In a house filled with golden oak, it can be a challenge to update things in a way that is both stylish and doesn’t cost a frightening amount. This is especially true when it comes to an outdated oak kitchen.

After all, most people are thinking ‘if I’m going to spend so much money to make this oak work, I’m going to just wait to completely renovate the kitchen.’ There is little point to investing in stone counter tops, new flooring and the rest of it, if you are just waiting it out until you can deal with the cabinets.

So, is there such a thing as a quick & simple update for an oak kitchen? Absolutely!

There are a few ways you can make it work (right now and on a reasonable budget). As a bonus, these are also things that can be done, by you, in a few hours. One of the biggest impacts: just change the cabinet hardware!

>> ps. I have written so much about restyling around honey oak and you can catch up on every article in the Oak HQ or for a complete step-by-step guide, check out my ebook Living With Oak. <<

Hardware makes an enormous difference in the bones of the cabinetry and the style of the room. If I was designing an kitchen with existing oak cabinets, here’s what I would do:

Paint it a great color
Clear the counters
Lay down a great, eye-catching rug
Add some interest (probably a big framed print and a huge plant in a nice planter)
Change out the hardware
That’s it!

You can do this, too! Then, since it looks so much better and you are at peace with it, you can move on to planning out that full kitchen reno you are still working towards.

Or, maybe you will be so happy with the small changes you made that you can cross that idea right off the list and move on to dreaming about making other areas of your home just right.

Wondering if the hardware on your oak cabinets is outdated?
Here’s some signs:

Full plastic
Overly ornate / ‘fancy’
Embellished
Brass or bright gold look
Ceramic inserts, especially painted with flowers or fruit
Wood center on pulls

What should you look for to get a hardware update right?
Details that will update oak cabinets:

Option 1 - historic - think luxurious historic mansions, libraries or craftsman styles like Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture
Option 2 - modern - simple lines, single material, bold design
Respect the integrity and style of your home’s architecture
Consider the style of other elements in the room when choosing hardware: general style, colors, counters, sink & faucet, appliances and accessories. You want the new hardware to enhance or create more of that mood or style in the room. (If you are updating other things, think about the final look of how to room once you are done.)
Contrasting colors will make the new hardware stand out and give some visual breaks in the monotony of overwhelming golden oak (this is the magic power of distraction) - black, dark oil-rubbed bronze and bright chrome offer the best contrast.
Watch current trends - gold hardware on oak? At first glance, and solely in terms of color, brass or gold just aren’t a natural fit for oak cabinets… but, I have to say that my stance on this one has evolved as gold hardware has risen in popularity. I don’t normally base design decisions on trends, but when something is popular, it tends to have a lot of options on the market and some of these options (colors or styles) actually work very well to update oak cabinets… so this one is an ‘it depends’ for me. If you love gold or brass and can find one that has some contrast to the particular color of your cabinets, it can work very well!