How to Make Natural Oak Kitchen Cabinets the Highlights of your Kitchen
As vintage elements continue to be highly attractive to modern interior designers, natural wood materials are swiftly finding their way to contemporary homes. Are you also thinking of incorporating natural wood into your scullery? If yes, then natural oak kitchen cabinets are what you need.
Oak, a type of hardwood popularly known for being strong, was a popular option for furniture from the 1970s to the 90s. However, for various reasons, it is making a major comeback in interior design.
Read this article to uncover more about kitchen cabinets made of oak; their features, designs, and how you can make them a signature feature of your cooking space.
All you need to know About Natural Oak Kitchen Cabinets
The attraction of wood is best expressed when it is in its natural state. If you want to see the visual attractiveness of wood in its natural state, then you should see oak cabinets. Natural oak cabinets feature the rough texture and clean neutral look of oak hardwood. They are versatile in terms of designs and tones and can fit in different kitchen designs; from traditional to modern designs.
Oak drawers are very easy to stain and take care of, thanks to their hard-grained finishing. Because of their simple and classic look, you can pair them with any type of kitchenware and colors to get the kitchen interior outlook of your dreams.
Tips on How to Style a Kitchen with Natural Oak Cabinets
- Mix Colors
Considering the conventional dark tone of oak cabinets, interior designers recommend mixing colors in the kitchen with these types of drawers. Keeping the color palette in your kitchen light using a bright color like white can make oak drawers not seem out of a place.
- Paint the Cabinetry
While the naturally dark appeal of oak is an attraction to many, it can make your natural oak kitchen cabinets look outdated or old. Painting is an option you can leverage to make them look more modern. If you want color contrast in your kitchen, you can paint the upper parts of your cabinetry while leaving the lower parts with the natural stain of oak.
- Install Open Shelves
Because of their dark appeal, drawers made of oak can at times make your kitchen look congested. You can remove various closed shelves and swap them with opened ones to limit the overwhelming dark tone of oak. With open shelves, you will not only free up your scullery but also make it more functional.
Popular Design Ideas for Natural Oak Kitchen Cabinets
As already noted, natural oak cupboards are generally very versatile, thanks to their multiple designs and types. The most popular designs include the following.
Modern Oak Kitchen Cabinets
As opposed to their original vintage versions, modern oak kitchen cabinets feature lavish properties typical of modernity. They typically feature glass doors, simple decorative aspects, and cabinet hardware made of luxurious metals like gold, stainless steel, copper, and brass. You can also find modern oak drawers with specialty casings or open shelves, all of which are ideal for the modern kitchen design.
Natural Oak Kitchen Cabinets with Mixed Wood Tones
Rather than confine yourself to oak drawers with the dark orange finish, you can opt to blend different light wood tones to give your drawers an updated appearance. The combination of dark and light cabinets has proved to be valuable in terms of emphasizing the attractiveness of oak drawers.
Two-Toned Natural Oak Kitchen Cabinets
If you are worried about the dark orange appeal of oak, you can make your natural oak kitchen cabinets two-toned by adding on them a color that marches with their dark appeal. White is the perfect color you can blend with the darkish hue of oak. Because of its neutral features, white can significantly absorb the overwhelming visual properties of natural oak.
Accessorized Natural Oak Kitchen Cabinets
With cabinets made of natural wood such as oak, you can blend multiple colors in a go, just by using natural wood as a neutral background. Depending on your preferred kitchen style in terms of color palette, you can go for natural oak cabinets fitted with different colored decorative accessories like metallic hardware.
Advantages of Natural Oak Kitchen Cabinets
- Compatibility with Different Colors
Because of the neutral aspects of their natural wood surface, natural oak drawers can easily be paired with different kinds of colors, including green, white, and blue. The areas you can incorporate these colors include the backsplashes, walls, flooring, and kitchen hardware like sinks and natural plant vases.
- Simplicity
From their tones to ornamental and design features, natural oak kitchen cabinets are all about simplicity. Their natural appeal makes them perfect for color mixing while their simple properties make them compatible with multiple kitchen designs. Because their material is all-natural, these drawers are is among the easiest to find and use.
- Countless Varieties
Apart from being simple and compatible with different colors, natural oak cupboards are very versatile. Whether you prefer open-shelved or close-shelved drawers, you will find cabinetries that suit your needs if you consider buying oak drawers. Moreover, oak cupboards come in different tones, all of which can work well in any type of kitchen interior.
- Ease of Use
Oak cabinets are one of the functional cabinetry designs you can find anywhere. Their dark hue makes them easy to clean and maintain since they can easily hide stains and dirt marks. With their simple design features, you can easily accessorize oak cabinets without tainting their adorable outlook.
Natural Wood Alternatives to Oak Kitchen Cabinets
Apart from oak, there are various material options for kitchen cabinets. They include the following;
Maple Wood: While both maple and oak are hardwoods, they have different finishes. Compared to oak, maple’s texture is generally rough, especially when it is unstained. Maple kitchen cabinets are unique, and versatile, and can work well in a myriad of kitchen designs.
Cherry Wood: Widely acclaimed for its outstanding aesthetic features, this cherry is a type of hardwood that is as strong as oak and has a distinctive grain pattern marked by reddish-brown streaks.
Alder Wood: Alder is a natural hardwood that is popularly known for its unique bending capacity. If you prefer rustic kitchen cabinet designs, then you can choose alder for it has a rustic aesthetic appeal, especially when left in its natural state.
What is the Cost of Natural Oak Kitchen Cabinets?
Depending on your preferred cabinet size, shape, and design, you should equip yourself with any amount between $1500 and $4000; for you to purchase brand-new natural oak kitchen cabinets. However, you can get yours at a discounted price if you are lucky enough to find a good dealer. When budgeting, you must include the cost of installation and cabinet hardware because such is not included in the buying price.
Final Thoughts
Whatever design you choose for your kitchen, you can make a visual statement with natural oak cabinets. These drawers are gorgeous-looking, versatile, and can be mixed with different colors for any type of outlook.
