We really don’t want to paint it white! We love the charm of the wood feature but dang it pulls so orange in this house. We’re removing the wallpaper but thinking of painting it brown to appear more of darker wood? Our painter said staining isn’t worth it you could just get new trim but we want a quicker fix for the time being. Has anyone ever painted their trim darker or brown? Thanks!
Blue and orange are opposite each other on the color wheel which makes them complimentary colors, so they intensify each other. It’s the blue that’s making that orange color come through. Go with a warm white or pale yellow and yours will be warm without appearing so orange
OK, first of all I've been off social media other than Reddit for two years and this man single-handedly makes me reconsider that decision. We must protect him at all costs!!!!
We have a lot of unintended honey orange from the original wooden doors in our home, and we chose to lean into it, too. We brought in even more wooden furniture, and it's starting to feel timeless. To me, that's better than running after one particular trend or style, because that just means you'll always be behind and stress about catching up.
Our walls are a pretty bright white, but it works. We use creamy white as soft accents, and we have a lot of big windows, so it all ties together nicely with the natural light and the various shades of green from outside. And during winter the wooden tones feel particularly warm and cozy. edit: We have pieces from different eras, but it mostly has a MCM feel to it.
Thank you! I adore this color so much more than I thought I would. It’s more green in artificial lighting and more blue in natural light. We get a lot of compliments on it! It’s SW Willow Tree.
I think adding something darker on the walls and something that will complement the warmth of honey oak. I love the decor and adding warmth also into your future also!
You could wait til it’s “in” again or paint or stain, but the wood isn’t the problem. The wallpaper, the window treatments, and especially the fireplace gold grill, fan and carpet are the real problems. Update those and the wood will shine with the right color on the wall. Scandinavian esthetic rugs and clean line furniture. Oh and hardware updates will go a long way, please not black
We just brought a house with similar wood and I was really going down a rabbit hole with how to handle it before moving in. Ours looks good in parts of the house, but other parts not so much. I actually considered painting it all white af one point, but did a chat gpt rendering and it pretty much took away all of the houses character and made it look sad and boring so we decided to keep it.
I found a lot of good advice online from Kylie M Interiors and a few other places, but we are trying to do colors that work with the oak. We've only done a few rooms so far, but we switched them from bright yellow to SW Comfort Gray in the rooms we did. It's really night and day difference how much more modern it looks and it really makes the doors look good. We are also long term trying to do things like hardware updates and lighting fixtures which hopefully will also help modernize things a bit more.
It’s your home and you deserve to be happy in it but as someone with honey oak as well I’m obligated to say please don’t paint it it looks so warm and nice
Once you start painting woodwork, you will quickly realize after you are 1/2 way done with the first room, just how big of a pain in the ass it is and how time consuming it is. After you realize that you will start to look around to find where a good stopping point will be so the newly painted woodwork doesn’t look stupid next to the old stained woodwork and you will not find it. That’s my two cents worth 😊
More of the problem lies with ‘everything’ else. The other stuff is dated and making the wood look bad. The SUPER dated wallpaper border, the 90’s fest light fixtures and window treatments, if you redo all that the wood will cease to look weird. And you were going to redo all that eventually anyway, yeah? So you save money.
IF you need to change the wood because you distinctly loathe the honey tone, have it restained to a wood tone you prefer, but leave it wood. It’s very pretty and wood can be plenty modern. Look!
You see, without 90’s-o-rama surrounding it, it looks very timeless and expensive. People kill for this stuff (figuratively)!
Maybe wait and see once you paint the walls if you really need to do anything to the wood. The blue is a contrasting color so it’s going to make the wood look more orange.
This is what we are thinking. We were just stressed about moving in and wanting all paint to be done but I think we need to live in the house to really let it settle in. Thank you!
Honestly I would change the wood flooring before the honey trim. The floor (cool/ashy) doesn’t complement the tone of the trim (warm), so it makes the trim stand out in a bad way. If you replaced the floors with a warmer oak and repainted the walls a warm white, it would look amazing
before you do anything, please invite me for a ‘90s flashback sleepover to watch TGIF, my parents will pick me up in time for my soccer game in the morning!
Why does everyone want to erase wood that doesn’t out gas from china? Don’t paint it, please!! Update your window coverings, shutters would be charming, update your lighting, and you’ll be fine. You have undeniable beauty with your real wood, don’t cookie cutter it for today’s fleeting “taste”.
It may be that not everyone finds warm tones soothing. I personally don’t. My office at work (in an old converted house) has a massive built in that is honey oak. It was added sometime in the 90s and half the trim is cheap faux wood stained to “match”. It’s not the wood that bothers me, it’s the orange tones (and the fake, mismatched portions). Walnut, cherry, and mahogany are less jarring to me. Something about the darker, rich notes feels more comforting.
Yeah I hate that orange and overly warm look. Also really hate that all the wood was so shiny.
It doesn’t make me feel warm and cozy. I don’t understand the argument that if you don’t like that wood, you must just love cookie cutter grays and whites.
I agree. I love natural wood, but really don’t like tones like honey oak that are overly orange. There are tons of other options in terms of natural wood colours, and people should choose the ones they like!
Celebrate that gorgeous honey oak with its beautiful warm undertones.
That wallpaper border can’t come down fast enough. And the brassy fireplace doors. Both are dating your beautiful home, which has lovely bones and great, timeless woodwork.
What about talking to a professional painter about using some kind of gel or glaze on the oak? It’s beautiful wood. Look at other wood stains and find a color you like. Mission oak is a dark walnut stain and walnut is warm medium brown, cherry is a rich dark red brown.
we have a lot of honey oak and our home was owned by the same family for 60 years. last updated in the 80s and had a lot of similar colors to yours - the cool greys and blues. we painted most of the rooms already (the wallpaper and borders in a couple bedrooms is a longer term project), going with deep rich colors. dark green, a mossy brown, a barn red. it brings out the warmth in the wood. i’ll see if i can find paint colors/swatches
Thank you!! We were thinking of bringing in some sage or eucalyptus colors. We have a LOT of plants so maybe it is just the outdated paint that is throwing us off and we can warm it up. I love these doors I really don’t want to paint or change them so hopefully we can bring it back to a warm cozy vibe!
i could dm you some examples of the paint colors shift? i think another thing that’s kind of overwhelming about the honey oak sometimes is the high shine that was very in at the time. sometimes i consider sanding it down little by little for a more rustic vibe
Wowwwww this is prob exactly what is happening. Plus the blue color walls. I think the painting walls and the lightbulbs will make a big difference. Thank you!!
You’re welcome! I have these same colored cabinets and love them.
For our bathroom I still hated them and I used Briwax and I love them now.
It’s a tinted wax and it made my cabinets slightly darker and made the grains more distinct (I can post a picture if you want). It was super easy and just a wax you rub on and rub off. I wouldn’t use it for an entire door / entryway but a bathroom cabinet or something could help.
It'll make the house feel like a hospital. And beyond aesthetics, long-term exposure to high color temperature LED lighting can even cause health negative health impacts
It's going to be back in style in 5 years tbh. The paint is the problem. I would grab a bunch of color samples and do a color analysis like one of those fashion color analysis people do for their own skin tone/clothing and see what colors make it look less warm on its own! I would paint the walls of color that blends in and tones it down nicer, like a sage green or something with a warm hint instead of the Cool blues that make it look extra orange
Don’t paint it brown. I painted trim brown and it was not nice. Also painting trim is worse than painting walls, imo. I know you said it looks orange, updating surrounding paint is a good suggestion, but also try different lighting temperatures and see if that helps.
It might cost the same to replace it if the replacement material is cheap MDF, which will be a huge downgrade. Real wood trim is prohibitively expensive these days.
Many painters are not good at staining, so they’ll steer you away from this type of work because it means reducing their own scope of work. You’ll want to find someone who specializes in wood staining. Get a quote and if it’s acceptable to you, do some trials on the fireplace mantel, which is a one-off. That way if it’s a bust, it’s easy enough to just paint over it while you figure out how to approach the rest of the space.
I would normally say just leave it as is, as I think if you update everything else, it will look good. However, the real wood finishes are clashing with the flooring, which is too cool for the warmth of the wood finish. Are you planning on keeping this flooring?
I would paint the fireplace a cream color,paint all the walls med tan flat paint,and then get area rugs,art,fabrics with the wood color,the warm tan and maybe a terra cotta color in them to try and make it cohesive...remove valances and drapes for sure,no brass at all,black hardware on doors and fireplace
Yes, paint the walls, get rid of the wallpaper. If it’s still too much for you, paint the trim white, but leave the doors. I think you’ll come to love the doors.
Don’t paint it! The wood is beautiful but very reddish. You might actually like it better stained just a bit darker. Work with a pro who can give you good advice. Don’t know where you are, but I have gone to the local Sherwin-Williams store. They know what they are doing.
I used the color delft from Sherwin williams and it looks soooo good with my honey oak. I love the honey oak. Blues and anything with cool undertone will help make it pull less orange and it looks great
Oh my god please please please leave it. Its such a warm beautiful color that makes a house feel like a home. The things that should change are the things around it like wallpaper, paint, and window dressings. You've genuinely hit the jackpot with what looks to be real wood trim and doors so definitely don't pull it out like the painter said!! There some beautiful inspiration on pinterest of people that have made their Honey Oak homes look intentional and not dated at all!
The floors and wall colors are doing the oak dirty. You need more warmth on the floor and something a bit richer on the walls, imho. The brick and oak are such lovely, warm finishes and I’d like to see them supported and featured instead of fought against.
You’re super lucky! The white oak trim is coming back in style. Paint a warm white, decorate with modern furniture, and you’re gonna be at the peak of the sure to come fad in a year or two
We have it throughout our house and actually love it for the most part. That said, we just put in a room addition upstairs in connection with a massive renovation, and opted to paint the trim on the new windows rather than stain it because it fit the vibe of the room better. As others have said, it was a huge undertaking: The work in the room addition on the windows and door trim took so much more time than the work it did replacing and restaining a few window and door trims in other rooms. And the addition still has issues that are on the punch list (paint spray on windows and floors that didn’t get cleaned up properly, etc.). We also had our previously-stained kitchen pantry doors painted, and those look fantastic. It fixed the “dear god those are some very contrasting doors” look, since they’re in a focal point in the kitchen.
We left the rest of the doors and window trim alone until we replace all of them, since they’re 20 years old. We will probably do a combination of staining and paint or perhaps aluminum clad when we finally pull that trigger.
I get that it’s a LOT when every door and window is honey or kind of orange-ish colored. But I don’t think every window and door needs to match exactly these days. I would suggest picking one or two rooms where you really think it could benefit from having a different finish and focus on the trims there. Then leave the rest of the house alone, because it really is pretty. Good luck!
Please leave it, change the wallapaper it does not go well with the brown and if you really want to then do some sort of cover up for the fireplace but not the nice warm wood. I'd love something like that, the previous owners changed the 1930s house aesthetic and slapped horrendous white paint terrible job as well on it. They did retain the old door handles so maybe we need to strip the paint 🤔 anyway.
Colour theory: blue & orange are opposite of the colour wheel which can make the other colour pop and look garrish...🩵💙 + 🧡 =high contrast. You could try boring gray if you want an accent wall, habe a tinge of eucalyptus or just creamy white
Like others I believe mentioned, find wall paint that can offset the orange to be more cohesive and not so bold. I do not recommend painting, I would personally restain if I really hated it and think its worth it to keep the homes original trim.
My whole house is trimmed in a warm Douglas fir. You should lean into it! White trim is “basic”, but wood trim is custom! Keep the walls simple and fill the space with items that are special to you and make you feel good!
We bought a 1995 house that’s ALL honey oak and chose to pair it with sage and very dark bronze-y green paint on the walls. Very happy with the results
Knocking the shine down is an easy way to make it feel more this decade (while keeping the wood). Sometimes it’s the finish, and not the wood, that makes it feel dated.
Oh, commenting here to follow. We are in process of closing on a house that is full of honey oak floors and honey oak cabinets paired with white walls. The kitchen cabinets are still nice and $$ will go to roof instead. Trying to decide how to update without a total renovation. Was looking at sage green for one room.
Jewel toned paint! We have honey oak everywhere and I’ve been slowly painting. I used SW blackberry in my office and SW loyal blue in my kitchen and staircase. It brings out the oak so beautifully. Looking at an emerald for the dining room next.
Full confession - I can’t stand yellow pine or honey oak. It may be sacrilege but they are hideous. I’d re-stain to a very dark wood if someone convinced me I HAD to keep a wood tone. I’d prefer to paint it an oyster white or creamy white to fit with my preferred color palette.
I'll echo others that I think it looks nice - nicer than paint - and the time will come where it's back in fashion!
If you want to tone it down - find some hidden spot or trim scraps and test out some new tones clear coat. Like mix a clear coat with some light purple/grey tones until you get it to the right shade. Lightly sand/scuff then add top coat.
I love it when someone says “how do I fix it, this looks bad” and people tell them to wait until it’s “in” again. Like, that doesn’t make it look better, it’s just a different collective value!
We have a TON of this wood in our kitchen. Like aallllll over. At first I thought we gotta do something BUT it’s great quality wood and would be a nightmare to paint/stain/remove. So I’ve made peace with it. Yes, it’s dated. But it’s beautiful in its own way. Maybe it will come back in style, haha. The blue in your room brings out the orange in the wood. If you paint the walls beige it won’t stand out as much. Blue and orange are complimentary colors so they make each other pop more. We have a beigey leaning gray and it works. Removing or painting over the border would help it be less dated too.
I think the honey oak is pretty but what you need to do to make it look more
“ now “ is to paint your walls a modern complimentary color that looks good with it . Either a white shade or a rich darker grey -
I would lean into the wood tone and modernize the rest! Rip down that wallpaper, change the door handles, and a fresh coat of a paint on the walls will work wonders!
Other "warm" colors will make the orange look less intense. The light blue is on the opposite side of the color wheel of orange, so they contrast a lot. The walls could be beige or off-white, with no wallpaper border. Door knobs can be changed to brass color (see example image)
The carpet color also could be warmer; it could be changed to light brown or golden flooring. The wood flooring that you have already is a good example. If it's too much to change the flooring, then just decorate with warm colored furniture or rug.
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u/Critical-Coffee3718 Jul 18 '26
We just bought a house where every square inch of trim is honey oak. We tried to lean into it with fresh paint (warm whites / creams)