Give dated wood cabinetwork a fresh update with these intent ideas .

Throughout the eighties and ' 90s , oak tree cabinets were apopular choice for kitchensin homes across America , and they remain in many home today . Oak is a hardwood that can still be used in contemporary kitchen if decent cared for .

alas , the typical orange oak tree cabinets of decennium yesteryear can look dated in today ’s kitchens . It may not make good sense toreplace your wood cabinetryonly for esthetical reasons , specially if they ’re still in good condition . The challenge then becomes how to create a modern kitchen with oak cabinet . Use these ideas to make this material work if your kitchen need updating .

Kitchen with wooden cabinets and geometric wallpaper

Credit: Kritsada Panichgul

Create a Focal Point

expectant stretches ofoak cabinetstend to overpower kitchens . To minimize this , create a dissimilar focal point . Installa excise tile backsplashor opt for astatement kitchen stove hoodto switch the attention forth from the cabinetwork . For a more budget - friendly update , lay down a patterned area rug or contrabandist to balance the optical weight throughout the room .

Cool Down Oak Cabinets

Oak cabinetwork often features an orange finish , making your kitchen appear out-of-date . To chant down the warmness and create a mod kitchen with oak cabinets , fit out the rest of the kitchen in nerveless , novel tones such as bluesor greens . Here , the backsplash is tiled with varying wraith of blue-green totemper the rich Ellen Price Wood tonesin the cabinetry . coolheaded gray wall and blue accouterment reinforce the effect .

Accessorize Oak Cabinets

Wood furniture or cabinet playact as a electroneutral , permit you toincorporate people of colour into your kitchen . Accessorize around oak cabinetry with treasured objects such as decorative photographic plate or bleached glass vases . Add ornamental things to your kitchen that reflect your style orpreferred color pallet , such as ceramic planters , lulu towels , or small contrivance . Lighting contributes to the ambiance , so use repair that complement the existing computer architecture or the overall aesthetic .

Design Contemporary Oak Cabinets

Oak without lacquered shine and left in its instinctive land is a more innovative look . believe alternate ways to update a kitchen with oak tree cabinet . Use contemporaneous pulls , sleek countertops and fixtures , or a backsplash in geometrical shapes . Minimize clutter andintroduce artworkand nursing home accessories in moderation to equilibrate the free weight of the heavy woodwind instrument surfaces .

Mix Wood Tones

No design formula stateswood tonesneed to mate . In fact , mixing wood timbre brings an updated feelto a kitchen . A rich walnut tree stain will tot up depth and richness to cabinets . Combine the dark cabinet with lighter ones in natural or unsophisticated exposed Sir Henry Wood to showcase the grain ’s natural beauty .

Pair Oak Cabinets with Light Tones

Detract from the heavy look of oak cabinet by opting for lighter tonus in other areas of your kitchen . To brighten a space , habituate whitened or light - coloured walls , flooring , and countertops . Shiny aerofoil , including crank roofing tile andstainless - steel appliances , can also reflect light and give the room a visual cosmetic surgery . Notice how the oak tree storage locker in this kitchen arebalanced by white wallsand streamlined gray-haired accents for a polished look .

Try Two-Tone Oak Cabinetry

Two - tone cabinetsare a expectant look in kitchen designing . Consider painting a block of cabinets , such as the base cabinets , in a contrasting accent colouring to add interest and variety to a kitchen that experience overwhelmed by wood surfaces . If you ’re nervous about go bold on such a gravid project , ardent white is a authoritative option that couple well with most oak tree cabinets . Repeatthe tint of the paint cabinetsin accessories for a cohesive kitchen color strategy .

Paint Your Oak Cabinets

​​An alternative to preserving the smell of oak tree is to take the dip andpaint your kitchen cabinetsin an appealing spectre . indifferent coloration such as white , cream , black , taupe , or gray are timeless . house painting cabinet preserve their unity and supply a wise new look without the toll of successor . Once you ’ve paint oak cabinets , deal tot up new ironware , aglass tile backsplash , and affordable laminate countertops in innovative patterns replicating endocarp . These update are budget - friendly mode to transform a kitchen .

Budget-Friendly Kitchen Updates

Frequently Asked Questions

novel kitchen cabinets will cost you anywhere from $ 2,000 to $ 30,000 , depending on the material and oscilloscope of the project . Premade cabinets are themost affordable option(at about $ 50 to $ 200 per elongate base ) , but the options for tailoring them to your blank space are circumscribed . Fully customs cabinets are the most expensive ( at about $ 200 to $ 300 per linear ft ) but offer up the most option for designing the pure storage and look for your infinite .

Yes . you could refinish your oak tree cabinet , but you will need to scavenge them first with a strong detergent and then prep the surface with sandpaper . you could do a light sanding with okay to intermediate - gritrock emery paper if you are maculate your cabinets the same color or darker , but you will need to put in some elbow grease with courser emery paper to remove the former smirch if you are going lighter .

The decision to paint or tarnish your cabinet often come down to esthetic , but both have advantages and disadvantage . If you love the look of woods caryopsis , staining is a wondrous , gloomy - sustenance choice , but it is pretty limiting in full term of style . Alternatively , paint your cabinetsis an easy , low-priced way to tailor-make the space to your panache — whether it ’s farmhouse chic , Gallic country , or contemporary — but that may reduce the home ’s economic value for future buyers . Also , with paint cabinets , you ’ll need to drill more carefulness to forestall maculate or chipping the paint .

Contemporary kitchen with two tone cabinetry

Credit: Laurie Black

red oak cabinets

Credit: John Gruen

dark green tiled kitchen with larch-wood cabinets with cutout handles

Credit: Kim Cornelison

Kitchen with gray brick and wooden cabinets

Credit: John Granen

after kitchen vintage orange cabinets

Credit: Laurie Black

high ceiling dining room with gray rug and wooden accents

Credit: Kim Cornelison

Kitchen with green cabinets and black and white geometric floors

Credit: Annie Schlecther