We’ve updated this post for 2026! Honey oak kitchen cabinets have taken a back seat over the years. Since their rise to popularity in the 80s and full takeover in the 90s, homeowners have gradually moved cool tone pallets.
However recently we’ve not only seen people renovating and incorporating their existing oak cabinets into modern design, but we’ve seen warm toned woods making a comeback in fresh new ways!
Current kitchen design trends continue to add wood in cabinetry and floating shelves. (We love to see it!) While wood was once thought to be only for traditional design, contemporary trends have been mixing wood with other materials to create ultra modern kitchens. Or a blend of modern and traditional elements in a transitional style.
While honey oak can look dated, there are ways to add this rich material to your kitchen in a modern way. We’ll show you some updated examples that can be used for a new custom kitchen or for renovating your existing space and modernizing your existing honey oak cabinetry.
Tips for Modernizing Honey Oak Cabinets
Here’s a quick summary of the tips we know will help modernize honey oak cabinetry. (We’ll share more details later on).Â
- Choose black hardware.
- Use oak as an accent material.
- Pair with white countertops.
- Choose a shaker door style.
- Contrast warm tones with green.
- Use a veneer or TFL faux wood.
- Use rift cut white oak.
What wood stain is considered honey oak cabinets?
Honey oak cabinets are stained to bring out the orange-yellow undertones of oak wood. This can range from warm toned tints to a more natural (clear) wood finish. Red oak, which is usually used for honey oak cabinets (not white oak) is naturally warm, and ages into a patina over time. Which is why many stains will pull warm over time regardless of undertone, as the red-brown hues darken naturally.
Is are oak cabinets naturally honey in color?
Naturally, red oak does run warm and will have a “honey oak” look to it if a natural or warm tone stain is used on the wood.
Left to right, alder wood with natural stain, oak wood with natural stain, and maple with natural stain.
Here you can see (from left to right) alder, oak, and maple all with a natural stain. Natural stain does not do much to change the undertones in the wood, rather allows the warmth to shine through, amplifying the natural characteristics of the wood.
The oak wood has more of a honey tone naturally, pulling more orange than brown or red.
Since all these samples are fresh off the manufacturing table, they have not aged or been exposed to much light.
If you don’t happen to like the honey undertones of oak cabinets, a cool tone stain can be added to help mitigate the warm undertones. You could consider refinishing your wood cabinets if this is what you are looking for.
Does honey oak age and change colour?
Most wood cabinets will go through an aging process over time, as the cabinetry is exposed to the elements: humidity, light, air etc. That is part of the reason why some people love them!
Oak cabinets will continue to get more golden toned over time as the wood is exposed to air and light. While the three examples above all looked pretty similar. Alder and maple will not darken as much as oak will over time.
This is why older oak kitchens look more “honey oak” than a new kitchen will.
However, applying a stain helps to prevent the wood from getting more and more warm toned over time. (Though it won’t stop the aging process).
Homeowners will look at a solid oak kitchen and will be able to see the quality in a natural material. The variation and aging in the wood is proof that the quality is there and the integrity of the cabinets is good, which will increase your home value in the long run.
Stained Oak Cabinets
If natural oak is a bit too warm for your taste, you can try a cooler tone stain colour that neutralizes the warmth a bit. One that our custom kitchen designers use often is the stain colour “Loft”. You can see it pictured below on oak and white rift cut oak (which is cut differently for a straighter grain than traditional honey oak).
From left to right: Loft on Oak, Natural Oak, Loft on White Rift Oak.
While all three oak examples are warm woods, you can see where the name honey oak comes from!
5+ Ideas on How to make honey oak look modern
If we are being honest, we don’t often see natural stain on oak or the traditional honey oak ordered very often for custom kitchens. Being a custom cabinet manufacturer we make what clients order, and now that is more of a neutral toned oak cabinet.
However, there are some ways you can make these cabinets look modern. Here is what we would recommend if you are looking for new cabinets or are trying to match existing honey oak flooring or honey oak wood trim.
Creating a modern design is all about strategic pairings and subtle updates. For example:
- contemporary hardware on traditional materials
- light countertop and paint colours for balance
- slab, flat panel or shaker cabinet doors (rather than ornate styles)
- floating shelves to keep the room open
- adding modern accessories to balance tradition.
Here are our design tips for modern oak kitchens:
1. Pair Oak with Black Hardware and Fixtures
Black hardware is a simple way to give honey oak cabinets a modern update. Choosing streamlined styles, like slim bar pulls or minimal knobs contrasts the traditional oak.
Here’s our Ultimate Guide for Wood Cabinets with Black Hardware.
Matching the hardware with black light fixtures and decor items will carry the finish throughout the space, creating a cohesive and modern design.
2. Stick to a feature island or accent cabinetry
Try keeping the warm wood tones just to a feature island or row of accent cabinetry. Combining wood and white is a popular example that is used in many modern kitchen designs today.
This is a great option for renovations, since you can leave a portion of the existing cabinetry while updating or painting part of the kitchen, depending on the condition of your cabinets.
For new builds or fully custom kitchens, adding some oak wood in an island or floating shelves is a lovely way to warm up a space for transitional styles.
3. Pair Honey Oak with Modern White Countertops
The best way to revive a honey oak kitchen is switching out the countertops. This is a great option for a renovation because:
- Your cabinets might still be in good condition.
- Mixing old and new materials creates a modern layered look.
- Old countertops are easier to replace than an entire kitchen.
- You can update with stone or opt for a modern laminate countertop, which “offers a great bang for buck”.
4. Choose a Shaker Door Style
If you love honey oak cabinets, but want something more 2026 than 1986, your door style choice is a great way to keep the look modern. A shaker cabinet door is a popular style today and will update a honey oak finish. It will still have the traditional wood look you love, without feeling outdated.
Shaker doors have a clean square profile and are simpler in appearance than ornate styles in traditional honey oak cabinets. This modernized door style is a great choice if you are ordering custom oak cabinets.
5. Contrast Warm Oak with Green
If you are looking to make honey oak pop in a modern way, try green walls. Green beautifully contrasts the warm wood tones of honey oak! In this example, the designer paired oak island cabinetry with floating shelves, black cabinets, green tile backsplash, and green walls. You could also combine wood cabinets with green cabinetry.
They also added a large oak built in, which adds character and works really well with the flooring and vintage table. If you want to keep the honey oak tones consistent throughout your home, look to other finishes to update like walls, counters, appliances, hardware etc. to do the modernizing.Â
6. Skip "Real" Oak for TFL or Wood Veneer Cabinets
If the natural beauty of aging wood scares you, or if you are open to engineered materials, try Thermally Fused Laminate faux wood cabinets or wood veneer cabinets. Warm wood tones can be engineered in a modern way with these durable materials, and they won’t patina over time the way real wood does.Â
7. Try Rift Cut Oak
Rift cut oak has a straighter grain pattern and slightly greener undertone than regular red oak. This creates clean vertical lines and modernizes the look of the wood. If you are installing new cabinetry, white rift oak may be an alternative to consider that won’t seem as orange as honey oak. It also won’t get too much darker with age.
White Rift Oak, Loft Stain
Oak, Loft Stain
Are honey oak cabinets a good idea right now?
If you are looking ahead to a remodel or kitchen renovation project, you may not want to cross natural honey toned oak off your list of options. There are many ways to incorporate this material if it is what your heart desires.
If you are looking to choose the most popular finish right now, honey oak is not it. You may instead want to choose a more common finish that is popular right now like white HDF, white oak, or alder in a neutral stain.
Though it is not at the top of the trend charts, there are a few reasons why choosing new honey oak cabinets makes sense.
Why still choose a honey oak kitchen?
These cabinets bring warmth and charm to any kitchen. Rich, golden hues create a welcoming atmosphere. When paired with the right complimentary colours and finishes, they can look modernized while keeping their traditional wood charm intact.
Why still choose honey oak? Here are 3 reasons why:
- You’re matching existing honey oak floors, furniture, and honey oak trim. (It can be very expensive to renovate all the honey oak out of a home!)
- You want to bring warmth to a contemporary or modern kitchen.
- You simply love the traditional style of honey oak cabinets!
Ready to start designing your dream kitchen?
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