The solid oak cabinets were not the problem in this Chapel Hill kitchen. The raised-panel doors, crown molding, drawers, and cabinet boxes were still worth keeping, but the orange-brown oak finish covered almost every wall and set the color for the entire room.
Instagram creator My Renewed Cabinets was behind the transformation, keeping the existing cabinetry and refinishing it with Icro Coatings paint in Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige. The new finish covers the strong orange tone while preserving the cabinet layout and door style. New counters, a simpler backsplash, and updated hardware complete the change.
Orange Oak Covered Most of the Kitchen
Oak cabinetry wrapped around the sink, dishwasher, cooktop, and oven area. With upper and lower cabinets carrying the same orange-brown stain, wood grain became the strongest element in the room.
The cabinets also had details worth preserving. Raised center panels, substantial door frames, crown molding, and fitted corner sections gave the kitchen a complete cabinet system rather than a collection of stock boxes.
Accessible Beige Changed the Sink Wall
Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige replaces the orange oak around the sink without changing the cabinet positions. Even the narrow cabinet beside the beverage cooler and the pair of doors below the sink remain in the same spots.
The beige finish sits between white and a deeper tan, which matters in a kitchen with white counters and light tile floors. There is enough contrast to see each cabinet door without bringing another strong color into the room.
Oak Grain Disappeared From the Cabinet Wall
Before refinishing, grain patterns ran across every door, drawer, frame, and end panel. The effect became more pronounced on this long section because there was little wall space to interrupt the wood.
Painting removes that layer of visual information. The raised panels now provide the detail, while the cabinet fronts read as a single surface rather than a mix of grain patterns.
Same Doors Look Different Under Paint
A closer look at the finished cabinets makes it clear that this was not a cabinet replacement. The same raised-panel doors, drawer fronts, corner configuration, and crown molding remain.
Accessible Beige shifts attention from the oak grain to the shape of the cabinetry. Bronze-toned pulls add a narrow line of contrast without competing with the paint.
Oven Corner Shows How Much Stayed
The stacked microwave and oven provide a useful reference point for the transformation. Both appliances occupy the same center position, surrounded by angled counters and cabinets on each side.
Even the small cabinet above the microwave and drawer below the oven were retained. The unusual corner configuration did not need to be rebuilt to change the kitchen’s appearance.
White Counters Finish the New Palette
The finished oven wall pairs Accessible Beige with white counters that have subtle gray veining. A short matching backsplash replaces the old tile border and continues around the angled sections beside the appliances.
Because the floor and stainless appliances remain, the new counter and cabinet colors do most of the work. The room keeps its original footprint while moving from orange oak, patterned tile, and speckled counters to beige, white, and stainless steel.
Paint Changed the Cabinets Without Hiding Their Original Design
Side by side, the biggest change is not the cabinet style. It is the color covering it. The raised doors, angled bases, oven surround, crown molding, and much of the kitchen layout can be traced from one image to the other.
For a homeowner who already liked the solid oak cabinets, Accessible Beige offered a way to keep them while removing the orange tone that had defined the room.
Would you paint solid oak cabinets like these, or keep the original wood finish?
Image credits go to @myrenewedcabinets.