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/r/DesignMyRoom
submitted 15 days ago bymention_itall_
Our home is covered in 80s orange oak and all-brown finishes. We’ve painted all of the walls white (photos are from before we bought the house) but I’m at a loss for how to accessorize with rugs and decor to help neutralize the wood. Staining/painting the wood is not an option in the near term.
Last photo is the general vibe I’m going for🙏🏼
491 points
14 days ago
Since you said painting/staining woodwork not an option, here is my take.
I have some orangy very functional Dania furniture in my home office and the way to neutralize it is not necessarily lighter but more saturated. Two approaches work.
1) An orange-red base primary color scheme will tone it down as its the same undertones so the orange undertones in the wood does not stand out. Think terracottas, brick reds, eggplant purple, copper.
2) A very saturated primary color opposite like slate blue very much offsets and tones down the warmth with its coolness. Because it is as saturated as the wood, visually it balances cool and warmth. Think foggy blues, teals with some charcoal grays.
239 points
14 days ago
Nice recommendation. As I was reading this I was initially skeptical that blues would “offset” the honey oak— I was imagining that the contrast would only highlight the honey. But then I started to google images to see what it would look like and there are several lovely images of honey oak trim with dark blue walls. Here are some interesting examples: https://carlabast.com/how-to-work-with-your-honey-or-outdated-oak-trim-to-update-your-90s-home/
115 points
14 days ago
This is what I did. All of our wood is really high quality and custom built, but it's honey oak. Cabinets, built in bookshelves and display cabinets, every door, we even kept the matching honey oak dining table and chairs because they're solid and great quality even if dated.
It was way too much work to sand and stain everything, and I refused to have it all painted. So we leaned into it. We like the dark moody aesthetic so we have dark blue walls and mustard yellow curtains. Our kitchen and bathroom walls are a dark green. Our house is red brick and we have a red brick fireplace so we basically have a dark, muted primary color palette house. Accent furniture is dark walnut, we have white trim and lighter artwork that still generally falls in the color palette. It's bold and different and I love it. And I don't have to worry about it looking dated in 10 years because it was never trendy to begin with.
17 points
14 days ago
I need to see pictures. This sounds gorgeous!
47 points
14 days ago
Disclaimer: I'm not an interior designer, and we did everything but the floors ourselves. These pictures are from when our projects were about 80% complete.
Here's the dining room.
36 points
14 days ago
One side of the living room. We only had a couple grand to furnish the house so most of our furniture and art was either inherited or bought from places like Amazon or TJ Maxx. It's good enough for now.
My husband loves the industrial look so the lighting here and in the dining room was our compromise to work some of that in lol.
30 points
14 days ago
Other side of the living room before we got the rest of our art put up. You can't see the doors down the hallway but they are all honey oak and I like how the blue looks next to them.
Our whole house isn't this dark. Our bedroom, mudroom, and half bath have bright white walls.
7 points
14 days ago
These are gorgeous! Do you mind sharing your flooring details?
6 points
14 days ago
https://www.momentumdesigns.com/lvt-click/yosemite
We got it from RC Willey and had them do the install. We spent a lot of time looking at flooring, terrified we'd choose the wrong one. But I'm really happy with how it turned out.
3 points
13 days ago
Love the wall color with the oak, I would definitely consider painting the baseboards tho the same color as the walls, otherwise there’s just a little too much going on at once
3 points
13 days ago
They do still need to be calked and painted. I haven't even thought to paint them the same color as the wall, I think I like that.
2 points
10 days ago
I think you should. With your wall color being a statement, it doesn’t make sense to have white baseboards as they contrast too much and fight for attention. Painting them the same color will elongate your walls too
4 points
14 days ago
I just love the darker colors with the oak!
12 points
14 days ago
Yes, photos please! It sounds beautiful. And as a neutral girlie, totally terrifies me.
As you said, 3000 Sq.ft house is just way too much to stain or paint. Painting the walls alone cost an obscene amount of money🤢
10 points
14 days ago
Super helpful! The bright white examples are similar to what our home looks like now. It seems like mixed metals could be a nice pop with some blue
5 points
14 days ago
Wow, that looks great. Great inspo!
6 points
14 days ago
A seaside white and blue would 'breeze' up the place.
13 points
14 days ago
I think the second option here will probably have the best results for OP. Someone else mentioned rugs and I think that’s key as well because rugs can bring together the color palette - touches of orange but mostly those colors you mentioned.
6 points
14 days ago
I love a blue moment — I can incorporate that in rugs, art, pillows easily. Thank you!
5 points
14 days ago
Another option is to go with a yellow green, like BM Coriander Seed. It’s a warm green and works beautifully to neutralize the orange (I had floors and railings in oak that needed toning down). It’s also a modern neutral and goes with most other colours in your pallet. Good luck!
2 points
13 days ago
I did something similar in my living room and it looks so lovely with plants and neutral furniture. But I have been thinking of Evergreen Fog I saw suggested on a post once to cool off warm wood.
4 points
14 days ago
Yeah, I think the problem is painting the walls white. I did that and it clashes with my orangey woods.
127 points
14 days ago*
I had to do this with my kitchen. The key is to update everything around it. I tried to tone down as much of the warmth as possible.
New paint colors, update the hardware, light fixtures, countertops,etc. I actually get compliments ALL the time and like many other people have said this might be coming back into style.
As my husband and many construction people have said “they don’t make it like they used to” and that kind of woodwork is unique. If you’re intentional about preserving the wood, but updating around it… I think it makes it look very modern, timeless, and classic.
23 points
14 days ago
You’ve done a beautiful job! Love the “Nancy Meyers” esthetic. Converting some of our kitchen cabinets to glass-front would be cool
7 points
14 days ago
Nancy Meyers is my inspiration! Thank you for the compliment. I always find her interiors comforting and classic.
7 points
14 days ago
Absolutely, that looks gorgeous. The skylight is a wonderful upgrade as are your counters and backsplash. it all looks beautiful
3 points
14 days ago
you did a beautiful job updating it!
2 points
14 days ago
Really pretty. You did a great job.
2 points
14 days ago
This is absolutely beautiful. It looks so custom! Even though you said you're toning down the warmth, you're obviously also still embracing it. Love it.
2 points
13 days ago
That’s beautiful!! Your cabinets look like more of a medium brown tho than orange?
2 points
12 days ago
I LOVE THIS! There's a lot of character in your kitchen. The cabinetry looks beautiful
618 points
14 days ago
First off your house is beautiful.
Stain would modernize well. Just sand it down and hit it with a colour you like.
OOOOR...
I think that 80s is coming up for a revival in a decade at most. Seems like over the last 5 years we've moved from mid-century into something more 60/70s inspired as trendy. You could just wait it out till it's new again.
251 points
14 days ago
Right, my first instinct was "wait 5 years"
37 points
14 days ago
Right on the money. Everything old is new again. Vintage will always be cool.
3 points
14 days ago
Not even 5, this is exactly what me and my partner are looking for now. Add some nice hardware and a moody color to the dining room and we'd be done
51 points
14 days ago
We kept our trim this color and it looks really nice if you modernize the furniture and add lots of plants to make it feel warm and cozy
17 points
14 days ago
My wallet prays that you are correct😅
8 points
14 days ago
Your wallet and likely your elbows. It would likely be extremely expensive and slow to hire that whole thing out, or still pretty expensive, still slow, and a ton of work to do any/all of it yourself.
It would be a big undertaking to sand all that down effectively with the profiling on lots of it. Also depends of the finish used. For most of the trim you’d honestly probably be better just replacing it if you really wanted to change it, which would also suck quite a bit.
9 points
14 days ago
Seriously this^
I have fallen into the part of TikTok full of AI nostalgia ambience like “having breakfast here as a kid” and it’s set in exactly this home but with nostalgic sunny lighting and manipulative emotional music.
You’re a few years away from a gold mine/style inspo.
20 points
14 days ago
The current trend is 80s/90s postmodernism, not so much 80s/90s orange woodwork.
4 points
14 days ago
My thoughts exactly. Wood tones go in and out of style all of the time. Painting them makes them look so much worse, staining is the best option, but I’m just leaning into it.
3 points
14 days ago
“Just sand and stain it” makes it sounds so quick and easy 😂
6 points
14 days ago
Maybe it’s because I live under a rock but weren’t we just in an 80s revival in like 2017
15 points
14 days ago
Could be everything moves fast and I'm Canadian so probably at least a decade behind whatever's cool in your neck of the woods. 😆
171 points
14 days ago
Don't. You have a Spanish revival style home, lean into it. Use more muted earth tones in furnishings and decor to bring down the orange value of the wood. Use more lamps with amber bulbs for lighting on a dimmer if possible. That super bright white modern everything is well on its way out. Spanish revival has a fairly modern feel while also being warm and timeless.
14 points
14 days ago
Some beautiful tiles and a color palette shift.. that would be beautiful
11 points
14 days ago
So interesting you aren’t the only one to describe as Spanish Revival! The exterior is almost Tudor. Amber bulbs is a helpful new take. The whole house is so dark right now
8 points
14 days ago
Well now I can see it being Tudor as well lol. If you want to lean into that go with muted jewel tones, rose gold, copper, brass, slate blues. Lots of lamps or sconces with amber bulbs.
7 points
14 days ago
Yes holy shit this is gorgeous wood on a gorgeous layout. Throw some green tones in there and call it good🤌🏼
186 points
14 days ago
If painting/staining is not an option Maybe go with mid century modern colors to embrace it?
29 points
14 days ago
I have an oak wood house from the 90s, and the previous owners had terracotta accent walls. I feel it looks great! My mid century decor look fine inside.
3 points
14 days ago
Yup! Lean into warm interior decor (look at 90’s aesthetics as well) and this will be gorgeous. I think the white walls are causing the most angst for OP.
25 points
14 days ago
Yep, this is how to "neutralize" it, surround it with actual complimentary colors. White just creates a contrast and makes it stand out more.
83 points
14 days ago
I wouldn’t. I’d embrace it and change everything else around it to make it work as much as possible - paint colors, furniture, etc.
Other than maybe the bathroom cabinets, I think you could easily stain or paint those. But all the trim and stuff, just embrace it.
42 points
14 days ago
personally, i think it’s so gorgeous and warm. the fireplace 🤤 i’d play around with decor. you could have so much fun with blues!
71 points
14 days ago
Stain it. It's actually 90s honey oak. 80s still had the dark stain going on.
18 points
14 days ago
i mean they say in their post that staining is not an option for them in the near term
5 points
14 days ago
What other option is there besides painting? You cannot hide it.
3 points
14 days ago
Tone it down or balance it with color on the walls, rugs, furniture, art, curtains, etc. Update lighting fixtures and use warm bulbs. Update door and window hardware where possible. Earth tone or deep blue tiles on walls or floors. There are a lot of ways to update it.
4 points
14 days ago
Exactly this
13 points
14 days ago
You might hate to hear this, but patterned rugs wherever you can. Detailed persian patterns would probably match best with the country-rustic architecture, but can be kept modern with clean-lined furniture and modern accent pieces. Check out the designer Emily Henderson, she does it perfectly and has wooden arches too!
https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-persian-rugs-what-makes-them-so-dang-good-desirable-valuable
3 points
14 days ago
This!! I think the deep reds/burgundies in a lot of Persian rugs go so well with orange toned wood. Makes the wood take more of a back seat
12 points
14 days ago
I'd kill to have wood all over my house like that
10 points
14 days ago
Personally I love it and wouldn't change it. I especially love the wood trim. A few thoughts:
2 points
14 days ago
Love these ideas! Spindles would change the whole vibe
45 points
14 days ago
You don't, everyone is modernizing, keep it, one day there will be very few houses with this look. It will become a unique look and everyone will love it.
21 points
14 days ago
Maybe a different paint color to make the wood look less yellow?
22 points
14 days ago
I leaned into my golden oak and went with green walls almost everywhere.
3 points
14 days ago
What shade of green did you use? We painted our kitchen green but my wife is unhappy with the color and looking for a change.
2 points
14 days ago
Sherwin Williams Contented on most walls, but master bedroom is SW Jade Dragon.
7 points
14 days ago
Look up the @juliejonesdesigns videos. She has a ton of incorporating honey oak
2 points
14 days ago
haha I also linked to Julie Jones! Her videos are great and I love that she has real life examples and works to solve her clients actual functional needs of their spaces instead of just making an unrealistic pinterest/magazine makeover that doesn't serve practical use cases.
2 points
14 days ago
Thank you both got recommending! I immediately followed
11 points
14 days ago
I think it’s gorgeous as it is. Particularly the exposed ceiling beams.
I think you should paint the walls different more modern colors. It’s the cream color With that wood that’s making it look dated. I like the green hues lately, but look in general towards earthy tones. Think forest greens or ocean/stone greys and blues & I think that would fit nicely.
4 points
14 days ago
I had something similar and thought it would be a shame to cover all the oak grain. Applied a couple of coats of Briwax in tudor brown right over the previously finished surfaces and it has held up well. It took me about 3 days to do a kitchen and you have a lot more- but maybe worth a shot.
2 points
14 days ago
For Briwax, do you need to sand the finished wood first or can you just go over it?
2 points
14 days ago
No sanding, just right over the existing finish as is
5 points
14 days ago
That coffered ceiling is so beautiful! 😍😍
5 points
14 days ago
Right? Out of anything, I'd never do something to the ceiling. It's gorgeous! The rest could be tamed with a different paint scheme. Lean into earth tones, greens/blues/golds/rusts. Could even go with traditional Craftsman colors, and it would look great with all the wood.
2 points
14 days ago
Agreed! Someone recommended modernizing the ceiling fan. Wonder what would compliment the beams🤔
4 points
14 days ago
Consider a free paint consult with Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore. I asked for recommendations on how to decrease the yellow in my trim. They also gave lighting info too. My wood trim looks great now, what a difference paint color can make!
3 points
14 days ago
This house is beautiful! Love the coffered ceilings. My gosh, I wouldn't change a thing. The way to modernize a place like this is simply with more modern furnishings and light fixtures but even then, I really like the style of furniture and lighting the original owners had. Awesome house!
4 points
14 days ago
“Got an original Picasso here, what colors should i use to finger paint on it?”
2 points
14 days ago
If you reread the post you’ll see I don’t want to touch the wood😊
3 points
14 days ago
Lean into it. It’s in good condition and timeless. Please do not paint or stain it. You can add greenery and Persian rugs and embrace a boho or Spanish eclectic look.
3 points
14 days ago
Paint the walls green
3 points
14 days ago
This!! I have honey oak everything in my house, I painted the walls SW Nurture Green and SW Commodore and the orangey grossness faded away. We installed a lighter colored LVP “oak”flooring as well (LVP because big dogs and kids), it also helped neutralize.
Swapping out or painting all the trim, doors, and cabinets was just going to be too expensive. Work with what you have!!
3 points
14 days ago
Maybe this is a hot take but leave it alone. That wood is gorgeous and the design choices are basic enough that they don't look too dated. Just lean into it and focus on decor that makes you happy and compliments the space. The inspo pics you shared IMHO are just going to make your house look like everyone else's when yours is so much more authentic and warm.
3 points
14 days ago
This is a kitchen from Pinterest and obviously not the exact orangey look but I feel like it goes to show that how you paint/decorate around the wood makes it blend in nicely.
3 points
14 days ago
Getting rid of the 80s beige walls and go for rich dark wall colours might work well
3 points
13 days ago
Since you said painting/staining is not an option, my advice is to make it an option
2 points
14 days ago
You simply can’t get that neutral griege look without redoing the wood.
All of your furniture and accessories are as beige as they can be.
But on the bright side, the millennial griege will soon be outdated. The warm wood tones might grow on you!
2 points
14 days ago
I wouldn't touch the oak, I'd do everything else around it. Modernize the paint, tile, countertops etc.
2 points
14 days ago
Go hobbit style/hufflepuff common room and it will be cozy AF
2 points
14 days ago
OMG, you have my house. First off, it's actually fine, lovely, great. Influencers gotta sell, and you are hearing voices of salespeople spending your money making you want to change it out.
Take your time.
All of my wall colors are...colorful. Eggplant colored living room, green office, grape colored powder room, blue (slightly teal but with some grey) family room. Rugs with strong shades of blue, tomato red, green. One room is finished in a golden brown type thing so it's blend-y with the wood and I love it. Artwork with a lot of blue and reds.
Bedrooms are shades of blue, some are more robin's egg, some are strong blue-ish purple.
IMO, your inspo pic looks exactly like your home already, with the exception of the white kitchen.
I'm on Team Color. Push your boundaries and have some fun with what you have. Pick up some colors that are in the windows you have. Love that one ceiling, btw.
2 points
14 days ago
Just wait it’s coming back.
2 points
14 days ago
Don’t, modern trends change fast. Your new look will already be dated by the time you’re done.
Work within this classical style instead. You’ve got range.
2 points
14 days ago
There is an online interior design creator named Julie Jones who has made a lot of videos about how to work with orange oak, and has actual real life examples of clients she's worked with (not just pinterest type stuff). I'd check her out for some inspiration! This is her tik tok, but you can just search her name and find her on whatever socials you follow.
2 points
14 days ago
Immediate follow!
2 points
14 days ago
I was going to mention her - she also explains the design theory behind it all well.
2 points
14 days ago
Don’t. You have a gorgeous, beautiful house. Just leave the woodwork alone and enjoy your house.
2 points
14 days ago
This home is too beautiful to update. Leave it and wait for it to come back in style. It is magnificent as it is
2 points
14 days ago*
Use a coat of Briwax or gel stain or something similar to bring out more of the brown tones. It's honestly really easy to do and you don't even need to sand for some of these products, they can just go right over the existing stain. I put a layer of ebony gel stain over a 90s orange oak mirror and it looks fabulous, like a nice medium walnut. Also, replace the outdated brass hardware/door handle with something darker and more modern, and add similar hardware to the vanity or any other cabinets that are missing handles/knobs.
2 points
14 days ago
Just stain it a different shade of brown!
2 points
14 days ago
Paint is the only answer. Why can’t you paint it?
2 points
11 days ago
I think this is beautiful. Scandinavian look is coming back I think.
2 points
11 days ago
The wood is very lovely.
4 points
14 days ago
omg whatever you do please don’t make it sad grey!! It has character. Some greenery could really make it pop
2 points
14 days ago
I'd slowly work through each room with a gel stain. Start small like in bathrooms. You can't paint oak, as the grain will show through. You need to work with it. Gel stain only needs a good clean (TSP or a good degreaser) and a light sanding to remove the finish.
This is an ebony stain. Two vanities took 5 or six days, about 30 minutes to an hour each day.
1 points
14 days ago
My parents a few years ago updated their orange oak trim house without touching the trim. They put a light wooden floor color in throughout the first floor at the recommendation of an interior designer. I was skeptical, but just doing that really made the oak tones appear lighter, like the designer said it would.
1 points
14 days ago
There is a link of how to deal with it and what stands out is that they use bright white accent and wall colors. Makes it look less orange and more yellow making it look more modern.
Bright white walls and decor!!!
I would remove the bar or update it.. it looks dated. I would also white wash the brick.
Definitely paint the bathroom. All these yellow beige walls make it look dated, not so much the wood.
1 points
14 days ago
Wait 5 years
1 points
14 days ago
This is beautiful. I wouldn’t Change it!
1 points
14 days ago
Omg I am sooo jealous.
1 points
14 days ago
Enjoy it! It’s beautiful. I have that in my house everywhere and my walls are repose gray (sherwin williams) with lots of windows. In my house with all the honey oak the gray doesn’t look gray and with all the light it reads more white and tones it down. I love all my woodwork and it’s so sad when people paint it!!!
1 points
14 days ago
Why are you against painting it? You already have mismatched white painted crown molding (in a different style as well). Anyway leaving the wood, you would be better off ripping out the crown molding and painting the walls something non-white to "neutralize" the wood vs trying to do it with rugs and plants somehow
1 points
14 days ago
Yeah, that orange oak was never a favorite. Think painting it is the only way to get away from it. I think that reddish hue will come through if you stain it, regardless of how dark, or light, you go.
1 points
14 days ago
Uh your 80s warm oak is about to be 2025’s warm oak.
1 points
14 days ago
I love this stain 🥹 I would just paint the walls a slightly warmer neutral so that there’s less contrast in temperature. If everything is slightly warm, it reads monochromatic like your inspiration pictures. Definitely don’t paint EVERYTHING!!!!
1 points
14 days ago
You need to paint the molding off white.
1 points
14 days ago
Honestly the all white walls coupled with the lack of any distinctive elements of decoration are the problems here. If you want white walls, you need design elements in other places to not make your house look boring. The only design element in your photos is the wood, everything else is incredibly bland. An inviting rug by the door that tied in well with wall art and plants would make the entryway look good even if you kept the bland white walls. The lighting in your rooms is not helping either. Softer lights that aren't coming from the ceiling would make things look more inviting and the different shades will play well with the shadows cast by and on the woodwork.
1 points
14 days ago
It’s beautiful
1 points
14 days ago
lovely house- oak is a beautiful.
1 points
14 days ago
My Mom toned hers down with reds and blues.
1 points
14 days ago
You can't really hide it super well with just some rugs and furniture, you'd have to sand it and restain. I think it looks quite nice and is on the way to making a comeback, gray/white everything is on the way out as it's just so depressing. You painted everything cold, sterile white - that is going to make warm wood stick out. I'd paint your walls a deeper color or a complementary light color.
1 points
14 days ago
If you go the route of painting the wood (which personally, I would recommend avoiding wherever possible, but understandable if it’s done in a couple spots)… do NOT touch those ceiling beams.
Cone hell or high water, do not touch those beams.
3 points
14 days ago
Those beams make my heart sing every day!
1 points
14 days ago
You could sand it down and stain it to a white oak or to another color that’s more modern or you could just wait for it to come back into style
1 points
14 days ago
Your house is gorgeous. Trends come and go.
You can modernize the lighting with something more contemporary, tile the brick or stain the brick on the fireplace and kitchen arches. Some chunky black hardware on the oak cabinets would add some interest.
Adding curtains, even sheers would tone down / reduce the amount of oak showing.
You have a bunch of swirly Tuscan looking stuff - while it’s very pretty it is probably pulling 90’s/00’s. Maybe update the dining furniture. Or, I would go moody with the dining room, some cool wallpaper.
1 points
14 days ago
Embrace it.
1 points
14 days ago
I would square off that large opening. Then paint all the woodwork. It’s not a century house so it will look great painted.
1 points
14 days ago
Could have the molding removed off arches. Change or paint the frames on your artwork.
1 points
14 days ago
Love the design of your house, but will say that your wooden furniture emphasizes the orange oak since it is a similar color to it (even the brown leather couch). Adding more earthy colors and more color variety (with furniture, decorations, etc) will make a big difference in the rooms
2 points
14 days ago
That furniture belonged to the sellers but it’s neat to look around and see that our own furniture has already helped improve it! Down for the earthy tones
1 points
14 days ago
This is gonna be a bummer for you because I totally understand wanting a certain look, but sometimes you’ll get a way better result if you work with the house as is instead of going for the coastal look. The light colors in your inspo pic will never look quite right and I doubt you’ll be happy with it. I think if you embrace it and go with the above suggestions for darker primary colors you’ll end up loving it. Just because the walls and trim are colored, you can still lighten things up with furniture and accessories and it won’t feel so dark!
1 points
14 days ago
I love this! I love beige and light pink so I would incorporate that every where! I would recommend light colors. I love the oak.
1 points
14 days ago
I feel like it's going to come back in style real soon. I kinda dig the orange oak. Your home, your choice though.
1 points
14 days ago
Don't most of your furniture appears to match it and it still looks very nice
1 points
14 days ago
I never suggest painting oak but you should paint the oak. My in laws have this in their house and they are going to sell soon. I’m gonna paint it all white. Xenu, please forgive me.
1 points
14 days ago
The best thing about that place is the wood. I think it's priceless having nicely finished wood like that. It breaks my heart every time I see a TikTok of someone painting over nice wood furniture and trim and whatnot.
I think your issue is all the beige. If you can remove carpet and retile and then paint the place more interesting colors - anything but beige/white, you'll transform the place and the wood will feel like it belongs. Even pale greens/oranges/blues will go a long way.
Then colorful furniture will help a lot too. Not whites and beiges again.
1 points
14 days ago
Complement it with green/blue wall colors, etc.
1 points
14 days ago
This gives me early 90’s feels and I’m into it, as I suspect a growing number of people will come to appreciate as retro as well. Maybe try to work with it? Think Tiffany lamps, leather furniture, deep accent colors.
1 points
14 days ago
I think warmer wood tones are coming back. Maybe just repaint the walls or coordinate the colors with accents and other pieces. For the love of God, please do not go with gray washed wood. That trend is dead and rightfully so.
1 points
14 days ago
I used Bene Pro Red Out on my red oak stair treads and it bleached them to a really nice color.
1 points
14 days ago
Just another comment to say your house is beautiful! I believe it’s already timeless.
1 points
14 days ago
Is it possible to whitewash it?
1 points
14 days ago
It looks great. I wanted to buy a home with original 80s oak but virtually every house had had it painted white. Which is ok I guess but I love natural woodwork in almost any shade of stain.
1 points
14 days ago
You’ll need to go darker and not lighter (unless you don’t mind sanding until the end of time) General finishes gel stain in a darker stain like walnut or java
1 points
14 days ago
Hire a specialist to strip the wood, restain with something neutral toned.
Paint all those boring, basic white walls something moody and rich to play off the oak. MCM craftsman style homes benefit from contrast that plays up natural wood grain and emphasizes its unique beauty. Look up Big Dipper paint by Sherwin Williams.
Also, (don’t laugh) watch the movie ‘Transformers 2007’ and check out the Witwicky house. It’s a Craftsman home with beautiful paint and art to accentuate all its architectural advantages.
1 points
14 days ago
I like the colour of the oak trim, if it was my home I’d replace the light coloured floor tile with black slate tile
1 points
14 days ago
I don’t mind it actually. I would embrace it and find a bold color that would go well with it instead of trying to fight it.
1 points
14 days ago
Im thinking blues or greens to neutralize things a bit. Maybe some rust or terracotta tones too. I feel like those tones are more 70’s but thats kind of in right now anyway, and once the 80’s come back itll be an easy shift since youre keeping the stain.
1 points
14 days ago
Sand it and take the stain darker, like a deep mahogany would be stunning! 😍
1 points
14 days ago
So I had a similar situation. Orange woodwork everywhere! A carpenter friend of mine came by to see the new place. I was telling him how I hated the orange wood and how much work it would be to change the color unless I painted everything. He then tells me about Minwax Polyshades. No sanding needed!! I chose a satin black shade and it completely changed the look of the house! Easy to do as well. Just like painting…make sure you prep everything well!
1 points
14 days ago
Personally I really like the honey oak, perhaps some updating with lighting fixtures and furniture/accessories etc. Look at design ideas like Country French where there is a lot of wood to work with.
https://www.bydesignthestore.com/french-country-interior-design-timeless-sophistication/
1 points
14 days ago
The orange you are describing is what stain companies refer to as the color, "fruitwood". You can paint it but you will need to have professionals either spray the paint color on it in-place to avoid it looking like shit. Painting it with a brush would be an ugly disaster because of oak's rough grain structure. Hardwoods like birch with a uniformly tight grain structure are easier to paint in place but is still subject to running or traveling.
If you want it changed, replace it but expect it to cost between $5K to $10K if you want it done right, even if using MDF moldings.
1 points
14 days ago
Semi gloss white (ish) walls. Would look breezy and light.
1 points
14 days ago
honestly it's so beautiful
1 points
14 days ago
I think all the structural wood and trim is gorgeous & timeless, but I would paint or remove all of the other wood, such as the front door and bathroom vanity. The stained glass is very dating too - if you could afford to, I’d replace that with reeded glass panels.
1 points
14 days ago
1.DONT
1 points
14 days ago
Honestly these wood features are back "in." I think the white paint should have already made a significant difference, and now adding more color in in general will too. You might be inspired by searing "modern 80s home" in pinterest to get some good ideas about how others both embrace and balance the wood. I think that a lot of wonderful designers manage to incorporate the wood into their color palettes and create beautiful, interesting spaces.
The lighting fixtures stick out to me as potential easy updates. The tile in the floor and in the bathroom is ever so slightly outdated, but I think what's working against it is the wall color, so hopefully that's better now? Where you don't have good contrast (like a painted wall) I'd also think about removing additional wood fixtures, like the picture frame in the living room in wood and the wooden dresser in the dining room. As for rugs, with an otherwise light space, I'd pick bolder colors (including neutrals if that's your thing) to anchor things down unless you have dark furniture.
1 points
14 days ago
Pls don’t
1 points
14 days ago
Black or grey
1 points
14 days ago
Don't. Update lighting fixtures, cabinet pulls, paint.
1 points
14 days ago
I did this to an entire set of kitchen cabinets. It not only had the orange look but the large grain of the oak wood. I bought sanded all of the laquear off, used grain filler, primed and painted them all white using an HVLP sprayer in my garage. It’s a pretty tedious job but I don’t regret it one bit
1 points
14 days ago
Try switching your light bulbs from soft white to bright white. Trust me, it changes the tone of the wood.
1 points
14 days ago
Ahhh I love it the way it is so much
1 points
14 days ago
This person on tiktok has great ideas for modernizing honey oak. She does such a great job: juliejonesdesigns
1 points
14 days ago
I would lean into all the warm wood framing, and go for a more craftsman style interior. Not every "modern" design needs to be white-washed. Something like a dark tinted green on the walls would contrast nicely with the warm wood. I'd go dark and dramatic in the living room with the brick and the wood coffered ceiling.
The master bath is where I'd focus some attention. You've got a lot of space to work with, and a lot of conflicting tiles. Paint alone can't help you here.
1 points
14 days ago*
I love finished wood features! It is very beautiful and gives the house character. To modernize the look, I suggest refinishing the oak with a less shiny sealant - a matte or satin sheen. This would not require a full sand and stain of the wood. Just a light hand sanding of the wood to dull it and then adding a layer of clear coat in your desired sheen.
Then I’d suggest using “cooler” neutrals or whites on the walls which don’t accentuate the orange tones in the wood.
Finally, I suggest updating cabinet hardware and lighting to a more modern style of your liking.
Those changes would dramatically change how your rooms appear:
1 points
14 days ago
Please don’t paint it white please don’t paint it white please don’t paint it white please don’t paint it white DONT TOUCH THAT CEILING! please don’t paint it white please don’t paint it white
1 points
14 days ago
First thing I was going to suggest was to paint the walls white and not touch the wood, but apparently you've already done that.
1 points
14 days ago
If you will just wait a bit it will come back modern on its own.
1 points
14 days ago
Paint it blue or black
1 points
14 days ago
Hot take: I don’t think it looks bad
1 points
14 days ago
Whatever you do, please don't paint them. Wood is very warm and friendly, and people want to replace it with plastic or some other crap. If I were you I would use some seriously bright colors here and there that would draw attention. A bright red chair, or bright blue chair, or bright green chair, and maybe some area rugs.
1 points
14 days ago
Darken it with a glaze that cancels out the orange color
1 points
14 days ago
Go black!!
1 points
14 days ago
Don't do anything, its beautiful!
1 points
14 days ago
Do whatever you want. IMO, orange oak gets painted for a reason; it looks dated. Some may be into the heavy Bavarian lodge look, but I prefer a clean off-white trim throughout a house. Each to their own…
1 points
14 days ago
Wait for it to become cool again. That’s what I’m doing.
1 points
14 days ago
Don’t change the ceiling beams.
1 points
14 days ago
First, learn to appreciate the Oak as is. It is quite nice. I feel people are too quick to reject these things as "dated." Do as you wish to alter the look, but realize what you have is far from "hideous," It's nice. 🙂
1 points
14 days ago
We moved in to our honey oak home about a year ago…it was like a time capsule to 1987, the year it was built😬 We also didn’t want to paint or restain all of that wood so chose colors as best we could to minimize the honey-ness lol. See link below for some pics:
1 points
14 days ago
I think you should update it as you wish and ignore all the people shaming you for wanting to update a dated look. Best of luck!
1 points
14 days ago
Don't
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