Five Beautiful Benjamin Moore Paint Colors for Honey Oak Trim & Cabinets

Every week, I receive emails and comments from people who need help picking paint colors to work with their honey oak trim and cabinetry. A few years ago, I wrote a post on how to go about choosing paint colors for honey oak trim, but I didn’t provide any specific paint colors.

Today I am sharing five light gray neutrals from Benjamin Moore that work well with medium to light honey oak trim, cabinetry, and flooring.

Here in Des Moines, there are thousands of homes built anywhere from the 80s through the early 2000s that still have honey oak trim, built-ins, paneling, and cabinetry. Sometimes, we will paint them white, but often it can be cost prohibitive. And sometimes, my clients like the natural wood oak, because it can be very beautiful, so we keep it.

I found two spots in our home that still have honey oak trim or cabinetry and photographed large swatches of the five colors next to the wood. These photos might not be very exciting, but they demonstrate these five colors in different exposures with varying shades of honey oak.

The set of photos taken by our kitchen cabinetry get northern light, and the set taken by our stair railing get more southern light. I took these photos around 10:00 in the morning here in Iowa. In the set of photos by the cabinetry, I also included a small piece of oak trim with a light stain for another variation on honey oak.

All of my walls and trim are painted Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17, so that is the background you see behind the paint swatches. White Dove has a touch of cream and a touch of gray. I think it looks beautiful with honey oak if you have the right home for white walls.

Senora Gray 1530

Senora Gray 1530 is a medium-light gray green color that looks beautiful with the honey oak. It is one shade deeper than Stingray, which I show below. This would be a good choice for you if you like Stingray but want a little more pigment.

Inner Balance 1522

Inner Balance 1522 is a light green beige, three swatches down on the Benjamin Moore Classics color strip. This color is on the next strip over from Senora Gray and Stingray, and it is slightly warmer (less gray). This was my second favorite of the five colors I chose for this post.

Elmira White HC-84

Emira White HC-84 is from the Historical Collection, so it isn’t shown on a strip with similar shades of the same hue. It’s a very light beige with subtle orange undertones that make it a good candidate for honey oak trim.

But, be careful. I didn’t love this color in the northern light, but I did think it was quite pretty in the southern light.

Sting Ray 1529

If you are looking for a light gray to pair with your honey oak trim, then Stingray 1529 is an excellent option. Stingray is a warm green-gray, one shade lighter than Senora Gray. Depending on your lighting, you may see more green or more gray at times.

As with all of these colors, it looks warmer in the southern photos by my stair railing and cooler in the northern photos.

Delaware Putty 240

Did you know that warm neutrals and beiges are coming back in a big way? I think people are tired of all gray everything, and are looking for color palettes that feel warmer and cozier. We’re all busy nesting at home right now and want our spaces to feel inviting.

Delaware Putty was my favorite of the five colors I tested for this very reason. It’s a light beige color (second from the top on the swatch strip), and its undertone is a neutral yellow that leans more towards green than orange.

By the way, this color looks amazing with White Dove OC-17 as the trim color and honey oak flooring. If you’re looking for barely any contrast from white trim to your wall color, try Ivory Porcelain 239, which is one shade lighter.

In this post, I shared five Benjamin Moore colors that pair well with honey oak trim. If you’re looking for additional ideas, check out the other posts in this series:

Transform Your Honey Oak Home with These Six Lovely Light Beige Paint Colors.

Six of the Best Wall Paint Colors to Make Honey Oak Trim Look Great

How to Pick the Right Paint Color to Go with Your Honey Oak Trim and Cabinets

Remember, this post only addressed how these colors work with the wood tone. You still need to consider any other fixed elements in the room such as tile, countertops, stone, or any upholstery, drapery, or rugs that you don’t plan to replace.

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