Restyle Maple Cabinets to Look Like a Million Bucks

Maple cabinets have a warm, reddish-brown hue and a visible wood grain. But over time, the traditional styling of maple cabinetry can start to feel a bit dated and drab, especially compared to the influx of sleek, modern kitchen designs in recent years.

Luckily, without undertaking a full kitchen remodel, you can give those tired maple cabinets a fresh, contemporary makeover. With some simple upgrades and styling adjustments, it's easy to infuse maple cabinetry with modern flair. Read on to discover pro tips and clever tricks for making your maple kitchen cabinets look like a million bucks.

Avoid Trying to Paint Maple Cabinets

When undertaking a cabinet makeover, painting them may seem like the quickest route to a transformed kitchen. But maple cabinets present some unique challenges for painting novices. The wood's smooth, tight grain causes many paints to adhere poorly and unevenly.

Because of maple's subtle color variations, any brush marks will also be clearly visible through the paint. It takes true skill to achieve an evenly coated painted finish on maple. Otherwise, you risk ending up with a splotchy, amateurish looking result.

Painting also obscures the inherent beauty of maple wood's graining and pattern. For the best outcome, opt for clear stains and finishes over opaque paint. Or consider painting just the cabinet interiors, leaving the externals to showcase that signature maple wood.

Alternative Update Options

Instead of painting your maple cabinets, freshen them up with one of these options:

• Refinish with a trendy gray wash or whitewash stain
• Apply a tinted oil to lightly shift the undertones
• Coat with a clear, matte water-based polyurethane for protection

Achieving an updated color finish while allowing the wood grain to still shine through is ideal for accentuating maple's inherent beauty.

Freshen the Color Scheme

Surrounding maple cabinetry with an updated, complementary color scheme can instantly modernize its look. For starters, paint your kitchen walls a bold, vivid hue like cobalt blue, emerald green or mustard yellow. Vibrant paint colors contrast beautifully against maple cabinets' reddish-brown tones.

Or create a two-tone kitchen by pairing maple lower cabinets with crisp, bright white uppers. This trending mix of finishes looks especially sleek and modern. You can also break up the monotonous expanse of maple by swapping out a few lower cabinet doors for open shelving.

Changing your cabinet hardware is another simple swap that can dramatically change the look of maple cabinetry. Ditch the dated brass knobs and pulls and replace them with matte black, brushed nickel or oil-rubbed bronze options. Sleek metal bars or recessed handles have a more modern, streamlined look.

Hardware Upgrade Tips

When switching up your cabinet hardware, follow these tips:

• Pick a finish that complements your faucets and appliances
• Measure existing holes carefully to find the right replacement size
• Upgrade drawer slides and hinges at the same time
• Use a mild degreaser to thoroughly clean grime from old hardware

Optimize Lighting

Lighting can make a major impact on the look and feel of a kitchen. For maple cabinets, strategic lighting placement helps highlight the wood's beautiful grain while brightening up the whole space.

Install puck lights or LED strip lights directly underneath the upper cabinets. Illuminating your work surfaces in this way provides both task lighting and accent lighting. It visually opens and modernizes the kitchen.

If possible, also add lighting over key areas like the sink or cooktop. Light bounces beautifully off the rich wood tones of maple. Embrace that by using lighting to spotlight your stunning cabinetry.

Lighting Tips

Other lighting tips include:

• Use dimmers for flexibility in setting the right mood
• Layer lighting for depth - accent, task, and overhead
• Look for fixtures with an adjustable color temperature

Embrace Modern Design Elements

Certain cabinetry design elements inherently create a more contemporary, modern look. For maple cabinets, marrying the traditional wood with some of these details can help capture a stylish, updated aesthetic.

For instance, replace raised panel doors with simple slab fronts for a streamlined look. Flat panel doors lose the grooves of traditional cabinet doors, giving a smoother, cleaner appearance. Using matte finishes like concrete, leathered granite, or chalk painted walls provide visual contrast to the sheen of the maple cabinets.

You can also opt for ultra-modern metal or glass handles and pulls in place of traditional hardware. Matte black, brass, or nickel pair nicely with the warm hues of maple. Aim for recessed hardware that blends discreetly into the cabinet front for a hidden, seamless look.

More Modern Touches

A few more ways to sneak modernism into traditional maple cabinets:

• Frameless construction for a European minimalist aesthetic
• Undercabinet range hoods for a streamlined profile
• Soft-close doors and drawers
• Hidden hinges

Combine Maple with Other Finishes

Transitioning to a completely modern, contemporary kitchen would likely mean saying goodbye to those maple cabinets. But you can still achieve a current look by combining maple cabinetry with other on-trend finishes and materials.

For example, pair rich maple base cabinets with crisp, bright white uppers. Or use maple on the perimeter with an island or peninsula stained a trendy dark charcoal. White open shelving is another element that can help break up the expanse of maple cabinetry.

Mixing natural wood tones, like walnut or oak accents, with maple can also lend an eclectic, modern edge. Contrasting finishes add needed visual interest to keep the space looking fresh and current.

Material Combinations

Some chic mix and match ideas:

• Marble or quartz countertops with maple cabinets
• Black stainless steel appliances with maple cabinets
• Dark wood flooring with light maple cabinets

Add Pops of Color and Pattern

Pops of color and flashes of pattern pair beautifully with classic maple cabinetry. They provide the needed contrast that prevents an all-maple kitchen from feeling flat and dated.

Paint your walls a vibrant hue like cobalt, emerald or marsala. Then pull that color into the space with accessories like brightly patterned rugs, window treatments and barstools with painted legs.

The backsplash is the perfect place to integrate color and pattern to complement maple cabinets. Delicate glass tiles in seafoam, sky blue or even a vibrant orange checkerboard can look amazing.

Retro-inspired appliances like a candy apple red stand mixer or a Smeg refrigerator infuse eclectic character. Let your maple cabinetry be the neutral backdrop to these eye-catching additions.

More Colorful Touches

• Colored glass knobs on neutral maple cabinets
• Undercabinet lighting on a boldly colored wall
• Window valances in colorful geometric patterns

Keep Hardware Simple

When selecting hardware to pair with traditional maple cabinets, classic simple shapes tend to look best. Ornate hardware with too many decorative flourishes can clash with maple's clean lines and subdued pattern.

Brushed nickel or oil-rubbed bronze pulls often appear more modern than shiny brass or chrome. Matte black is another failsafe hardware shade that works well with most wood species. For a streamlined look, opt for discreet recessed pulls that sit flush with the cabinet front.

If your maple cabinets have visible exposed hinges, swap those out for sleek, concealed European-style hinges. Avoid heavily molded knobs and handles. Seek out hardware shapes and sizes that lay flat and integrate cleanly into the overall design.

Hardware Guidelines

• 1.5 to 3 inches is an optimal size for most cabinet pulls
• Pick a finish that matches your faucet and other metals
• Build visual harmony with consistent finishes throughout

With their handsome wood grain and enduring warmth, maple kitchen cabinets do not necessarily need to be relegated to the realm of the outdated. Instead of undertaking a budget-busting remodel, you can revamp your maple cabinetry with a few easy upgrades.

Strategic use of color, modern materials, trendy finishes and thoughtful lighting and hardware choices allows maple to feel current and contemporary. Bring cohesion to the kitchen through smart mixing of old and new elements.

Showcase maple's natural beauty while infusing eclectic flair. The results will have your kitchen looking luxe, modern and positively priceless.