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Wall Paint Colors for Honey Oak Trim: Six Lovely Light Beiges from Sherwin-Williams

Wall Paint Colors for Honey Oak Trim: Six Lovely Light Beiges from Sherwin-Williams

Every week, I receive emails and comments from people who need help picking wall paint colors for honey oak trim and cabinetry to help them achieve a more fresh and modern feeling. 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.

Last week, I wrote about five light neutrals from Benjamin Moore that look beautiful with honey oak trim. Today I am sharing five more light beige neutrals from Sherwin-Williams 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.

As in the Benjamin Moore post from last week, I chose the same 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 six wall paint colors in different exposures with varying shades of honey oak wood.

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 9:00 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.

Canvas Tan SW 7531

Sherwin-Williams Canvas Tan is a very light beige that looks beautiful with the honey oak. To me, it reads as one shade deeper than my White Dove walls. The color is very  neutral but warm.

Canvas Tan is located in the Whites section of the Sherwin-Williams deck right below Neutral Ground, which is another favorite of mine for cabinetry.

Sherwin-Williams Canvas Tan SW 7531 Light Beige Paint Colors Honey Oak Trim
SW 731 Canvas Tan in Northern Morning Light
Sherwin-Williams Canvas Tan SW 7531 Light Beige Paint Colors Honey Oak Trim
SW 731 Canvas Tan in Southern Morning Light

Wool Skein SW 6148

Wool Skein is a light beige with warm bronzey undertones. It is less green than the other colors I’ve chosen below. I like Wool Skein because it does not go pink, nor should it read as a green. It’s slightly more neutral than a true beige but not as cool as a true gray.

Sherwin-Williams Wool Skein SW 6148 Light Beige Paint Colors Honey Oak Trim
Sherwin-Williams Wool Skein in Northern Morning Light
Sherwin-Williams Wool Skein in Southern Morning Light

Grecian Ivory SW 7541

Last Fall, I specified Grecian Ivory for the majority of a first floor in a traditional West Des Moines home with way too much honey oak to consider painting it all out. 

When I first saw the home, it was faux painted in many of the rooms and terribly outdated. I spent a lot of time looking at paint swatches in different rooms and different light and ultimately settled on Grecian Ivory.

The slight yellow-green undertone in this light pretty neutral looked stunning with the rick oak trim and floors but also with all of the greenery visible through the home’s large windows.

When I saw the house painted for the first time, it was like a breath of fresh air. It will never be a modern or even really a transitional home due to its architecture and detailing. But, the new color transformed the interior and brought it into the current decade while providing a lovely backdrop for the owners’ collection of antiques and artwork.

Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory SW 7541 Light Beige Paint Colors Honey Oak Trim
Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory in Northern Morning Light
Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory SW 7541 Light Beige Paint Colors Honey Oak Trim
Sherwin-Williams Grecian Ivory in Southern Morning Light

Naturel SW 7542

Naturel is a light-medium beige with a yellow-green undertone. While it’s number indicates it’s one shade deeper than Grecian Ivory, it isn’t found on the same paint strip, so it might be easily overlooked. Naturel is located in the timeless section of the Sherwin-Williams paint deck.

Naturel and Grecian Ivory do look lovely together and would be a good pairing for an adjacent bedroom and bathroom or hallway and living area. 

Sherwin-Williams Naturel SW 7542 Light Beige Paint Colors Honey Oak Trim
Sherwin-Williams Naturel in Northern Morning Light
Sherwin-Williams Naturel SW 742 Light Beige Paint Colors Honey Oak Trim
Sherwin-Williams Naturel in Southern Morning Light

Rice Grain SW 6155

Rice Grain has been on my radar since I very first started in interior design in 2007. We used it in a client’s bathroom, and I loved the way it looked with the travertine tile we used and the creamy white trim.

Rice Grain is a very light beige (first color on the Sherwin-Williams paint strip) with yellow-green undertones. It looks beautiful when paired with cream, ivory, and brighter yellow greens. It is versatile enough to work well in more traditional or transition spaces as well as modern homes, depending on the materials you use. It would look stunning with a natural Calacatta marble that has gold and gray veining.

Sherwin-Williams Rice Grain SW 6155 Light Beige Paint Colors Honey Oak Trim
Sherwin-Williams Rice Grain in Northern Morning Light
Sherwin-Williams Rice Grain SW 6155 Light Beige Paint Colors Honey Oak Trim
Sherwin-Williams Rice Grain in Southern Morning Light

Ramie SW 6156

Ramie is one shade deeper than Rice Grain, so it’s the second lightest shade on the Sherwin-Williams strip. A good trick for making a room feel more unified and cohesive is to paint your walls the second shade from the top on the strip and paint your ceiling the lightest shade on the strip. Then you will avoid the feeling of having a white lid on your room, and your ceiling will feel higher.

Similar to Naturel, I like how Ramie has less contrast with the oak trim than the lighter colors. If your oak trim is darker light my cabinetry, the second shade on the strip might be a better option than the first.

Sherwin-Williams Ramie SW 6156 Light Beige Paint Colors Honey Oak Trim
Sherwin-Williams Ramie in Northern Morning Light
Sherwin-Williams Ramie SW 6156 Light Beige Paint Colors Honey Oak Trim
Sherwin-Williams Ramie in Southern Morning Light

For these six colors, I put together a comparison chart with both the northern and southern exposures so you could easily see how they compare. I think it’s also more noticeable how different conditions affect the light when you see them together.

Comparison of Sherwin-Williams Light Beige Paint Colors with Oak
Comparison in North Facing Light
Comparison in South Facing Light

This is the second post in my series on paint colors for honey oak trim. In my next post, I will share several more colors from Sherwin-Williams – three light grays as well as four other light colors in with yellow green undertones.

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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Sofia Gonzalez

Thursday 22nd of June 2023

Wow this is exactly what I was looking for! I love the pictures at the end. They made it much easier to compare. Thanks!

Jillian

Sunday 25th of June 2023

I'm so glad it was helpful!

Pam

Saturday 14th of May 2022

I am probably going with Grecian Ivory. At night the lights mess up the color. Any advice on what color lighting keeps the color “original”?

Bonnie Edwards

Friday 10th of December 2021

Thank you so much for steering me away from gray! I had a good creamy white in place in my great room with vaulted ceilings, warm wood beams/cabinets/floors, and exposed ductwork but needed to create some dimension and visual separation of spaces. NaturEL ended up being the perfect mate for my wall/ceiling color and all the warm wood tones. Space now has more depth but still feels relaxed and cohesive. Thanks again for helping me "see it!"

Bonnie Edwards

Friday 10th of December 2021

Thank you so much for this post and for steering me away from gray! I had no idea how to select an appropriate paint color for my open concept great room that has a vaulted ceiling, warm wood beams/cabinets, exposed ductwork, and natural bamboo floors. I had a good creamy white in place overall but needed to create some dimension and visual separation of spaces. NaturEL ended up being the perfect mate for my existing wall/ceiling color, as well as all the warm wood tones. The space now has much more depth but still feels cohesive and relaxed. Thanks again!

Kim Tatman

Tuesday 10th of August 2021

Jillian, Could you recommend a navy color that would work well with Ramie and honey oak?

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