The 4-Step Method Designers Use to Make Wood Cabinets Look Gorgeous

Warm honey-colored oak cabinets: a controversial staple common in apartment rentals but a missed opportunity for some, according to design pros. If you have them, then you might want to take a page out of this interior designer’s playbook, as she’s convinced that many just don’t know how to work with them correctly. Your dislike for wood cabinets may actually have less to do with the cabinets themselves and more so to do with the finishes around them.

“You do not have to paint your honey oak cabinets. Honey oak is not the problem,” Lily Walters, a Colorado-based interior designer, said in a recent Instagram video. “It’s just warm. The problem is when they sit next to cold finishes that completely clash with them.”

Lily is just one of many professionals who have tackled how to make wood cabinets work — especially when ripping them out is just not an option. Follow along as we highlight her smart tips.

According to Lily, there are four main things you can do to make your honey oak cabinets feel a bit more modern rather than ripped right out of the ’90s. The first of which is to assess what metals you’re working with.

“First, fix your metals,” she said. “Chrome and brushed nickel will make them look worse. You want warmth. Unlaquered brass, oil rubbed bronze, something that actually relates to the wood.”

Then apply the warm theme to your countertops. “If [the counters are] cool gray, that’s the issue. You want something with warmth and variation,” Lily said. “Even a subtle veining helps.”

Keep the warmth going with your backsplash, too. Lily said that this is where you can play with texture and maybe bring in a handmade, imperfect tile in a warm neutral. Opt out of using “stark white” subway tiles, which may make the cabinets look dated.

“Then, zoom out. The whole room needs to support it,” she continued. “Warmer paint, better lighting, materials that actually feel intentional. Because what makes honey oak look bad is when everything else around it is telling a different story.”

Of course, all these tips will work for you if you already love a warm-toned space — apologies in advance to the people out there who love millennial gray, chrome, and stainless steel. But if you can convince yourself to lean into the honey rather than cooling it down, your cabinets are going to fit the space so much better and not look as outdated as they might right now.

“As someone who has honey oak cabinets, I needed to see this. Maybe I don’t have to gut my kitchen,” one person commented on Lily’s post. Another added: “I have gone my full 28 years HATING honey oak, and somehow you made me just want honey oak cabinets.”

Give your honey oak cabinets a chance before you dip into that can of paint. They can definitely still work in 2026 — you just need to find the right accents to help them make the shift into the 21st century.