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If you have natural oak cabinets<\/a> in your home, as so many rental apartments and newer builds do, you may be wondering what color to paint the surrounding walls. Maybe you want to emphasize the beauty of the wood grain, or perhaps you\u2019d like to downplay the stain because it isn\u2019t exactly what you\u2019d choose, and you can\u2019t change your cabinets<\/a> for whatever reason. Well, don\u2019t worry: Painting the nearby walls can make a big difference.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n When you\u2019re dealing with certain natural wood tones<\/a> on prominent features like cabinetry, a room can start to appear overwhelmingly yellow or orange quickly, so it\u2019s important to offset all that warmth with something complementary that also won\u2019t compete against it. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of paint colors to choose from,\u00a0though \u2014 from any given paint company \u2014 so I asked two pro interior designers for their expert picks. From there, I homed in on this two-part list: colors to avoid using and colors that work well. In the latter category, you\u2019ll even find some exact shade recommendations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n If you want your oak cabinets to look their best, designers suggest steering clear of this color family and one of its closely related shades.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Red, yellow, and blue might rule the color wheel, but they\u2019re not the best hues for pairing with oak. \u201cI find that bright primary colors, like red or cobalt, tend to highlight oak\u2019s less desirable yellow tones,\u201d says designer Ashley Macuga of Collected Interiors<\/a>. Designer Melissa Van Zee of Van Zee Design Interiors<\/a> agrees, and even extends this notion to orange, which is technically a secondary color but matches the primaries in its boldness and intensity, and also can amplify the yellow or orange undertones in woods like oak. \u201cIf you love to make a statement with walls of orange, yellow, or red, look elsewhere,\u201d says Van Zee. \u201cNatural oak is not a good complement to these colors.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n So you\u2019re avoiding the primaries and oranges for wall paint, but that still leaves a lot of territory when it comes to paint colors. That\u2019s why I asked the designers for some picks that can elevate the look of dated or plain oak cabinets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Macuga says dusty, chalky colors, like gray, sage, and mauve, will always shine next to oak cabinetry. \u201cNatural oak is one of the warmest wood species, so it looks stunning when paired with colors that have deep, muted bases,\u201d she explains. The above image, even though it\u2019s showing a wooden dresser paired with light silvery sage walls, can give you an idea of what this combo looks like. The green tone perks the wood up with just the right touch of restrained energy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n You can\u2019t go wrong with anything in the green family, it seems, although the richer the shade, the better. Van Zee recommends celadon (try Benjamin Moore\u2019s Sweet Celadon CSP-785<\/a>) if you\u2019re looking for something on the lighter side, and hues like spruce (like PPG\u2019s Black Spruce PPG 1137-7<\/a>) and moss if you want something more saturated to make a bolder statement. \u201cThe organic way they pair with the grain of natural oak is stunning,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This classic grounding hue is also a winner in Van Zee\u2019s book. \u201cFor those who want to add some drama, a complex gray-based navy blue, like Benjamin Moore\u2019s Hale Navy (HC-154)<\/a>, is a great choice,\u201d she shares. Because navies are deep in tone, you\u2019ll just want to make sure you get ample sunlight in your space, so the overall effect is atmospheric and moody \u2014 not oppressively dark.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Van Zee is also a proponent of using white alongside oak cabinetry. \u201cFor my clients who love the clean and serene look of a bright, white home, pairing natural oak with white walls provides the perfect patina,\u201d she says. \u201cThe oak is visually velvety against a toned white paint, like Benjamin Moore\u2019s Dune White (968)<\/a>.\u201d Van Zee suggests doubling down on white with some of your other finishes, too. \u201cLayer in loads of white texture with surfaces like hand-fired and glazed tiles, walls of bold statement marble, raked plaster or dimensional wallpapers,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n