Want to paint your home a warm, bright, cozy wall color? Here are the best warm cream paint colors!
If you’re looking to create a cozy and inviting room, cream walls can be the perfect choice. Cream is light, bright, and inviting.
Cream paint colors can vary in tone and have either warm or cool undertones.
Warm toned cream colors are especially soft, delicate, and easy to decorate around.
Cream is a super versatile color that can work in a ton of different spaces – living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and more.
They can also complement a variety of home decor styles, from traditional to modern.
With so many shades of cream to choose from, it can be overwhelming to know where to start.
Today we are going to share our favorite warm cream paint colors to help you narrow down your choices and pick the perfect shade for your home!
What color is cream?
Cream is considered to be a very pastel shade of yellow. It is often an off white with heavy yellow undertones.
We will talk about Light Reflective Values later, but in general:
- LRV > 82 is considered white
- LRV of 73-82 is considered off-white
- LRV < 73 is considered not white at all
Why should you choose a cream color paint?
Cream paint colors are light and bright enough to be very neutral. But, they are more warm and inviting compared to a pure white color. Cream colors also tend to have a bit more depth to them than a warm toned white, making it great for very brightly lit spaces that can easily get washed out.
Cream walls are a soft, neutral option that works with many styles of home decor and different accent colors. Cream colored walls are timeless and this paint job will last you decades!
How do I choose a shade of cream paint?
The easiest way to get a feel for a cream paint color is to get a paint strip for that color.
Follow it down to darker shades. Suddenly it’s easier to see the brown, yellow, or pink undertones!
Here’s my complete guide to paint undertones!
The easiest way to tell this is to get a paint swatch and hold it up to something true white – such as a sheet of paper. Suddenly the undertones pop out!
Today we are going to focus on the best warm toned cream paint colors!
It’s very important to swatch colors on your wall to be sure they look good – day and night – in your actual space before committing.
Click here to get removable peel & stick paint samples to easily swatch with!
The best warm cream paint colors
Sherwin Williams Creamy
LRV: 81
Undertones: warm yellow, tan
Creamy is a very soft yellow paint color. It is pretty solidly in the off-white color category, but those yellow undertones make it feel nice and – you guessed it – creamy.
Click here to get a peel and stick sample of Creamy
Sherwin Williams Greek Villa
LRV: 84
Undertones: warm with yellow and beige.
Greek Villa is a super popular off white paint color. It has just enough warmth to feel cozy and inviting.
In bright rooms, this will feel like a just off white, warm wall color. In darker rooms, it will feel a bit more cream or beige.
It is soft, airy, and easy to decorate with!
Click here to get a peel & stick sample of Greek Villa.
Click here to read my complete Greek Villa review.
Benjamin Moore Simply White
LRV: 91.7
Undertones: yellow, slightly green
Simply White is a very light white cream color. It’s really more of a white with creamy yellow undertones!
This is a great option if you are looking for a white paint color with just a bit of warmth to it.
Click here to get a peel and stick sample of Simply White
Sherwin Williams Crème
LRV: 82
Undertones: Warm, yellow
Crème is a great option for a cream paint color that has a decent amount of yellow – but not brown – to it.
I would avoid this shade in a room with a ton of south-facing windows – it will read as pastel yellow. But, in a cooler feeling room, it can be a nice warm, cozy wall color.
Click here to get a peel and stick sample of Crème.
Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois
LRV: 78.94
Undertones: greige, green, gold
Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois is a golden greige shade off off-white. It has a definite warmth to it and just enough color for interest, without feeling dark at all.
Click here to get a peel and stick sample of Benjamin Moore Soft Chamois
Behr Polar Bear
LRV: 90
Undertones: warm, pink
Polar Bear is a warm cream paint color with a bit of pink to it. Polar Bear is a bit brighter and therefore seems lighter than many other creams. It’s a great option for clean but not stark looking walls or trim.
Benjamin Moore Linen White
LRV: 80.94
Undertones: warm yellow
Linen White is a cream paint color, but the undertones feel more warm than straight yellow. It is soft an elegant. With an LRV around 81, it’s on the very light end for an off-white paint color and is practically white.
Click here to get a peel and stick sample of Linen White
Benjamin Moore Vanilla Milkshake
LRV: 80.97
Undertones: gray, cream
Vanilla Milkshake is a very light greige paint color that skews beige or cream. It’s a super soft neutral option for a light, bright, and warm wall color.
Click here to get a peel and stick sample of Vanilla Milkshake
Sherwin Williams Alabaster
LRV: 82
Undertones: warm, beige toned undertones.
Alabaster is an ultra popular (2016 color of the year!) creamy white paint color. It is not pure white but has creamy beige undertones. It is not at all yellow.
This color is a perfect balance between warm and cool, which is a big part of what makes it so universally appealing.
Click here to get a peel & stick sample of Alabaster
Click here to read my complete Alabaster review.
Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee
LRV: 81.91
Undertones: gray, yellow, green
This is a very light and bright cream color. It has a good amount of gray to it, which keeps it from reading too yellow.
Beware cool light which can put a blue cast on and make it read slightly green.
Click here for my complete Swiss Coffee color review.
Click here to get a peel and stick sample of Swiss Coffee
Sherwin Williams Steamed Milk
LRV: 76
Undertones: yellow, orange
Steamed milk is on the darker end of the range but is technically still considered an off white. However, it will give you a bit more color compared to some of the other light cream paint colors.
This color almost has a bit of orange to it – which can really show up in warm light. Always swatch before committing!
Benjamin Moore Featherbed
LRV: 83.6
Undertones: yellow
Feather bed is a cream color with a lot of yellow to it. Like, it’s on the edge between creamy yellow and yellow-yellow.
If you are looking for an almost pastel yellow – this could be a great option. It’s light and bright enough to work well on the walls of any room.
Benjamin Moore Cloud White
LRV: 85.05
Undertones: warm neutral, yellow
Cloud White is a warm, creamy white color. If you want something light and bright, this is a great option.
If your room is very bright, be prepared for a shade this light to be washed out and look white – while still warm and inviting – on the walls.
Sherwin Williams Casa Blanca
LRV: 76
Undertones: yellow, gray
Casa Blanca is a great neutral cream color. It has a lot of gray in it, which tones down the yellow. But, it still is definitely cream and not gray!
This color has enough depth to it to not get washed out, but is not dark at all.
Benjamin Moore Timid White
LRV: 82.45
Undertones: yellow, gray
Timid White is a cream paint color with a bit of gray to it, bringing it close to a greige. The gray helps to keep the color feeling soft and muted. However, the tan/yellow tones definitely are stronger than the gray.
Sherwin Williams Dover White
LRV: 83
Undertones: creamy white with golden yellow undertones
Dover White isn’t a typical white – its a very soft, creamy white, verging on the edge of beige.
If you pair Dover White with warm colors – gold, brown, beige – it will look whiter. If you pair it with cool colors – icy grays, silver, blue – it will look more beige/yellow.
This color is light bright and neutral enough to make a great whole house paint color. It’s great as a wall color in homes with warm-toned flooring and accents. It can work for the exterior of a home or even a piece of furniture on a stark white or dark colored wall.
Benjamin Moore Indian White
LRV: 75.44
Undertones: beige, orange
This color is just dark enough that it is barely on the cusp of being considered off-white. That gives it a good amount of depth that won’t wash out in bright light.
Beware the orange undertones – if your room has very warm light, or you decorate with reds or oranges, that could be played up and more noticeable! Not bad, but it has to be something you like!
Benjamin Moore Natural Cream
LRV: 64.78
Undertones: greige, yellow, gray
Natural Cream is really a greige paint color, but it leans towards beige with warm yellow undertones that I count as creamy.
This is a darker, more mid-toned color. It has a lot of depth to it and is not at all light. In a dark room, it will look even deeper!
Benjamin Moore Gentle Cream
LRV: 71.32
Undertones: brown, orange
If you want a cream color with a good amount of depth to it that reads more tan than yellow, this is a great bet. It has a touch of orange to it, keeping it warm without being very yellow.
Sherwin Williams Antique White
LRV: 72
Undertones: yellow, beige, orange
With an LRV of 72, Antique White ironically enough is too dark to be considered a white or off white color. This color has a lot of depth which keeps it’s color and interest even in brighter rooms.
It has just a touch of orange to it and is almost approaching a tuscan color aesthetic. It’s definitely too dark for trim or cabinets!
Benjamin Moore Ballet White
LRV: 71.97
Undertones: cream, greige, green
This is a super muted cream color with a lot of gray tones to it. It’s almost more beige than yellow, but I think that it reads like a cream in most spaces.
The color has a nice depth to it so it won’t get too washed out!
Click here to get a peel and stick sample of Ballet White
What’s your favorite warm toned cream paint color?!
Still not sure what paint color to choose?
My Paint Color Formula ebook walks you through the painless process of expertly testing paint swatches to ensure you have the perfect color for your home.
The best way to sample paint? Samplize!
Get peel-and-stick removable and reusable paint samples here!
Thanks for reading!
Morgan is passionate about home decor and paint colors. She has been sharing DIY home decor tips since 2012 at CharlestonCrafted.com. From there, she learned to love paint colors, and the Paint Color Project was born in 2022!