So, how DO you work with your honey oak kitchen and trim to update your 90s home? We get it, your home is filled from top to bottom with honey oak trim, and honey oak wood cabinets. In this blog post, we’re going show you how easily we can create a balance making your oak work for you!
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First, and possibly the least expensive solution is to simply change your wall color. The hallmark of a 90s-style home is the pairing of honey oak with paint colors in shades of brown or red. The result, an all-over aesthetic that feels outdated. A paint color that brings out the best of oak – and its inherent warmth – will completely transform your room.
The most important thing to note: 90s oak tends to have yellow undertones or orange undertones. First thing, you’ll want to choose a wall color that compliments warm wood tones. An entire room in an overall shade of orange or yellow lacks personality, especially in a kitchen design. A paint color with a purple undertone will have the same affect. Look to contrasting colors that are a bit cooler in tone. Shades of blue, green, beige, white, and greige (grey beige), are all options.
RELATED: Earthy Kitchen Ideas: Inspiring Design and Natural Elements
What is a sea of oak exactly? Well, if everywhere you look brings you an unobstructed view of a shade of oak, you’ve got a sea of oak. We’re talking a combination of wall-to-wall oak kitchen cabinets, oak built-ins, oak trim, oak flooring, and more. You get the picture. To work with your honey oak and elevate its style is to break it up visually.
How do we do that? The easiest way is to paint the elements that feel the most oak-heavy visually in a complimentary color. Think of your old oak kitchen cabinets with a pop of color on them or in a creamy white, leaving the floors and trim intact.
One way we like to bring in a new vibe… changing your flooring. Oftentimes the already oak-heavy 90s home will also have honey oak floors. A new and unexpected flooring option can instantly elevate the room and the honey oak will feel warm and inviting. Tile is a great option. By choosing graphic tile, natural stone, or LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile), you can easily achieve a nice contrast with oak cabinets for a more modern kitchen. If you want to stick with hardwood flooring or go with super durable LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank), you can opt for a different finish color to compliment the warm tones in the oak. What we want to achieve is contrast. This will give your eye a rest from that never-ending sea of oak.
Kitchens with honey oak cabinets will look fresh and updated with new wood flooring or Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) flooring in similar undertones. The key is to choose a neutral floor with similar warm color tones found in the oak to bring the two elements together.
Paint and flooring can have a profound impact on your oak-filled home. The answer to your oak woes, is to create a focal point within the room with contrasting color. By incorporating bold artwork, a feature wall, or driving the focus towards a brightly tiled fireplace, the oak is less jarring. Balance goes a long way!
If your honey oak kitchen cabinets are still in good shape, a great way to update the space is by pairing them with new countertops and a fresh coat of paint. White countertops can instantly brighten the room and balance the warmth of the oak. Quartz or marble-look laminate countertops are budget-friendly options that make a big impact without breaking the bank.
For a quick, budget-conscious update, gel stain is one of the easiest ways to tone down the orange hues of your oak cabinets. With just a little bit of work you can achieve a deeper, richer tone without needing new cabinets. Popular options like General Finishes Gel Stain come highly recommended by DIY enthusiasts and interior designers alike. This method allows you to modernize your wood while keeping the natural grain intact.
Earth tones are set to be huge in 2025, offering a perfect complement to honey oak cabinets and trim. Think warm neutrals, muted greens, deep browns, and soft beiges. These colors work beautifully in the kitchen, dining room, and living room, creating a cohesive, modern look throughout your home.
Designer-curated paint palettes for honey oak, maple, cherry, and brown oak cabinets. Instantly modernize your space with perfectly coordinated wall, trim, and accent colors—plus a bonus guide to help you choose with confidence.
Sometimes, the smallest details can have the biggest effect. Swapping out old cabinet hardware for sleek, modern pulls or knobs can give your kitchen or bathroom an instant upgrade. Matte black, brushed gold, or even pewter finishes work beautifully with honey oak cabinets.
Pair this with updated lighting fixtures—think pendant lights in the kitchen or a statement chandelier in the dining room—to bring the entire space together. For budget-friendly options, check out these modern lighting fixtures at Lowe’s.
You aren’t forever relegated to an outdated 90s-era home. With a bit of creativity and the creative ideas shared here, you can work with your honey oak, to create a modern design. Your 90s oak home can be updated in a way that feels oh-so-modern and totally you.
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27 Responses
I love your ideas!!! Wondering what I can do with colonial trim, I want to redo my kitchen, any thoughts what would work with colonial trim??
Hi Julie! Thank you for your kind words! I saw you scheduled a call, I look forward to chatting!
After much research for ideas and options, I decided to try Mini-wax Liming wax and a round brush. I rubbed liming wax on my cleaned, red-oak cabinets from the 90s that were still in great condition. I used blue tape on the adjacent walls and surfaces, and did it myself in a day, without having to empty the cabinets or remove the doors. I love the way it lightened them from an orange-brown to an ash color, while preserving the beautiful oak texture.
Please send me a photo ! I’m in the same boat !! 🙁 thx.
I would love to use Min-Wax on my honey oak kitchen cabinets as well but am unsure of the look of the end result. Congrats on getting you kitchen revived! Are you able to send me a pic of your space? If you are okay doing so, what color did you use? Thank you-
Please post a picture. Would love to see
Yes, I want to do the same with my oak cabinets! Please post a picture!
Kathy-
Can you please send me pics of your revived cabinets? Text or email works for me.
Thank you!!
Holley
404.277.1110
Holley.griset@gmail.com
So where can I find the old fashioned “Honey Oak” stain. I need it for some wood work spot repairs that my dog chewed. I don’t need to know that it is old fashioned. I like it and need it to match what I have. Perhaps there is a different name now but the same color.
Hi Sally, Take an existing piece of wood to your local paint store for a match.
I really need help, want to put in new flooring but need to get some of the golden Orange out of kitchen cabinets. Kathy can you please share photos and show me what you used?
What do you think of a darker burgundy color with honey oak? Is any paint color really out of style?
Hi Cindy – There are some really great softer red tones that would be great vs. burgundy, which is a bit outdated. Think terracotta or something much “earthier.”
I have 90s honey oak flooring throughout my home. Any easier ways of updating this? One side of the home receives a lot of sunlight that current floors have faded and are different color from back side of the house. It’s a disaster
Hi Lauren- Thank you for your question! Aside from refinishing the floors, you can use areas rugs in the logical locations to help conceal the differences in the faded areas vs. non faded areas. This will also break up the “sea of oak” a bit. Also, add some fun color in your throw pillows, and decor, and/or interesting eye-catching objects to your spaces to draw the eyes away from the floor.
Did anyone receive photos of Kathy’s oak cabinets that she used the liming wax? I am really struggling selecting laminate vinyl flooring due to the orangish/reddish color in my honey oak cabinets.
Hi Carla,
I love your ideas. I started out thinking about replacing my galley kitchen and eating area flooring. I was unable to find anything that worked with my honey oak cabinets. The current ceramic floor tile has a yellow tinge to it and walls are taupe. Your ideas will definitely help with that. My kitchen has too many textures and colors at the present time. I am worried that adding a luxury vinyl wood look to the kitchen would give my home a barn look. To compound the problem, my eating area has two off white and taupe faux brick walls. I have natural oak floors throughout the remainder my home. I know I probably need a total kitchen renovation, but that is out of question. Any thoughts would really be appreciated.
Hi Janice! Thank you for your kind words and for reaching out! I’d love to help you with your kitchen and answer your questions but will need photos and more information. I have a service that is perfect for you – you can check it out here: https://carlabast.com/get-fast-and-affordable-interior-design-advice/
I see you’ve set up a call this week, so we can chat more then! Best, Carla
So try darker shades for a room with brighter light shinning in to tone down some of the glare, then go w/ lighter shades in a light restricted space such as in a northern facing room.
Try using lighter shades in a room with a northern facing direction, and the opposite of medium to darker shades in a well-lighted space will make it go easier on the eye.
We just painted our kitchen walls the color rainwashed which has tones of green and a hint of blue depending on the light coming in. It looks phenomenal to me personally to bring our 90’s Honey Oak cabinets into modern day 2022! Still touching up and cleaning up so pics forthcoming.
Hi Lori- Thank you for sharing, would love to see the photos!
I’m having a hard time finding a paint that will go with honey oak cabinets and floors, and beige furniture…. I have looked at so many colors. I have gratifying gray and SW creamy… Will they work? And also can you make any suggestions…. I have bought some samples the show up blue… I don’t want blue wall… Thanks for your help.
Hi Kathy, it all depends on the light in the rooms, is it northern facing or does it get a lot of natural light? These factors will make a huge difference in how the undertones of the paint color will show. If it is north facing, keep the color on the warmer side.
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