Help choosing flooring color/materials that work with honey oak

4 years ago

My husband and I recently purchased a home and are hoping to re-do the floors with hardwoods (or wood look tile possibly) my husband prefers the golden/red/warm hues in flooring that is usually seen in hickory floors. The issue is that we have those classic 90's honey oak cabinets that seem to only be possible to match with beige. We like the warmth of the cabinets, so we don't want to paint or retain them, but I have no idea how to keep a bright/airy feeling in our kitchen AND add in warm-toned wood flooring without it looking like golden yellow nightmare. (Too much wood, too dark, etc). Has anyone tried to pair warm/golden cabinets with a wood floor before? How did you avoid a wood overload or dated look?

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Comments (4)

Alexis Ciccanti
Original Author
4 years ago
Some photos, for reference! We'd love to continue the flooring we choose out into the living room as well, so if there is a "magic shade" that will flow well into all three rooms, then PLEASE share the love!!

Main kitchen area.

"Eat in" dining / deck

Transition hallway to living room

Living

Stairway access to second floor.
jhmarie
4 years ago
This is my wood kitchens idea book with both new and refreshed wood kitchens. Keep your particular wood tone in mind when looking at pics, but most of these are warm toned. Many have wood floors:

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

Natural oak works well with whites and creams as you can see in many of the pics. I have an oak kitchen and cream walls. Sage works well. Cool grays don't usually work, but warm grays - which often have a green or beige under tone can work well or very light gray/whites. In my home I have a traditional natural oak floor. It is not "on trend" but as it is in homes over a hundred years old and still used today - more timeless. Hickory flooring can be very pretty, but it has a lot of movement and color variations which might not work well with the oak cabinets.

I refreshed my oak kitchen with new counters, apron front sink, backsplash and under cabinet lighting. I am very pleased with the results, but the under cabinet lighting was my most functional change and the one I would miss the most if taken away. I only have it between the sink and range, but it adds much needed light and brightens the kitchen.
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Well, don't go break the bank on something that hands out radon, or cannot be effectively cleaned without a college diploma! A very nice countertop that is a solid surface, and just simply white will be very pretty. Keep it simple, Let your floor shine. Oak and cedar wood does go with green(I call yours' Emerald and Gold....not really Forest or Pine on my monitor) just take a walk in a park or maybe just in a Nature area. There is nothing prettier than wood and green grass with the colors of birds and butterflies around. Nature does not make mistakes...so I think the counters, and the appliances as they can(need is the only thing that moves mine out)be changed to white with your sink....will be a very pleasant transition, and be careful doing that drywall painting. Your floor and your wood and your counters will need some time and effort to be duly protected. Maybe that will sink and counter top will lead you to the right shade for your walls. There are alot to choose from in just the family of lites/ whites..
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Unfortunately, I can't paint the cabinets...i'm renting....the landlord did say I could stain them...I might take some Briwax to them to cut the orange a bit. I don't want to put in to much time and effort..I like a white kitchen that is airy. I'm going to put a rattan pendant light in the window, a roman shade and hange the hardware on the cabinets...I thought about doing a marble contact paper on the countertops and stick on subway tile back splash. However, I don't like the look of "cheap" either...ugh....thank you on the advice of pale oak....after doing more research, you are very right...wrong color...ok, what about Swiss coffee. I can't do anything with green or green undertones...I really dislike green unless its a plant. I prefer cooler tones...but can live with a bit of warmth. This is a color I'll be putting everywhere on the main floor...the space doesn't get a ton of natural light...so I don't want it to look muddy at night...maybe Simply white is the way to go. It's safe. Any ideas on how I can decorate or make this space more "airy" and livable I will appreciate very much. I'm also going to do some under cabinet lighting
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Ok thanks Patricia! I’m wondering if I’m seeing greenish hues from the terrible Florescent type lightbulbs that came with the place...will do the 4000k bulbs and go from there. Thank you!
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I agree with the first above houzzers.....paint it a warm white and leave it for a year living in it to decide where you want to begin, then begin with one room only and do that room completely.....people get so caught up in saving money, that they invariably end up spending a little bit in each room because they cannot afford to do one room right......I speak from experience! Painting the whole house will cost a lot of time money and headaches especially if you have never painted.....just sayin'.....So paint it a nice white and live in it and then decide where to begin first.... As you have always rented, you can be patient, and keep a list going of what you want to do in each room and then will be able to pare down the list to the most important.....personally I think you will get the most bang for you buck, and great satisfaction by tackling the kitchen after your year of living in the house; that way you get to enjoy all the money you spend before you decide to sell it......good luck, your happiness and joy at what you have accomplished in buying a home, is refreshing and charming and admirable..
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Alexis Ciccanti
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you so much! We would be more than happy to end up in the "timeless and classic" region of design. It feels really difficult right now to find a wood flooring that doesn't clash or overwhelm the kitchen. This is really helpful, thank you!
jhmarie
4 years ago
This shows the traditional oak floor in my oak kitchen. I have had this floor about 20 years. We went from a white vinyl to the wood floor and for a few days I worried it was too much wood, but then I got used to it. I have offset the wood by having everything else - wall color, counters and appliances light - though stainless appliances work too if that is your preference:)

https://www.houzz.com/hznb/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~109854029

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

Since this flooring is always available, we were able to do it in 2 phases. It is a site finished floor. We installed pre-finished solid wood flooring upstairs just a few years ago. I prefer the look of site finished, but that would have been nearly impossible upstairs - too much furniture to move. My main level floors need refinishing, but even looking a bit worn, they still look good:)

Help choosing flooring color/materials that work with honey oak

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Alexis Ciccanti
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jhmarie

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Help choosing flooring color/materials that work with honey oak

Comments (4)

Alexis CiccantiOriginal Author

jhmarie

Related Discussions

Alexis CiccantiOriginal Author

jhmarie

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Alexis Ciccanti
Original Author

Alexis Ciccanti
Original Author