10 Best Cream Paint Colors – Benjamin Moore | Sherwin Williams

Cream paint colors can make any room feel warm and cozy. Its a nice backdrop, it gives you a fresh canvas to work with when designing your space. It goes well with most spaces and it can look much cozier than some of the other neutrals like white or gray.

Personally, cream is my favorite wall color if I’m going to be honest. I have painted a couple of my houses a cream paint color. I used cream in one of my house flips, pictured above, cream instead of the traditional staging white color and it looked fabulous. Warm, inviting and trendy. The new homeowner liked it so much that she kept it the same color.

What’s the difference between cream, beige and a white?

Cream (shown above left) using Benjamin Moore’s Navajo white is a very soft yellow or a very pale yellow. Too much cream and your room can look yellow. Some “creams” can appear very white if there is little yellow in it, whereas some “creams” borderline on looking yellow when there’s alot of yellow in it.

Whites (shown above middle) showing Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White can be cool or warm. BM Cloud White is a warm white. Not all white are created equal. Cool whites have blue and gray undertones. They appear clean and crisp. Warm whites have warm undertones of pink, red, orange and yellow. They look soft, warm and relaxed. You add yellow to your white, you will create cream.

Beige (shown above right) Benjamin Moore’s Manchester Tan is a blend of white and brown. Its a very light brown. Some creams can start to look brown depending on the undertones.

Choosing the Right Cream Paint

Choosing the right cream paint for your home can be just as tricky as picking white or any other neutral for that matter. You still need to take into consideration the undertones of the paint color, the natural light in the room & the direction the room faces, the fixed elements of your room, the LRV of your paint color & your design style. That’s quite a bit to consider.

The LRV (light reflective value) of a paint color measures how much light a paint color reflects with lighter colors like white and cream indicating brighter and lighter colors, while a lower reflective value indicates colors that are darker.

Read: What is LRV in paint colors and why it matters

Its also important when picking a cream is to look at the undertones of the cream. All cream paint colors have a yellow undertone BECAUSE cream is a pale shade of yellow. The important factor is to consider how much yellow does the color have before it starts like a yellow paint color and less like cream. There are other creams out there that are very popular, but have pink or orange | peach undertones, where as some are cream but lean towards greige. That doesn’t mean those colors won’t work for your interior. I’m just focusing on the yellow undertones here to keep it simple and to compare apples to apples so to speak.

All cream paints colors have a yellow undertone because cream IS a pale shade of yellow. If you don’t like yellow, then greige may be a better choice for you. Of course, any neutral that you choose, must compliment the fixed elements in your room such as flooring etc.

Best Sherwin Williams Cream Paint Colors

From the lightest cream to the darker creams, here is my list of Sherwin Williams top 5 Cream Paint Colors. I have only chosen colors that have a true yellow undertone.

Sherwin Williams Creamy SW 7012

Photo: Sherwin Williams

SW 7012 Creamy is a fan favorite for Sherwin Williams and its hard not to see why. Sherwin Williams considers it to be a bright white with soft yellow undertones to create a subtle warmth to the room. If you find white to cool, and you want a subtle touch of cream, Creamy could be the one for you. Its LRV is 81 which puts Creamy in the white color category but just barely.

Creamy would be suitable as a whole house interior paint color for those open concept areas like hallways, living | dining room and kitchen if its part of the open concept. Creamy is also a great exterior paint color depending on the fixed elements of the exterior.

Sherwin Williams Dover White 6385

Photo: Sherwin Williams

Sherwin Williams Dover White 6385 is another warm popular cream and its considered in the white paint color family as well so its still a bright color but has stronger yellow undertones than Creamy and a touch more color. Its LRV is 83. It looks warm and inviting in this cozy bedroom above. This color would look nice in more transitional, traditional and farmhouse interiors. Would likely be to creamy for modern interiors. Would also look nice for exterior, again depending on your exterior design style.

Sherwin Williams Casa Blanca 7571

Photo: Sherwin Williams

Sherwin Williams Casa Blanca 7571 is a cream that can look like a pale yellow unlike the SW Dover White and SW Creamy where the “yellow” influence is more subtle. Its a beautiful warm color but its going to look like a pale yellow if that’s what you’re looking for with a touch of orange. Its warm and inviting in most rooms. It tends to lean towards more traditional, transitional or coastal decors as opposed to a modern contemporary look. Its LRV is 76 which is a light color, definitely not in the white category any more. Its very similar to the color I used for my living room, Behr Crème Fraiche if you look at the first picture at the beginning of the post.

Sherwin Williams Antique White 6119

Photo: Sherwin Williams

Sherwin Williams Antique White 6119 is not a white contrary to what its name suggests. It a cream with a touch of beige undertones. Its a beautiful cream that has depth to it, but doesn’t look to yellow and dated. Its warm and rich, with an LRV of 72 and suitable for most rooms. It looks absolutely in this bedroom. It would be so cozy in a bathroom depending on the fixed elements. Antique White would also be suitable for your exterior depending on what the other fixed elements are going on.

For the trim, I would use Sherwin Williams Alabaster. A warm white paint color would be perfect with Antique White.

Sherwin Williams Navajo White 6126

Photo: Sherwin Williams

Sherwin Williams Navajo White, not to be confused with Benjamin Moore Navajo White, is another gorgeous cream paint color. Its not white as its name suggest and it can appear beige, but the undertones for this color is yellow. Its creamy, relaxing and inviting. Its one of Sherwin Williams most popular colors for those that what warmth and depth in their room. It pairs well with beige accents. With an LRV of 72 its in the light paint color category. Sherwin Williams Navajo White is often compared to its sister color, Sherwin Williams Antique White but Navajo White has a bit more yellow in it compared to Antique White. Neither is right or wrong, its just a matter of personal preference and what suits your home the best. Navajo White is a lovely warm cream, but because of its yellow undertones, and an LRV of 72, its suitable for interior rooms like bedrooms, bathrooms, or a dining room. I would not recommend this color as a whole house paint color or for a whole house interior open concept area.

Best Benjamin Moore Cream Paint Colors

Like Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore has a beautiful choice of cream paint colors as well. Some are actually very similar to Sherwin Williams, but even though they are “similar” they are not identical. Its always good to compare and test your colors in any circumstances.

In order from lightest cream to darker cream, is my top 5 Benjamin Moore Cream Paint Colors.

Benjamin Moore Timid White OC-39

Photo: laurelberninteriors.com

Benjamin Moore’s Timid White might be the cream you’re looking for if you want a little bit more warmth from the typical warm whites but not too much yellow. Timid White has a touch of yellow undertones which makes it creamy and yummy without being too obvious. It’s my lightest cream paint color recommendation here in Benjamin Moore. With an LRV of 82.45 its considered an off white color.

Benjamin Moore Navajo White OC-95

Photo: Farmhouse kitchen, Pinterest

Benjamin Moore’s Navajo White, not the same as Sherwin Williams Navajo White, lol, is a touch warmer than Timid White if you’re looking for more warmth. Its one of Benjamin Moore’s top selling paint color that has subtle yellow and tan undertones. With an LRV of 78.26 it is a light paint color in the off-white paint color collection that makes a room feel cozy and warm.

Benjamin Moore Ballet White OC-9

Photo: decorhomeideas.com

Benjamin Moore Ballet White is considered a warm cream but you can tell in the picture above that it has a slightly beige-gray, or commonly known as a greige, undertone to it which makes it slightly less creamy than the other creams mentioned here. If you’re looking for a cream that leans towards, greige, than this would be a perfect choice for your home. With an LRV of 71.91 its a light paint color and considered in the off-white paint color collection.

Benjamin Moore Indian White OC-88

Photo: Maria Killam

Benjamin Moore Indian White is similar to Benjamin Moore Navajo White and Benjamin Moore Gentle Cream but it has a slight orange undertone to it and less beige as you can see in Maria Killam’s gorgeous bathroom photo above that was featured in the Washington Post. She picked up the color in her botanical prints and you can see how this makes the room stunning. Plus she ties it in together with an orange rug and picking up the blue from the cabinet. Maria is one of the leading Color Experts, I know because I took her color training on Benjamin Moore paint colors.

I have used this color twice. One in a coffee shop renovation and the other in one of my houses. The orange undertone was not strong in either situation. That’s why testing is so important in choosing a paint color.

Benjamin Moore Gentle Cream OC-96 | Barely Beige

Photo: Kylie M Interiors

Benjamin Moore’s Gentle Cream aka Barely Beige is similar to Benjamin Moore’s Navajo White but is a shade darker. Its a warm bisque cream with subtle yellow and tan undertones. Its considered more of a traditional color but with our color trends leaning away from the light neutrals, this darker cream will be a great contender if you’re wanting a warm and cozy vibe in any room. This color would definitely work as a whole house paint color. It has an LRV of 71.32

Related blog posts:

Read: The Best White Paint Colors for your Trim & Doors

Read: Is beige Back in Style? Beige is THE new neutral!

Read: Best Cool White Paint Colors Benjamin Moore & Sherwin Williams

Read: What is a Good Warm White Paint Color?

Read: 8 Tips on how to pick the right paint color for your home

Does Picking a Neutral Overwhelm You?

These creams colors I’m suggesting above are suitable for interior walls. Its a bit trickier if you use them for kitchen cabinets, trim color, or your exterior color. Some of them may work whereas others may be to yellow on your cabinets. Cream colored kitchen cabinets are predicted to be trending in the next couple of years, but you definitely want to test them and try them out before you invest in this color for your kitchen. If you want a kitchen cabinet paint color, exterior paint color consult or an interior paint color consult, check out my online services here.

Hi! I’m Debi Collinson. Designer. Color Consultant. Real Estate Investor.

I conducted my first color consult at the age of 7, for my father for one of his design | build projects. I’m an Interior Designer, a Double-Certified Paint Color Expert, with advanced training in kitchens + bathrooms!

Since 2006, I have helped hundreds of clients, just like you, to style their house to make it a stunning retreat, that is functional for the family AND that they love and enjoy their home. In 2020, I moved my design business online.

I have successfully flipped 9 houses and in my spare time, lol, I’m working on our dated 1950’s river house.

 Read my full story including my design credentials here.