Discover the best paint colors that go with honey oak wood trim, floors and cabinets. Find the perfect shade to help you create a cohesive look and look.
The adventures of the Berenstain bears, which I read as a child and later reread to my nieces and nephews, left me longing for a little wooden house, all neatly carved from a single tree.
I saw this fantasy come to life — to an extent — in all the gorgeous honey oak kitchens friends installed in their homes. Honey oak is a fixture in many homes, but what paint colors are best with this wood?
The best Farrow & Ball paint colors for honey oak wood are Down Pipe, Breakfast Room Green, and Blue Ground. Choose Sherwin-Williams’ Accessible Beige, Alabaster, and Otter, or Benjamin Moore’s Decorator’s White, Spa Day, or Tuscan Tile. Behr’s best colors are Vine Leaf, Soft Buttercup, and Platinum.
Choosing Paint Colors that Go Well With Honey Oak Wood
Whether your home’s honey oak is in cabinetry, flooring, furniture, or trim, this golden yellow wood adds warmth and welcome to any room.
Although some find honey oak dated, the rich color and delicate grain remain stalwarts of traditional American interiors. Let’s look at enhancing this wood element using the correct color palette.
If you’ve invested in honey oak woodwork or cabinetry, you’ll want to highlight the stunning wood with an equally appealing and high-quality paint color.
Top brands Farrow & Ball, Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, and Behr have a wide range of perfect paints for your project — which ones go with honey oak?
Farrow & Ball’s Best Colors for Honey Oak
Handcrafted in Dorset, England, Farrow & Ball’s lush paints add value to any interior. Use their paints to offset honey oak’s yellow and orange tones by choosing gorgeous grays, greens, and blues.
#1. Down Pipe No. 26
This intense charcoal shade is an ideal match with honey oak flooring or cabinetry. Down Pipe’s richness is offset by a blue undertone that softens the yellowness of honey oak.
Combining this decadent color with a bright wooden finish creates contrast and adds depth to your interior. I love this combination in an elegant bedroom, but it would be perfect in a family kitchen.
#2. Breakfast Room Green No. 81
Inspired by the color of east-facing breakfast rooms in English country homes, this leafy green is cheerful and gentle.
Like gray, Breakfast Room Green has a cool undertone that mutes the intense warmth of honey oak but enhances its natural grainy beauty. Combine these two finishes to refresh Scandi and Japandi interiors with an organic touch.
#3. Blue Ground No. 210
Blue Ground is another cool shade to complement honey oak. This mid-toned, friendly blue reminds me of Tiffany’s famous packaging.
Choose Blue Ground to update a kitchen with honey oak cabinetry, adding a contemporary and optimistic flair.
Best Paint Colors that Go with Honey Oak Wood from Sherwin Williams
For over 150 years, Sherwin-Williams has supplied top-notch paints for our homes — I know this sounds like a sales pitch, but these paints are likely the best interior products I’ve used.
Try these neutrals to pair with your honey oak interiors.
#4. Accessible Beige SW 7036
Bring out the coziness of honey oak by blending it with similar tones — Sherwin-Williams’ Accessible Beige is a clay-colored, earthy beige with a warm undertone.
Warm neutrals like beige embrace the wood’s undertone and help camouflage the yellowness that can make honey oak unappealing.
#5. Alabaster SW 7008
Another neutral option for honey oak is off-white, which includes cream. Alabaster is a warm white that offers a crisp contrast to the natural wood, brightening your interior.
However, this off-white has enough butterscotch undertone to create an inviting rather than cool space.
#6. Otter SW 6041
Darker neutrals also work beautifully with honey oak, including Otter, a saturated, inky brown with lush purple undertones. This reddish-brown pairs with the warm tones in honey oak but has enough cool tones to prevent an overwhelmingly warm effect.
It’s perfect for a cozy living room, an English country home study, or a cocooning bedroom.
Benjamin Moore’s Best Colors for Honey Oak
I think it’s worth paying a premium for home paint, especially if you’re using it to enhance other features of your home. What Benjamin Moore colors go best with honey oak wood?
#7. Decorator’s White CC-20
One paint option that will never fail is a pure shade of white. Decorator’s White leans neither cool nor warm, creating the perfect foundation for the golden tones of honey oak.
Choose clean white if you want to highlight your woodwork or cabinetry, especially if you’ve got a dimly lit space — Decorator’s White is highly reflective.
#8. Spa Day CSP-635
The ultimate tranquil blue, Spa Day, is a gorgeous mid-toned shade that will complement your honey oak cabinetry or floors. This idyllic combination is perfect for a relaxed bedroom or spa-like bathroom.
#9. Tuscan Tile CSP-1130
One of the rules of thumb with honey oak is to avoid orange, as you’ll be overwhelmed by yellow tones. But this gently worn terracotta shade is an ideal match for honey oak, despite being classified as orange.
To be honest, I wanted to include Tuscan Tile just for its romantic associations with faded Florentine villas and farmhouse roofs, but I urge you to bring your kitchen on-trend with this earthy shade.
Behr’s Top Paint Colors that Pair with Honey Oak Wood
While Behr doesn’t have the vast catalog of colors boasted by Benjamin Moore, they do have some perfect colors for honey oak features in your home.
#10. Vine Leaf N400-7
Vine Leaf is one of Behr’s best-sellers, a classic hunter green that shines in traditional interiors. This deep, dignified green has a vintage-inspired look, working well if you are embracing the retro side of honey oak cabinets in your kitchen. Pair with marble countertops and brass accents.
#11. Soft Buttercup P290-1
While bright yellow is a no-no for honey oak kitchens, the palest of buttercup yellows is exquisite. I love this pale yellow for nostalgic interiors, where the wood leans into cottage core. Pair with other pastel shades for a charming country look.
#12. Platinum PPU26-11
Platinum is a soft, calming light gray that plays nicely with honey oak, especially if you want to neutralize the yellowness of the wood. Combine with gray quartz or veined marble in your kitchen or bathroom countertops for elegant versatility. Accent this Behr best-seller with fresh white trim.
Final Thoughts
Honey oak has been a staple of traditional American kitchens since the 1970s, with a massive revival in the 1990s. This beautiful golden wood is still featured in new homes and is worth highlighting. Look out for warm neutrals, cool blues and greens, and pale yellows and oranges to enhance your honey-colored wood.
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