Modern Ideas for Darkened Cherry Cabinets
Oak, cherry, maple, pine – there’s something to be said about well-stained, well-grained wood cabinets. But, if you have these wood cabinets from the early 2000s, 1990s, or even older, you might wonder if they meet the standards of today’s modern kitchen.
Probably not.
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But if you’re on a budget and want to make some thoughtful changes, maybe they’re good enough.
What is ‘good enough? Well, they might not be ideal in style, stain, or layout, but they’ve got some decent bones to play with. Sometimes, the ideal kitchen design doesn’t exist due to budgets, partners who LOVE their wood (wink wink), or other reasons. This means we must embrace what we have and do what we can to update and remodel it while still honoring its roots.
For example, a kitchen like this next one has some beautiful bones to play with…
The above kitchen is a project for another day. Today’s update project focuses on cherry wood kitchen cabinets that have darkened with age.
While this won’t look exactly like anyone else’s cherry wood kitchen, you’ll still learn a lot from the update ideas discussed below!
So, let’s see what this cherry wood kitchen has to offer.
DAMN, she’s pretty, but pretty doesn’t always mean ‘updated.’ This gal needs a little KLC.
How do you feel about these cabinets?
If you love natural wood, it’s probably right up your alley. On the other hand, if you love more modest stains or painted cabinets, you’re probably itching to bust out your paintbrush.
But for all you wood lovers, the important thing to remember is…
Just because it’s wood doesn’t mean it’s good.
The above kitchen has great things going for it (the door profile is amazeballs), but the main challenge is the orange-red stain (they started lighter, but cherry wood naturally darkens over time).
This intensity of stain isn’t coming back in style any time soon – whether the wood itself is pretty or not.
If you’re living in your home forever, this doesn’t matter – you do you, but if you’re considering resale, this is an important point. However, it’s not always as easy as ‘let’s throw a coat of paint on them‘ as there are often other considerations, including…
THE SURROUNDING FINISHES
It’s not just about what you want; it’s about what your kitchen can handle based on what’s existing and what you are/aren’t willing to update.
Many kitchen palettes (flooring, countertops, backsplash) were built around wood cabinets – they’re meant to coordinate with wood.
Sometimes, there isn’t one paint color that all finishes agree on (in fact, you’re lucky to find a wall color in many situations).
This next kitchen is well-suited to beautiful green-gray cabinets and a coordinating subway tile thanks to its black countertop and wood floor…
The 4 Most Timeless Countertops
However, due to its combination of countertop and tile floors, this next kitchen is best kept in a beautiful wood stain.
DIY vs. HIRING A PROFESSIONAL
Some wood cabinets are more challenging to DIY update than others.
Why?
The more textured your cabinets are, mainly oak, the more forgiving they are with a DIY paint job, as the grain will hide more flaws. The smoother your cabinets are, the harder it can be to hide the details of a less-than-professional application – that finish needs to come up pretty darn smooth and faultless (ideally applied with a sprayer, but even then, you have to get the knack of it).
For example, the grain on these next cabinets isn’t just visual; it has actual texture…
This can be a dealbreaker for many potentially painted wood cabinets. I painted the oak kitchen cabinets in one of our homes, which went ‘reasonably’ well (if you didn’t look too close). I’ve also painted dozens of furniture pieces and bathroom vanities.
Would I DIY paint my currently smooth kitchen cabinets? HECK NO! It’s way too risky and expensive to fix.
Now, the purpose of this blog post is to KEEP the wood cabinets. However, I like to throw a few more balls on the court, so we’ll explore various ideas.
So, without further ado, let’s see what we can do to jazz up this bad boy…
1. FLOORING UPDATE
While the flooring coordinates with the cabinets, the degree of orange in its pattern makes for a lot of color, and the combo has an early 2000s vibe – this floor isn’t doing these wood cabinets any favors – it’s regressing them.
A calmer, more grounded floor would offer a pretty contrast without overdosing on the orange factor.
Is the floor a dealbreaker?
As far as ‘updating’ goes, yes. Again, it coordinates, so clashing isn’t an issue, it’s just not ‘updated’ based on what the average homeowner might install today.
If the goal is to keep these cabinets in their woody goodness, the flooring/cabinet COMBO is dated, and there’s no way around that. With a new floor, the beauty of these wood cabinets could be better appreciated.
With the vibrant orange-red of the wood, I lean hard into a darker gray or warm gray-taupe floor to ground it. Even if the cabinets were restained and calmed, I still love this approach (although we could go a bit softer/warmer/more greige).
- While it’s more expensive, tile is also an excellent upgrade for a kitchen, and a charcoal slate tile floor (US link, as most of my readers are American, but there are always CDN options!) would really dance with these cabinets.
- However, I also love the idea of a slightly softer look with something like this. Hopefully, it’s a touch less purple (undertone) in real life.
- With tile, I’d do a small grout line (1/8″). With LVT, I always choose one with a ‘grout line’ as it doesn’t look as realistic if the tiles meet up with no tiny border separating them – trust the Ginger on this one.
- I’d never…ever partner up a ‘wood-look’ product next to real wood floors – helllls no. It’s a tile look every time.
Online images can be deceiving, so ALWAYS get samples and compare them to your countertop, backsplash, etc., before installing or ordering on a large scale.
If the wood cabinets are staying, let’s give them something to play with!
Do you want to know another reason why I’d consider replacing the floor? The living room floor…
Look at that beautiful natural oak flooring! MAD LOVE! The current linoleum coordinates, but it dates the oak floor rather than updating it. Another consideration is that for flow, it’s best if your wood finishes have a similar undertone, and the orange-red of the cabinets sits considerably off with the oak floor.
This said, if they restained the cabinets a softer tone with less saturation, this could be remedied.
2. UPDATE THE COUNTERTOP
The current countertop looks like laminate with a plastic edge on it. If I could only replace ONE THING in this room, it would be the countertop (well…and the backsplash). I’d keep the floor if I had to before I kept the countertop and backsplash. But the finishes we choose depend on whether the flooring stays or goes…
These next kitchen cabinets are red oak, and the stain is far more modest. Notice how the simple quartz countertop lets the cabinets shine…
- If the flooring has to stay for budget reasons, I suggest a soft white quartz countertop with warm gray and rust/gold veins. Silestone Et Calacatta Gold is a great place to start for this look. The key is to pick up what the floor is already throwing down and not add any new colors to the palette.
The bottom sample is Et Calacatta Gold | See other options HERE | And warm options HERE
While the above sample is a great place to start, you might look for some with a bit more orange-rust veins, too.
Here’s another striking kitchen with wood cabinets. This oak has a more committed red stain with less orange than our cherry kitchen…
Again, a simple countertop and a timeless subway tile backsplash. Of course, there are slightly softer, less white combos for those who want a slightly lower contrast, but the overall approach is right.
Back to our cherry kitchen. If they keep the floor, will changing the countertop and backsplash help? 1000x yes! Again, if budget is a consideration, the floor is totally doable. However, the wood cabinets would be at their very best with a new floor.
3. LET’S UPDATE THAT BACKSPLASH!
Again, our backsplash options depend on the flooring…
a) If the flooring gets replaced, I’d probably do a 3×6 subway tile that perfectly matches the white of the countertop.
b) If the flooring stays and the countertop is replaced, a subway tile could look too busy with the floor’s pattern. Instead, I’d do a countersplash (slab backsplash) to simplify things.
This is a different kitchen, but here’s an example of a countersplash…
The Best Stone-Inspired Beige, Greige, & Taupe Paint Colors
Trendy Backsplash Tile Ideas: Subway Tile, Zellige, & More
4. CABINET HARDWARE & FAUCET
Did you notice that the hardware choices are backward? The norm (highly overrated most of the time) is to have knobs on the doors and pulls/handles on the drawers.
If these cabinets get refinished, I would fill all of the holes and start from scratch, placing the knobs in the perfect spot on the doors and installing handles on the drawers. I’d also update the pulls. The current ones have extensions beyond the bolt hole and were used a lot in 2010 (give or take 5 years). They’re also a huge PITA for catching things on.
Using knobs similar to what’s already there, I’d look at a handle style kind of like this…
The Best Hardware to Update Wood Cabinets
As for the faucets, compare the bar sink faucet and the regular one…
While we know that one sink is more important than the other, the faucets don’t clarify this, and they should. With them being so close, the bar sink faucet should pick up on the style of the standard one but on a smaller scale.
Lastly, while I’d usually kick the over-the-sink valance to the curb, it looks like it hides lighting, so it has to stay. Plus, its straight profile makes it more subtle. OOO, but looking closer at this area, whether they do subway tile or a slab backsplash, I’d do it on the wall above the window, too, for a super custom look. The sq ft cost for quartz is less as a backsplash finish as it’s thinner than countertop (but overall, it can be about 25% more than tile/labor).
And guess what? We’ve done ALL of this without replacing or painting the wood cabinets.
5. LASTLY, WALLS & TRIMS
Just because the wood cabinets stay doesn’t mean the wood trims and doors need to. While it can depend on your target market, and while some wood doors and trims are coveted (e.g., in heritage homes), most people prefer white trims and doors for an updated look.
While I don’t know a lot about what these homeowners are willing to update, I DO know they’re taking down the wood chair rail – SWEET POTATO!
Again, if you’re staying in your home, you do you, boo. But if resale is a consideration, you might want to think outside of your current box.
WALL PAINT COLOR
With an updated kitchen that includes the original cherry wood cabinets, it makes the most sense to paint trims and doors white (especially if the cabinets get refinished in a lighter, more natural stain color).
The Best Paint Colors with Red-Stained Woods
1. IF THEY KEEP THE CURRENT FLOOR. The flooring has a strong orange-peach (pink backdrop) and purple (with gray) palette. However, with the orange being so peachy, we’d cater to the purple instead for the most updated look. This purple is less inclined toward warmth (as I’d like to stay warm), so hopefully, we can find a happy medium with a color like Benjamin Moore’s Collingwood.
Here’s your Peel & Stick sample of Collingwood (If you’re Canadian, click HERE)…
Even though the countertop and cabinets matter, the flooring calls the biggest shots as it meets up with SO much wall space.
2. IF THEY REPLACE THE FLOOR: If the flooring is replaced, the darker slate/gray look is flexible as long as the undertones align with the chosen countertop and its potential veins. In this case, we should be able to do what’s best for both finishes. Of course, we consider the wood cabinets, too, but they’ll be reasonably flexible.
Knowing some of the more popular quartz countertops the way I do, we might look at…
TRIMS/DOORS/CEILING
I suggest Sherwin Williams Pure White as a great place to start. It’s a flexible, soft shade of white. It has warmth, but it’s fractional (we don’t want any yellow flashing us).
Remember, when working with what you have, sometimes the ideal world doesn’t exist. Instead, it’s about finding the ‘next best thing’ (also known as a ‘happy medium’).
Now, the big question is, would I paint these kitchen cabinets?
You bet your cute little booty I would.
From there, I’d coordinate a flooring, countertop, and backsplash palette (a blog post unto itself as we’d be starting from scratch).
- Would I consider keeping the existing countertop? Nope.
- Would I consider keeping the existing flooring? Personally, no, but for the sake of cost, yes.
I’d paint the cabinets a soft, warm white and match the trims/doors/ceilings. Sure, I’d LOVE to blow out the wall oven end and peninsula and create an ideal, but that involves new cabinets and a whole new budget level. A good happy medium is a fresh paint job and new surrounding finishes.
Check out these next beautiful painted cabinets. This kitchen is bright, updated, and welcoming…
At the end of the day, when Online Color Consulting clients come to me with wood cabinets wondering whether to paint or stain them, I’d say that 25% of the time, I recommend keeping them stained. This means that I’m not a HUGE advocate for painting wood cabinets, but remember…
Just because it’s wood, doesn’t mean it’s good!
READ MORE
Paint Colors to Update Red Oak (or red-stained) Cabinets
How to Update Golden Oak Cabinets
How to Mix and Match Wood Stains
Are Your Older Wood Cabinets Coming Back In Style?
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