They Spray-Painted the Golden Oak Kitchen Cabinets Skimming Stone: Same Dark Countertops and Tile, a Different Look
Golden oak cabinets covered nearly every wall of this kitchen, from the units surrounding the stove to the tall storage cabinets near the doorway. Their honey-colored finish stood against dark countertops, brown patterned tiles, and beige floor tiles, giving the room a traditional appearance.
Instead of replacing the cabinetry, painter Mariusz Plesner spray-painted the existing doors and frames in a color matched to Farrow & Ball’s Skimming Stone. The pale stone finish replaced the golden oak, while the countertops, backsplash, flooring, and cabinet details remained.
The makeover also introduced silver-toned handles in place of the original dark hardware. The kitchen kept its layout and traditional cabinet design, but the lighter finish changed the appearance of the entire room.
Golden Oak Cabinets Covered the Original Kitchen
The original cabinetry featured raised-panel doors, carved rope-style columns, decorative spindle inserts, and an elaborate wooden enclosure above the range hood. The oak grain was visible across the doors, drawer fronts, and side panels.
Dark countertops ran beneath a backsplash made from square brown tiles with a diamond-patterned border. A black range cooker occupied the center of the main cabinet wall.
On the opposite side, the same golden oak finish extended around the sink, drawers, and open corner shelves. Wood blinds covered the window, while beige floor tiles continued throughout the kitchen.
Skimming Stone Replaced the Golden Oak Finish
The cabinets received a sprayed coating color-matched to Skimming Stone by Farrow & Ball, a pale stone shade with gray and beige undertones.
The new finish covers the doors, frames, decorative columns, and range hood enclosure. Unlike the original stained wood, the painted surfaces have a consistent color across the cabinet sections.
The painter identified the finish as a color match, rather than confirming that Farrow & Ball paint was used.
The Original Decorative Cabinet Details Stayed
One of the distinctive features of this kitchen is its traditional woodwork. The original upper cabinets included narrow spindle openings, carved rope columns, arched shelving sections, and small decorative drawers.
These elements remained after refinishing, along with the raised-panel door profiles. The paint covers the oak grain without removing the cabinet details.
The new finish also extends across the lower cabinets beneath the sink and the open corner shelves beside the window. The dark countertop and wooden blinds remain in place, showing how the pale cabinet color works with the existing materials.
The Brown Backsplash and Dark Countertops Remained
The makeover retained the brown tiled backsplash, including the square tiles behind the range and the diamond-patterned border running above the counters.
The black range cooker also stayed, with the painted hood enclosure above it. Against the Skimming Stone cabinets, the existing backsplash becomes one of the darker surfaces in the kitchen.
The beige floor tiles were left unchanged, keeping the original material combination beneath the new cabinet finish.
The Before-and-After Shows the Effect of One Cabinet Color
The side-by-side photographs show the same cooking wall before and after refinishing. The cabinet layout, decorative woodwork, black range cooker, and brown tile backsplash remain recognizable.
What changed was the dominant wood finish. Skimming Stone now covers the cabinetry that previously displayed golden oak grain, while silver-toned handles complete the update.
Would you paint golden oak cabinets a pale stone color, or keep their original wood finish?
Image credits go to @mariusz_plesner.