      I have a wood kitchens idea book which has many oak and mid-tone kitchens. You might get some inspiration there too.

      https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/75202366/thumbs/wood-kitchens


    • schnable1
      5 years ago
      My cabinets are the same Honey Oak (but I don't have a "duck"). Because my open concept flows into the living area I painted SW Toque White. It works well with everything I have from oak floors, to white tile surround on Fireplace, to dark, dark green counters.
      Not too warm, not too cool.
    • felizlady
      5 years ago
      I can't imagine that the gray fad/rage will last more than another few years.
      I would suggest you look at several soft colors, including a soft white, and paint a book-sized sample of each on the walls next to the cabinets and not next to each other. Samples of paint are usually about $5 at stores which make them available.
    Sponsored
    More Discussions
    Too much blue. what other color is right here?
    34
    panelling advice!
    7
    Window and door colour/style help please
    7
    Help reconfiguring the downstairs of my house
    8
    Existing canopy in garden - how to enclose?
    0
    United Kingdom
    Tailor my experience with cookies

    Houzz uses cookies and similar technologies to personalise my experience, serve me relevant content, and improve Houzz products and services. By clicking ‘Accept’ I agree to this, as further described in the Houzz Cookie Policy. I can reject non-essential cookies by clicking ‘Manage Preferences’.