22 of the Best Cream Color Paints to Use in 2024 (Creamy Whites & Darker Creams)

Cream paint colors are currently taking over after the long-running gray craze! These colors, along with warmer beiges, are likely to be the top choice in neutrals for the foreseeable future.

From what I have seen, many people just don’t “get it” when it comes to cream. You probably aren’t looking for a sunshine yellow, you want cream.

The Best cream paint colors. 11 dots of creamy white, cream, and off-white paint colors over a background of an arched doorway in a cream paint color. — Background Photo by: @kristinhazendesign

Here are all of the best cream paint colors, from creamy white to nearly biscuit.

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#1 Tip for Choosing a Cream Color Paint

Trim options are make-or-break when it comes to painting with cream colors. Choosing the right cream for your walls is actually less important than what trim color you choose.

Sounds insane, I know.

Your paint color can be easily manipulated by the other colors around it. White is just especially bad for that.

For example, here is a creamy white (SW Alabaster) with a slightly more neutral trim (Pure White):

Sherwin Williams Alabaster Walls with Pure White Trim in a Hallway scattered with toys on the wood floor — Photo Credit: Kristin Macchia

Subtle difference. Alabaster looks just a little darker and creamier than the trim.

Here is that same wall color with a much cooler trim:

Alabaster walls and ceiling with Extra White Trim — Photo Credit: @slpaintingsf

So different! I get into this a lot more in my post White Walls with White Trim?

To summarize: If you find the perfect cream color for your walls, do NOT slap any old white paint on your trim.

Tips to Remember!

Consider using the same cream paint color for walls and trim
Use a cool white to maximize creamy yellow and beige tones
Use a warm toned white to compliment and soften creamy tones

What is the LRV Range of Cream Color Paints?

The LRV of a color indicates on a scale of 0 – 100 how much light a color reflects (or doesn’t reflect). True black has an LRV of 0 and pure white has an LRV of 100.

In the paint world, we are working in a range of about 3 – 93 because no paint color is purely black or completely white.

You might not know where the line is when it comes to choosing either a cream or white paint color.

A good rule of thumb, is that most paints with an LRV higher than 82 will look white at least some of the time.

Paint Colors with LRVs from about 70 to 82 are off-whites. They will not typically look like a true white, and definitely will not in the presence of true whites.

LRV of cream color paints shows several colors from this post marked on a white/off-white/ and neutral LRV scale over a background of creamy silk fabric

Cream paints with LRVs below 70 are considered neutral colors, and not off-whites. These guys are best used on exteriors (where all colors look lighter), or for trim with very dark colors. In the presence of any other whites or off-whites, they will look beige and not cream.

Creamy White Paints to Love

Creamy White Paint colors. Graphic contains a polaroid swatch from each cream color from the article that is still technically a white

These first paints are all classified as white paint colors still. They have LRV’s of 82+.

Benjamin Moore Simply White

Simply White is the lightest of the cream paints we will look at today. It is also one of the lightest whites that Benjamin Moore carries!

Simply White has an LRV of 91.

You may be wondering how it’s even a cream paint then, but I promise it delivers!

Despite how light it is, Simply White is really saturated with lots of creamy undertones and none of that pesky gray to tone it down.

Paint drop of simply white superimposed over a round mirror in a simply white bathroom with a green vanity and framed wall art — Background photo by: @lexstyleanddesign

Just to prove that it is quite warm, here it is on the walls with cooler trim:

Simply White in a hallway in low light with cool white trim and antique pendant lights — Photo Credit: @1870customhouse

Don’t get me wrong, this one is warm but it can still read totally white. If that’s not the outcome you want, don’t go with Simply White.

Simply White with a black Victorian fireplace — Photo Credit: @1870customhouse

See lots more of this one here – Simply White: A Benjamin Moore Classic (Plus Alternatives!)

Benjamin Moore Bavarian Cream

Bavarian Cream is also a very light cream paint color. The LRV is high enough for this one to be classed as a white, but I would not say that it looks white.

Paint Swipe swatch of Bavarian Cream on a color card

Bavarian Cream has an LRV of 89.

Here is a shot of Bavarian Cream in a bedroom, with Chantilly Lace on the ceiling:

Bavarian Cream walls and Chantilly Lace trim and ceilings. — Photo Credit: @word_of_mouth_painting

Ready for a little surprise? Here is Bavarian Cream on an exterior:

Benjamin Moore Bavarian Cream on an exterior with a bright blue door — Photo Credit: @mgspainting

Brighter than you thought? Me too! The blue door and cooler white trim definitely emphasizes the yellow in Bavarian Cream.

Sherwin Williams Greek Villa

Greek Villa is another technically-white paint that has definite creamy tones:

Greek Villa has an LRV of 84.

Greek Villa’s creaminess tends to be quite neutral and beige, rather than yellow.

Greek Villa cream paint color in a bathroom with SW Jasper on lower half of the walls — Photo Credit: @livingthatlakelife

The dark color in this bathroom is Sherwin Williams Jasper.

Here is Greek Villa on an exterior where it also looks very cream:

Greek Villa on the porch of a farmhouse with wood porch ceiling — Photo Credit: @zebuhill

This is one of my favorite cream paint colors for trim, because it is warmer than a bright white, but not as creamy as some other options (like SW Alabaster).

Read all about this color here: Sherwin Williams Greek Villa Review (and Dupes!)

Sherwin Williams Queen Anne’s Lace (SW 6420)

Queen Anne’s Lace is a creamy white that is riiight on the edge of white/off-white in terms of its LRV.

Paint Swipe swatch of Queen Anne's Lace on a color card

Queen Anne’s Lace has an LRV of 82.

Let’s take a look at this one on cabinets:

Cream color paint Sherwin Williams Queen Anne's Lace looks creamy white on cabinets in a bright kitchen with stainess appliances and sink. — Photo Credit: @crippsandsons

As I always say, cream colors will look whitest in a space without other white colors present. On the far side of this kitchen where the cabinets are out of direct light, you can see the creamy undertone a bit better.

Here though, they look pretty much like a true white:

Sherwin Williams Queen Anne's Lace looks more white than cream in a kitchen with neutral walls. — Photo Credit: @crippsandsons

I’m fairly certain the stairs, trim, pillar, and ceiling, are all in this same white. Should you use Queen Anne’s Lace on your walls and another cooler white on trim, you would see the creamy tones much more.

ECEAD5 82

Sherwin Williams Alabaster

Alabaster is the OG creamy white by Sherwin Williams. I’m not an insider, but I suspect it’s their best selling white.

Alabaster has an LRV of 82.

Alabaster toes the line of white and off-white, but it often reads on the lighter side thanks to a little extra gray.

Sherwin Williams Alabaster on upper cabinets with walnut lowers — Photo Credit: Kristin Macchia

If you want a cream color that is still pretty white, and doesn’t often read yellow, Alabaster is a pretty safe bet.

Sherwin Williams Alabaster cream walls in a hallway reading nook with a church pew for seating and Dorian Gray trim. — Photo Credit: @annacreekcottage

You also saw a little of Alabaster earlier when we talked about trim.

You know I have a post for this one! Alabaster by Sherwin Williams a Classic White Review (and Dupes!)

Benjamin Moore White Dove

White Dove is basically Benjamin Moore’s answer to Alabaster.

(Although I don’t know which came first, the Dove or the…Alabaster egg?)

The gray makes it super neutral, and it varies in appearance from white to cream.

Paintbrush swipe swatch of Benjamin Moore White Dove

White Dove has an LRV of 85.

Having used both myself, I find that White Dove is slightly more likely to have a beige (peach) undertone and Alabaster might be a touch more yellow.

Here is a good example of White Dove where the blue trim brings out the undertones:

White Dove walls with Haze blue cabinets and trim in a laundry room — Photo Credit: @ourbouldlife

This is another of my favorite creams, because I personally prefer a very subtle one.

White Dove walls and ceiling in a grand vaulted living room with Iron Ore on an accent wall and seasonal christmas decor everywhere. — Photo Credit: @tararowemckenna

See my complete review here: White Dove by Benjamin Moore Complete Review (and Dupes!)

Benjamin Moore Acadia White

Acadia White is a more obviously creamy color than a lot of these other creamy white options, while still light enough to be considered white.

Paint Swipe swatch of Acadia White - a cream paint color - on a color card

Acadia White has an LRV of 83.

Of this color, Benjamin Moore says:

“Crisp cream undertones warm up this clean shade of white.”

Pardon the language, but what in the fudgernickels does that mean?? “Crisp cream”? The only time I’ve heard something similar is on a particular brand of donuts.

Here it is on an exterior with Simply White for the trim:

An Acadia White porch exterior with wood trim on bottom and simply white around windows — Photo Credit: @word_of_mouth_painting

You can see that this is definitely a cream color. With a cool white trim it would certainly read off-white.

f3f0e0 83.32

Behr Blank Canvas

Blank Canvas was named the Behr Color of the Year for 2023! This creamy white paint color is quite similar in tone to Benjamin Moore White Dove.

Blank Canvas Color card with a paint style swipe of the color in the middle

Blank Canvas has an LRV of 84.

I find that Blank Canvas is creamy in a beige way, rather than a yellow way.

Valspar Du Jour

Du Jour looks much lighter and whiter on the swatch than it does in real life.

Du Jour has an LRV of 86.

It is quite light, but it is definitely a cream color and not a bright white:

Cream paint color from Valspar named Du Jour looks like a soft creamy white in a living room — Photo Credit: @littlelattihouse

The bright white of the furniture in this space highlights the cream color of Du Jour without relying on a different tone of trim to do that. You can imagine if the furnishings were dark, Du Jour might look much more white.

Swiss Coffee

You’ve probably heard of Swiss Coffee, but which one?

If you aren’t sure, check out my post: Swiss Coffee Colors demystified

Every Swiss Coffee is a cream color anyway, but the most popular options are the ones from Behr and Benjamin Moore:

Behr Swiss Coffee

The Behr version of Swiss Coffee is the creamier of the two, and therefore has the more obvious undertone:

paintbrush swipe of swiss coffee by Behr

Swiss Coffee has an LRV 84.

Even with a black ceiling and tone-on-tone trim, you can clearly see the cream color of Behr Swiss Coffee:

Behr Swiss Coffee in a games room with Behr Nightclub black on the ceiling and top 1/4 of the wall — Photo Credit: @nest_on_nightingale

If I had to guess based on internet chatter, this is Behr’s most popular “white.”

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee

Benjamin Moore’s version of Swiss Coffee is also one of their most popular “white” paint colors.

paintbrush swipe of swiss coffee by Benjamin Moore

Swiss Coffee has an LRV 82.

I have got a lot of this cream color on walls, but here is a favorite:

Swiss Coffee on a fireplace wall with a row of little pumpkins above the fireplace — Photo Credit: @simplyslade

So soft!

To illustrate the color a bit more, here is Swiss Coffee with Simply White on the trim:

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee on walls looks like a yellow cream next to Simply White trim — Photo Credit: @word_of_mouth_painting

It’s interesting that the artificial light is where the contrast is most obvious.

Sherwin Williams surprisingly does not have a Swiss Coffee color, but I wrote a post of other options: Sherwin Williams Swiss Coffee Inspired Paint Colors (Ranked!)

Best Creamy Off-White Paints

Now that we’ve run through a bunch of cream colors that are still technically white, let’s take a look at some that are truly cream.

The following paints are off-white cream colors, or very light neutrals.

Cream Color Paints. Graphic contains a polaroid swatch from each cream color from the article that is an off-white or light neutral

Sherwin Williams Casa Blanca

Casa Blanca is a yellowy-peach cream by Sherwin Williams:

Casa Blanca has an LRV 76.

This is how Casa Blanca will look on the wall:

Casa Blanca walls behind a white fireplace, framed by two windows at night — Photo Credit: @franklin.manor

Here is a shot where it looks a bit bolder:

Casa Blanca looking light yellow on a bedroom wall with pink drapes — Photo Credit: @franklin.manor

This is a more overt yellowy cream, if that is what you are after. It doesn’t ever look white.

Read more about this color here: Sherwin Williams Casa Blanca Review (and Dupes!)

Sherwin Williams Creamy

Creamy is a very popular off white by Sherwin Williams.

Creamy has an LRV of 81.

Here is an amazing design featuring Creamy:

Sherwin Williams Creamy in an arched hallway — Photo Credit: @kristinhazendesign

I can’t guarantee your home will look that bougie with just a touch of creamy, so here is a regular homey kitchen too:

two tone cream color perimeter cabinets in a large open plan kitchen with an iron ore island and warm wood floors — Photo Credit: @thefinishingroommke

The island is Sherwin Williams Iron Ore.

Sherwin Williams Oyster White

Oyster White is tied with Shoji White as my favorite off-whites. It’s pretty neutral and beige, but still reads “cream.”

Oyster White has an LRV of 72.

This is a fabulous example of Oyster White:

Sherwin Williams Oyster White Painted Brick front porch area of a house with cedar beams and white windows. House number reads 218 on a black sign. — Photo Credit: @bree_aston

It looks creamy and soft on the brick, but not yellow or peach.

Since it’s a fave, you know there’s a post! Sherwin Williams Oyster White (Review and Dupes!)

Sherwin Williams Shoji White

As I mentioned, Shoji White is my other favorite off-white. When in doubt, I can always seem to squeeze Shoji into a color palette!

Shoji White has an LRV of 74.

In fact, if you’ve scrolled through some posts, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen this next picture before. Oops!

Shoji White in a long hallway — Photo Credit: @piper_stromatt

It’s just so pretty! Notice the tone on tone trim keeping Shoji pretty white.

Here is a shot with white trim to give you a better idea:

Shoji white in great room with beams and chandelier — Photo credit: @brandandie36

One more (even though you don’t need it), here is Shoji White compared to Benjamin Moore Simply White, the lightest cream on this list:

Shoji White on the right half of a brick exterior wall and a true white, Benjamin Moore Simply White on the other half. — Photo Credit: @12_elmwood_ln

You can see all the dirty details here: Sherwin Williams Shoji White Review and Alternatives (It’s not greige!)

Benjamin Moore Dove Wing

Dove Wing is a very neutral off-white paint color. It’s creamy in a soft beige way, and not so much in a bright cream way.

Dove Wing has an LRV of 77.5.

I wanted to include it because I like it, so you might too!

Benjamin Moore Dove Wing on Living room walls with brick fireplace and neutral furniture. — Photo Credit: @clarkansaslove

It can look very creamy:

Dove Wing on walls in dining room with white trim, wood table, and red rug. — Photo Credit: @magbug

…But it also might look slightly more gray than you anticipated:

Dove Wing cabinets with black hardware beneath a white farmhouse apron sink — Photo Credit: @contourcabinets

In case you weren’t sure, that is Dove Wing on the cabinets.

You can see more here: Dove Wing by Benjamin Moore Review (See Real Homes and Dupes!)

Benjamin Moore Windham Cream

Windham Cream is a bold and saturated cream color:

Paint Swipe swatch of Windham Cream on a color card

Windham Cream has an LRV of 79.

Here is Windham Cream trim on an exterior in Benjamin Moore Hancock Gray, which turns out isn’t that gray:

(But maybe we are supposed to know that about Hancocks…)

Benjamin Moore Windham Cream trim on a beige Hancock Gray exterior — Photo Credit: @word_of_mouth_painting

The cream looks much more mellow than it would on a neutral gray. You should definitely expect this to be a bright and buttery cream.

Benjamin Moore Natural Cream

Natural Cream is exactly like it sounds: A natural creamy color verging on mushroom.

Paint Swipe swatch of Natural Cream on a color card

Natural Cream has an LRV of 65.

I didn’t really need more colors for this post, but this kitchen totally sold me the cream dream:

Benjamin Moore Natural cream on cabinets and walls in a kitchen with oak floors. Island is Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart. — Photo Credit: @sprayandsave

I am loving this color, particularly with the gold hardware!

The island is Benjamin Moore Cheating Heart. This color is definitely approaching beige, so I would not use it expecting a white or off-white.

In fact, if you like it, you might also really like Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige.

Benjamin Moore Maritime White

I think that Maritime White is almost the perfect stereotypical “cream” color, and I mean that in a good way.

Paint Swipe swatch of Maritime White on a color card

The LRV of Maritime White is 71.6, so it is still light enough to be classed as an off-white.

Here it is looking like the most perfect cream in a bathroom:

Benjamin Moore Maritime White in a bathroom with gray tile and a painting of three trees on the wall — Photo Credit: @word_of_mouth_painting

This isn’t a super popular color, so if you want to be original, it’s a great choice!

Benjamin Moore Tapestry Beige

You might think that I have totally lost the plot with this one, but bear with me:

Paint Swipe swatch of Tapestry Beige on a color card

Tapestry Beige has an LRV of 61.

Tapestry Beige is absolutely a light beige paint color, and not even an off-white anymore. However used with dark paint colors, especially on exteriors, it can look like a beautiful cream:

Benjamin Moore Tapestry Beige - a darker cream color - with Benjamin Moore dark pewter on an exterior — Photo Credit: @word_of_mouth_painting

One more for the sake of being right:

Benjamin Moore Tapestry Beige - a darker cream color - on the trim around a steepcliff gray front door with Benjamin Moore dark pewter on the exterior siding — Photo Credit: @word_of_mouth_painting

This color is surprisingly similar to Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan.

Valspar Cream in my Coffee

Cream in my Coffee is one of the first colors that I ever wrote about!

Cream in my Coffee has an LRV of 72.

Cream in my Coffee is a pretty neutral off-white. This one should be a lot more popular than it is, because it’s such an easy to use color. I just don’t think anyone can take offense to it.

Cream in my coffee on a bathroom wall — Photo Credit: @sagehannahbetts

Benjamin Moore Seapearl

Seapearl is also known as China White. This is a super creamy off white that manages to also be pretty neutral.

Paint Swipe swatch of Seapearl on a color card

Seapearl has an LRV of 76.

I was going to say that it reminds me of Dove Wing, but of course it does! They’re on the same color strip:

Dove Wing, white dove, and seapearl on the benjamin moore color strip — Top to bottom: Pale Oak, Seapearl, Dove Wing, White Dove

Here is Seapearl on kitchen walls and cabinets:

Benjamin Moore Seapearl looks creamy in a kitchen with Simply White trim, doors, and ceiling — Photo Credit: @Word_of_mouth_painting

The doors and trim are painted in Simply White. It’s hard to tell, but the ceilings are Simply White as well.

Benjamin Moore Seapearl Walls and Cabinets with Simply White trim — Photo Credit: @Word_of_mouth_painting

Don’t Forget Your Supplies!

This little brush might look funny, but it’s my absolute ride or die!

Rollers like these hold the most paint and make the job faster. Get a metal roller cage for easy on and off.

DryDex is the fastest (and funnest!) way to make chips and dents disappear. (Make sure you get a small spackling tool that actually fits in the container, and a sanding sponge.)

This tool will save your back and limit time on a ladder.

The Best Cream Paint Colors Summarized

I hope you enjoyed this post! Here is a quick recap of all the colors we covered:

The Best Cream colors from the article all on one graphic of a creamy white kitchen with shipalp and open shelves. — Background photo by: @simplyslade

I have written a thing or two about white and cream paints before! Here are some other posts that you can dabble in:

Sherwin Williams whitetail swatched below a photo of a young deer and above several other white paints colors.

Alabaster vs Shoji White swatched over photos of kitchens in each color and exteriors in each color

Swiss Coffee paint colors swatched over a background of Dunn Edwards Swiss Coffee