How to Update Honey Oak in your home

Want to learn how to update your honey oak cabinets, floors, doors or trim without a full renovation, then you’re in the right place. Just wait until you see how paint color can be the answer.

Honey oak or Golden oak just need to be surrounded by the right colors.

First things first, honey oak and golden oak are interchangeable words when talking about oak cabinets from the 1980’s and 1990’s. No matter what you call them, these cabinets will show in ranges of warm yellow to orange.

Pinterest graphic with Honey Oak color paint ideas, rug, wallpaper and lights

Over time, depending on many factors, honey and golden oak age a little differently. You probably even notice this from room to room in your own home.

The golden oak baseboard trim may still look dark stain while the cabinets look more orange. This is what sunlight can do to the surface of your oak.

honey oak hardwood floors in living room walls painted adaptive shade
Sherwin Williams Adaptive Shade wall color brings a calm to golden oak floors.

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Honey Oak and Golden Oak Update Options

  1. Total renovation to remove and replace all stained cabinets, trim and floor refinishing.
  2. Partial renovation by removing some odd cabinets and decorative pieces of wood.
  3. Sand oak cabinets and re-stain.
  4. Paint your cabinets.
  5. Partial paint update with island and pantry door.
  6. Keep as is and make look great with the right paint colors and accessories.

While I think 2 and 5 are great budget friendly options, let’s go with option 6, keep as is and make them look great. This is obviously the most affordable update to your home.

You can see how much it cost us to have our hardwood floors refinished in case you are choosing option 1.

dining room with honey oak floors and oakmoss green color walls
Sherwin Williams Oakmoss paint color works well with honey oak flooring.

I have seen my fair share, as I’m sure you have too, of people painting oak cabinets. It’s the most popular update on Pinterest. AND if you are someone who did paint yours, that is ok too.

I want to reassure you, you don’t need to replace or paint your honey oak to achieve a modern look. You can keep your honey oak and the ideas I share here will help.

Living Room mood board to update a 90s home

For the rest of you who find yourself in a home with the classic wood details, you’re going to love this post. Creating a cohesive home color palette is the best way to update your home.

Paint Color Ideas for Honey and Golden Oak

What you need to consider most when creating a cohesive home color palette is the color of the stain in your home. Whether you hate it or love it, it needs to be a part of the overall decision. It is a color.

Ignoring the things you don’t like in your home will not make them go away. In fact, you may actually bring more attention to the one thing you are trying to hide.

Every home is different too. Find a color your like and then sample it along with 2-4 similar colors. If you are ready to paint then you can test your samples on the wall. BUT if you are in the design stage I highly recommend the peel and stick real paint samples.

honey oak floor sample with black white and gray color palette

Embrace the Warmth: Don’t try to hide the color

Work with the undertone color (rather than against it) to create a cohesive design for your home. You should love the true warm color of your oak cabinets. Wood is timeless in home interiors.

Not everyone wants to or can afford to get rid of their oak cabinets. There are ways to bring everything together cohesively to give your home an updated style.

honey oak color palette mood board with warm terracotta color and black

Choose warm whites and neutral colors to make your kitchen cabinets shine. Try to avoid over saturating your walls with a heavy paint color. I’m not saying to make your kitchen boring but to keep the wood the star.

If you love the warmth but have too much of it around your home color will bring it all together.

Choose a light color palette to let your kitchen cabinets shine, then go with a more saturated paint color in an attached room such as dining or living spaces.

honey oak hardwood sample and light neutral paint color samples

Balance the orange in oak cabinets

There are many ways to balance the orange of your honey and golden oak. Choosing a paint color that is opposite of orange on the color wheel, like blue and green, helps balance out the warmth.

Maybe you prefer color on your walls beyond whites and neutrals. Blue-green colors work well with honey oak.

green paint swatch options and oak floor
blue paint swatches for oak floors

If you have a kitchen island consider painting it in a darker color. This is a great way to ground the rest of the cabinets and balance out lots of orange oak.

A cohesive color palette through your home maintains a balanced feeling. Create color contrast with statement colors, like black.

What to consider when choosing paint colors

  • Undertone of your stain color.
  • Countertop and backsplash color.
  • What colors will you have in adjoining rooms.

The reason lots of people get paint colors wrong is because it can be very overwhelming. I wrote this post to help you with Choosing the right paint.

Adaptive Shade paint color and 3 options

Styling Tips: Create a Modern Space with Honey Oak

  • Update your lighting fixtures for a modern touch.
  • Use rugs, curtains or other fabrics to tie the space together.
  • Replace or add new hardware to your cabinets.
  • Allow accessories and art the opportunity to add splashes of color around the room.
honey oak mood board, paint color swatches, area rug, wallpaper

Final Thoughts: Making Honey Oak Work in a Modern Home

With the right colors, accessories, and updates, honey oak can feel fresh and stylish. Thoughtful color choices for your home will allow you to create a cohesive color story.

Don’t skip this step!

The number one way to guarantee you get a paint color that misses the mark, is to skip the sample step. Don’t make that mistake.

Be sure to sample your paint colors.

One thing I never see talked about when it comes to updating cabinets is the actual cabinet style. The style of the door front makes your cabinets more dated than the color. Please don’t take it personally but it’s true.

The only timeless style cabinet door is the shaker style. The squared off door front has stood the test of many design styles.

Dining room styled with black table and Oakmoss green wall

So if you have honey or golden oak cabinets with the arched or double arched cabinet doors I would skip the paint. While painting the cabinets may feel like an update, it really isn’t. But as I said already, if you have painted oak cabinets and you love them, good for you.

Updating the colors around your honey and golden oak can be a great way to make them feel updated and modern.

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