If you already have honey oak cabinets but want grey wood floors, you might be worried the two types of wood won’t match.
And that’s understandable because this look is hit or miss – when done right, it looks phenomenal. When done wrong, it clashes.
To coordinate your honey oak cabinets with grey hardwoods, go with a very light grey or a light grey with bits of warm honey color throughout. If your cabinets are very pale, you can use a darker shade on the floor. But you also need to consider your counters – if your counters are white or grey, they’ll go with grey flooring much better.
Here’s what else to take into consideration.
How to Coordinate Honey Oak Cabinets with Grey Floors
Honey oak cabinets are very warm, while grey hardwoods tend to have cool undertones. You want a nice balance of warm and cool colors in every good design. Because of this, grey hardwoods can coordinate with your existing cabinetry – you just need to pick the right grey.
Light Grey Hardwood Floors
A light grey hardwood floor is a good match for honey oak.
Because the floors have opposite undertones, they offer contrast, but since they’re both on the lighter side, the contrast isn’t stark.
But since every kitchen has different lighting, slightly different shades of honey oak, and different counters, you need to bring in a few samples to narrow down the light grey that looks best.
One of my favorite options is a natural driftwood gray.
Grey Hardwood Floors with Honey Tones
An easy way to match your cabinets to your floors is by looking for grey hardwoods with some honey tones running through them.
While these floors will coordinate, you need to consider the rest of your kitchen’s design elements. Since you’ll have warm tones on the cabinets and floors, use a light cool tone on the walls and counters.
Dark Grey Hardwood Floors
If your cabinets are a pale honey oak and aren’t overly golden, a dark grey hardwood floor can look stunning. To complete this look, you’ll want a light color on the wall and preferably a light gray, marbled, or white countertop.
Dark grey hardwoods with light honey oak cabinets look very modern.
Other Factors to Consider When Matching Gray and Honey Oak
When matching your cabinets with new floors, you have to consider much more than only the floor and cabinet color. Your room’s other finishes and light sources will largely play into how your space looks.
Lighting – If there’s minimal natural lighting in your space, steer clear of a dark grey floor. Dark will be overwhelming in an already dark area. Instead, lighten up the room by using a very pale grey.
Countertop and backsplash – Your countertop and backsplash are key pieces in helping to determine your floor color. For instance, if you have honey oak cabinets with a light grey counter, you can use a mid to darker gray on your floor, as long as the lighting in the room is good.
If you have warmer colored counters, finding a suitable gray becomes more difficult. You’ll want to steer away from honey-colored grey hardwoods since they can leave your kitchen looking too warm. Instead, a very light floor is probably your best bet.
If you have marble countertops or a stone with flecks of gray, you can try coordinating your floors with gray running through your counters.
Paint – Use your paint color to balance out other tones in your kitchen. A safe bet is a white or light neutral. However, if your room is composed of mostly warm colors, a cool gray, green, or blue might work best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do honey oak cabinets go with grey walls?
Honey oak cabinets pair very well with grey walls. Since honey oak is warm and grey tends to be cool, these colors balance each other out. However, if you have grey flooring go at least a couple of shades lighter on your walls.
Do golden oak cabinets go with grey floors?
Golden oak cabinets are similar to honey oak – only a bit darker and warmer. Gray floors can coordinate with golden oak, but you’ll want to steer clear of dark gray. Dark gray is much too strong of a contrast to use with golden oak. Instead, go with a pale gray or gray flooring with warm undertones.
Is honey oak coming back in style?
While warm honey and golden oak cabinets aren’t quite back in style yet, light oak cabinets are making a comeback. Shaker-style white oak is becoming more and more common in kitchen remodels. So, while it’s hard to predict, a light honey oak might make its way back to the trendy list.
Final Thoughts
If you want to use grey hardwood floors next to your honey oak cabinets, you can. But before you pick a floor, take your countertop and lighting into consideration.
If you have a cool-toned countertop, grey floors will look great in your kitchen. However, if your countertop is warm, you’ll need to bring in a lot of samples to see what looks best with your countertop and cabinet combo.
And remember, unless your cabinets are incredibly light, it’s best to steer clear of a dark grey hardwood. Instead, go for a pale grey or find a grey with honey undertones.