What Christina Haack Did Wrong When Using Trendy White Oak Cabinets

Since the early days of "Flip or Flop," Christina Haack has evolved as a designer, leaving any number of design ideas in the past. Not only has she left behind the all neutral walls and all white cabinets, but she is also incorporating more vintage ideas into her spaces. On the HGTV series "The Flip Off," viewers have seen just how much Haack has changed over the years, but sometimes mistakes still happen. When the judges did a walk-through of the two homes in episode 5, guest judge Israel "Izzy" Battres, who has worked with Haack previously, pointed out that while he liked the cabinet choice in the bedroom turned office, he found that they blended in too well with the flooring.

Haack chose to use trendy white oak for her built-in cabinets, which makes sense as white oak can bring texture to a space, thanks to the grain of the wood. These cabinets can also bring warmth to a room, but unfortunately for Haack, the flooring she used in the office looked to be very close in color to the white oak. Basically, Battres did not think that there was enough of a contrast between the flooring and the cabinets, saying that, "the design of using the white oak is very trendy right now. But you have to be able to complement the flooring with the white oak" (as per House Beautiful). While the cabinets do look modern and elegant in the room, they don't make enough of an impact on the space because they don't stand out against the other neutral colors, including the rug that also features a beige color similar to the cabinets and floors.

If you're looking to incorporate white oak cabinets in any room of your home, avoid the mistake that Christina Haack made and consider how you can add more contrast to your space. If you already have white oak flooring installed in your home, but you like the look of white oak cabinets as well, you may want to bring in contrasting colors through paint on the walls or even with a rug that adds a pop of color in your space. Instead of going with neutral on neutral the way Haack did, try adding more pops of color with a vibrant rug, a feature wall, or colorful accessories throughout.

When it comes to a remodel, if you are choosing new flooring to go with white oak cabinets, consider flooring options that contrast with the light golden color of the wood cabinets. Depending on the vibe you are going for, you'll want to think about how dark or light you want your space to be. For a room that is light and bright, you may want to stick with an all-white floor. Consider white tile or even a white-washed wood. However, the best way to really bring contrast into any room is by going for dark tones with lighter ones, meaning you'll want darker flooring against the lighter, white oak cabinets. When trying to pair darker flooring with white oak cabinets, consider dark hardwoods or engineered woods in colors such as mahogany, hickory, or walnut. Or if you prefer tile flooring, you could go with darker grays or black to really pop against the lighter tones of the white oak.