Plain white walls tend to look cold, unwelcoming, and even boring. Cream lets you turn a plain room into one that’s warm and welcoming. It’s perfect if you want a wall color (other than white) that still goes with just about everything. But with all those potential choices, knowing where to start can be difficult.
Here’s a collection of colors that go with cream, along with color palette examples:
1. Powder Blue and Cream
Hex Codes: #B0E0E6, #FCEEB0, #5C573E
Powder blue is a classic shade perfect for anyone looking for a softer look. You often see it paired with shades of cool white, but if you feel like your space needs a little more warmth, try pairing it with cream instead.
This is a color combination that looks especially nice in a kitchen. Try combining matte-finished, powder blue cabinets with a glossy cream backsplash. This combination goes well with white marble countertops, but if you’re going for a homey or farmhouse-inspired feel, go with butcher block instead.
2. Brass and Cream
Hex Codes: #B5A642, #FFFAD6, #695B3A
When you think of adding metallics to a space, you might think of gold and silver first. However, while brass might not be quite as sparkly, its muted glow makes it an ideal companion for cream.
One of the easiest ways to start using this combination is to include brass hardware on any wooden furniture in a room with cream walls. But generally, it’s a good idea to add a bit more brass to make it more noticeable. Try including a brass-framed mirror or two. Or for a look that’s unmistakably bold, go with a large bronze wall sculpture.
3. Lavender and Cream
Hex Codes: #E6E6FA, #FFFDD6, #9C96B0
Pairing cream with a pastel is almost always a good choice. Lavender is a wonderfully cool, springlike shade that does very well when paired with cream. Try this combination in a vintage-style bathroom. Finish the bottom half of the walls in cream-colored tile and paint the walls above lavender. This is a look that does well with black and white tiled flooring. Depending on which color you want to emphasize, you can choose to include cream or lavender towels and rugs.
4. Medium Wood Tones and Cream
Hex Codes: #6F432A, #FCF9C5, #BFCCA4
Wood tones go with just about any color, but the honey-like finish of most medium wood tones really bring out the subtle, warm glow of cream. The great thing about this color combination is that it’s so easy to create. You can start with a room with wooden floors, wooden furniture, or both. From there, you can begin adding various shades of cream in the form of furniture, rugs, walls, curtains, bedspreads, and more.
If you wish, you can keep your space’s aesthetic limited to these two shades. But adding an earthy shade or two can add a little interest. Sage green and olive green are two solid choices.
5. Royal Purple and Cream
Hex Codes: #7851A9, #FFFFD6, #B9B1A2
Royal purple isn’t a shade for the faint of heart. But when used well, it can really create an impression. Try using it as an accent color in a largely cream room. A living room is a great example: plenty of living rooms incorporate various shades of cream into walls, rugs, and furniture. You can add some life and distinction to this palette with plush royal purple accent pillows and a rug. If you like more eclectic looks, you might even want to incorporate a royal purple accent chair.
6. Pale Gray and Cream
Hex Codes: #D3D3D3, #FFFEEB, #847171
If you’re familiar with Scandinavian-inspired color schemes, you already know how beautifully layered neutral color schemes can work. When you combine various shades of beige, gray, and cream, you can create a calming yet visually interesting space.
This particular combination works well in a living room. Start with cream-colored walls and add a pale gray couch. From here, start layering in similar colors. White lamps, pale wooden furniture, cream-colored accent pillows, and beige rugs will all work. Don’t be afraid to experiment, though—this look can be a lot of fun to play around with!
7. Cocoa Brown and Cream
Hex Codes: #734C3F, #FFFFD6, #64906C
Cocoa brown is a soft shade of light to medium brown that’s about the color of cocoa powder. When combined with cream, it helps produce a soft, welcoming palette.
Lots of people choose cream-colored walls and then incorporate other colors via furniture, rugs, etc. But this combination gives you an opportunity to be bold if you wish! Try cocoa brown walls with cream-colored trim. From there, you can include cream-colored living room furniture.
8. Emerald Green and Cream
Hex Codes: #50C878, #FFFDEB, #3E3E3C
Emerald green is a wonderful jewel tone that can impart a luxurious feel to just about any room. Just about any designer will suggest pairing it with gold accessories. But if you need to lighten up other areas of your palette, add in cream.
If you already have a living room or bedroom with emerald green couches (or a bedspread) and gold accents, try adding cream-colored walls and rugs. To really play up the contrast, include cream-colored accent pillows on the couches or bed. This is a look that goes beautifully with dark wooden floors.
9. Cobalt Blue and Cream
Hex Codes: #0047AB, #FDFCC3, #6C5A49
In recent years, cobalt blue has become a darling of sorts for interior designers. It’s roughly between royal blue and indigo, and it exudes a vibrance that few cool colors have.
Cobalt makes a stately addition to virtually any type of room. It’s an especially nice choice if you want to create an upscale dining room! Try painting the lower halves of the walls cream and the upper halves cobalt blue. Add cream-colored wall trim and accents, a black or dark wooden table, and cream-colored chairs. For an unexpected pop of color, try adding a rug patterned with cream and a muted shade of yellow like mustard.
10. Teal and Cream
Hex Codes: #008080, #F9F3C8, #C6BEC2
Teal is a bold, cool color that really pops against white. However, when you substitute cream for white, you’ll get a room with much more balanced energy.
Since the teal/cream combination is a little calmer than the teal/white one, this is a combination that does well in a bedroom. Start with a cream-colored bedspread and cream-colored flooring (or a rug). Then, add a deep teal accent wall right behind the headboard. This looks outstanding with a gold hanging light fixture!
11. Burgundy and Cream
Hex Codes: #800020, #F9F9DC, #8A7E72
Burgundy is a regal, powerful jewel tone that doesn’t fit into just any palette. Since burgundy has noticeable cool undertones, it tends to look good with warm-leaning neutrals like cream.
Depending on your tastes, you can add just a touch of burgundy or a larger stretch of it. If you want to try smaller amounts first, begin with a living room that’s mostly various shades of cream. From there, add floor-to-ceiling burgundy curtains and burgundy accent pillows. For a more dramatic look, consider all-burgundy walls (with cream wall trim) or at least a burgundy accent wall.
12. Black and Cream
Hex Codes: #000000, #FEFED8, #B5B5B5
Cream is a shade that really lends itself to vintage-inspired looks. But if you want your space to have more of a modern edge, try combining cream with black.
That said, including large stretches of black in a cream-colored room can look jarring. Instead, opt for smaller bursts of black. Black patterned accents are ideal. For example, if you have a room that is mostly cream, include a black and white patterned rug and a black and cream patterned lampshade. If you want to make patterns the focus of the room, you can even go for wallpaper that’s patterned in black and cream! As a side note, this is a look that really comes to life when you combine it with green plants.
13. Peach and Cream
Hex Codes: #FFCDA2, #FFFBEB, #C2B3A9
Peach is a playful, energetic pastel often seen in the South. When paired with cool white, it has a casual, summery vibe. But if you want to class it up a little, using cream instead of white will do the trick.
The unusual combination of peach walls and cream-colored furniture is sure to get your guests’ attention. This is a look that does well with a few green plants and an energetic accent color like lilac or even magenta. Especially if you’re already working with an uncommon color combination, it can be a lot of fun to play around!
14. Chartreuse and Cream
Hex Codes: #DFFF00, #FFFDD6, #BBB2A0
Chartreuse is a vibrant, vintage-inspired green that does well with a variety of styles of decor. If you can find them, vintage chartreuse couches look great in a living room with cream walls!
This is a shade that does especially well when used for window treatments. Try including chartreuse-colored floor-to-ceiling curtains and/or window valances in a living room or bedroom. Or for a truly dramatic look, try a room with chartreuse walls and curtains patterned in black and white. Add cream-colored rugs and furniture, and you’ll have a room that’s truly memorable.
15. Charcoal and Cream
Hex Codes: #36454F, #FFFBD6, #B6DBE2
Charcoal is a powerful neutral with timeless appeal: depending on how you use it, it can be right at home in vintage and modern color schemes alike. Since cream and charcoal are both neutrals, it’s difficult to mess up this color scheme! Just make sure you choose one of these as your primary neutral and one as an accent color.
This combination will be right at home in a living room. Start with cream-colored walls and curtains. Paint the mantle and the wall above it charcoal gray (or finish it with a piece of charcoal-colored stone). Then complete the look with charcoal gray furniture.
16. Coral and Cream
Hex Codes: #FF7F50, #FEFBD8, #A2A2A4
When paired with white, coral offers a high-energy, summery look. But when paired with cream, it gives you a softer look that’s still wonderfully dynamic.
Interspersing both of these colors throughout a room (especially if you include a few green plants as well) is a great way to create a refined look. Try a room with cream walls and coral curtains. Add a few pieces of coral furniture (or even better, furniture patterned with cream and coral) and cream furniture, and you’ll have a nicely balanced palette!
17. Tan and Cream
Hex Codes: #D2B48C, #FDFBEC, #F6D7CB
Generally speaking, tan has more yellow and brown undertones than beige. Beige, especially cool beige, has more gray undertones. Saturated shades of tan tend to pair well with cream, as they create contrast while still giving your space a welcoming, warm feel.
If you’re up for trying a somewhat non-traditional wall color, start out a space with tan walls. From there, you can layer shades of cream throughout the room. You might try cream-colored bedspreads, couches, or other furniture. Cream-colored fabric wall hangings and fluffy rugs are great for adding some texture. And if you think the room needs a bit of a grounding influence, include a piece of espresso-brown accent furniture, too.
18. Sage Green and Cream
Hex Codes: #9CAF88, #FFFDD6, #5E5C52
Cream might not be what most people think of when they imagine an “earthy” shade, but it’s nonetheless a great companion for sage green, one of the most popular earth-inspired shades in the design world.
Try this refreshing yet calming combo in a bathroom. First, set the tone with cream-colored tile walls. Add in a vintage-inspired floor patterned with sage and other shades of green. If you want a little more color, you can choose flooring that also incorporates colors other than green.
19. Dusty Rose and Cream
Hex Codes: #B48E92, #FEFEEC, #786A68
Cream tends to look good with many different shades of pink. And if you want a classic look that isn’t overly bright, dusty rose is an outstanding color to choose.
There are a couple of ways you can use these two colors together. If you’re going for a crisper look, try a largely-cream room with furniture and accents in one shade of dusty rose. If you want a softer, more cohesive look, try a gradient color scheme that takes you from cream to dusty rose. For instance, you might include a cream-colored rug, a dusty rose sofa, and walls whose color is somewhere between the two. To really play up the warmth of this aesthetic, add in some gold or rose gold accent pieces.
20. Sunny Yellow and Cream
Hex Codes: #FFF917, #FDFDED, #B3B3A8
This is a color scheme that sounds questionable until you see it in action. Bright, sunny shades of yellow can be too energetic when used too liberally, so the best course of action here is to employ it as an accent color in a room that’s largely cream. Adding gray or taupe to the mix will prevent the color scheme from skewing too warm.
For example, for an interesting bedroom palette, try cream walls and a soft gray bedspread. This color scheme looks commonplace until you add a bright yellow wall hanging right above the bed! If you find this look needs more yellow, consider adding a bright yellow dresser, rug, or lampshade.
21. Lime Green and Cream
Hex Codes: #32CD32, #FFFBD6, #8F8F8F
Here’s another combination you may not have imagined. However, the shade of lime green most often used for interiors is a little more muted than neon-leaning shades of green. When paired with turquoise, cool white, and other cooler shades, it adds a high-energy burst to a space. But when you combine it with cream, lime imparts a much softer look.
One of the best ways to use lime is to bring it in as an accent color in a mostly-monochromatic room. Even small touches go a long way, so you can even start with lime vases, lampshades, seat cushions, or rugs.
22. Violet and Cream
Hex Codes: #7F00FF, #FFFFEB, #B6B9B6
Violet is a color that can quickly give any room a dignified appeal. Especially when used at the center of a largely-cream space, this shade will draw the eye and really pull together any look. For example, in an upscale living room with cream walls, place a large violet ottoman at the center of your furniture. You can add similarly-colored accent pillows, too. This color combination will look even more dramatic with a large grayscale photo or art piece centered above the couch.
23. Forest Green and Cream
Hex Codes: #014421, #FCF9D9, #988986
Forest green is a captivating, deep green shade with bluish undertones. If you’re looking to create a high-contrast palette, this is definitely a great pairing to choose.
The forest green and cream combination will work in just about any room in your home, but it looks especially memorable in a rustic-style kitchen. Include cream-colored walls and cabinets and a bold, forest-green backsplash. If you want to incorporate even more forest green, take this look to the next level with forest-green walls and cream-colored cabinets.
24. Taupe and Cream
Hex Codes: #483C32, #FCF7C5, #08D2D9
Taupe is a pretty, grayish-brown shade that works beautifully with cream. If you’re designing a kitchen with an all-neutral palette, taupe is a great color for cabinets. Add a multicolored tiled backsplash in shades of pale gray and white. A cream-colored ceiling helps round out this look. If you need a little more cream for balance, consider adding a cream rug, dish towels, and other accents if needed.
25. Olive Green and Cream
Hex Codes: #556B2F, #FCF8D9, #5B4733
Olive is a cool color, but as a shade of green with yellow undertones, it leans slightly warm. For that reason, it looks better with cream than you might think!
This deep shade makes a great wall color, especially for a bedroom. Consider including a cream bedspread and wooden bed frame in an olive-walled room. Wood floors look great here, though you might want to add a shaggy cream rug for texture!
26. Bright Orange and Cream
Hex Codes: #F28500, #FBFCD9, #306A9C
Cream’s warm yellow undertones are what set it apart from white. So it may come as a surprise that cream looks good with bright orange, an even warmer color.
Of course, this combination works best if the color scheme has a cool color present as well. For example, in a living room, try including a bright orange sectional against cream-colored walls. Next, include a sizeable amount of a cool color. It’s easy to do this with an area rug that’s purple, blue, or gray.
27. Cool White and Cream
Hex Codes: #F4FDFF, #FEFFEB, #898980
This might sound like an unusual color combination. But when you place cool white and cream side by side, you get to clearly see cream’s yellow undertones. These two shades work well when they’re used together in a layered, monochromatic color scheme. For example, in a kitchen, you might place cool white cabinets against cream-colored walls. In a bedroom, you might combine cream-colored walls with a cool white bedspread. Add accent pillows and rugs in various shades of cream.
28. Navy Blue and Cream
Hex Codes: #000080, #FBF6C5, #645240
Navy’s classic appeal works well alongside white, but it also pairs well with cream. This high-contrast pairing is especially striking because navy’s cooler hue pops against the warmer look of cream.
It’s a bold combination, so it does well when creating bold looks. In particular, if you have a room with high ceilings and crown molding, try painting the walls matte navy and painting the wall trim cream. This color combination will look nice with neutrals, especially warmer shades of brown.
29. Aqua and Cream
Hex Codes: #00FFFF, #FEFEEC, #BEC1C5
Aqua is an ultra-bright, vibrant blue that’s somewhat close to turquoise in color. Pairing it with cream tames its near-neon energy and helps you transform any space into a vintage-inspired haven.
One of the most interesting ways to use aqua is through wallpaper. If you can, find wallpaper with an aqua base color and an interesting pattern. If you keep the rest of the room in neutrals, you can go with a wildly colorful wallpaper if you want!
30. Magenta and Cream
Hex Codes: #FF00FF, #FFF9D6, #473933
At first, the idea of combining magenta and cream might sound offbeat at best and ill-advised at worst. However, the two shades can come together to create a surprisingly harmonious look! For instance, you can create a striking living room with cream walls, magenta furniture, and magenta lampshades. You can then make the room look especially dynamic by including a multicolored abstract art piece featuring at least some magenta.
However, if you go this route, it’s also smart to include darker and cooler neutrals to keep everything grounded. You might try doing this with a few pieces of dark brown furniture or a dark brown rug. It might take a little tweaking, but once you find the right balance, you’ll have an unforgettable aesthetic!
31. Burnt Red and Cream
Hex Codes: #9F2305, #FFFFD6, #CBCDCD
The combination of red and white can be great, but bright red and crisp white can easily overwhelm a space. For a softer take on a classic combination, go with burnt red and cream. Burnt red has a somewhat distressed look, and it’s ideal for farmhouse-style decor.
Try including this combination in a kitchen. Burnt red walls pair well with cream cabinets and countertops. Add in a few burnt red dish towels and other kitchen accessories to complete the look.
32. Cognac Brown and Cream
Hex Codes: #834333, #FFF3B0, #898980
There are so many different shades of brown in the design world that it can be hard to keep track of them all. Cognac brown is roughly the color of cognac; it’s a warm-toned, medium brown. It’s the perfect shade if you’re leaning toward an all-neutral aesthetic but want something vintage-inspired.
You can create this look easily in a living room, especially one with wood floors and cream-colored walls. Place a cognac brown sofa and a cream-colored throw here. For an extra-cozy look, include a cream or pale beige rug.
33. Silver and Cream
Hex Codes: #C0C0C0, #FEFED7, #CEF3F3
Silver is a versatile metallic, as it seems equally at home in retro-inspired and modern spaces. In modern rooms, silver is often paired with white. But pairing it with cream lets you balance out its cooler hue.
You can use this pairing in just about any space, but it goes especially nicely in living rooms. Try placing a silver coffee table in front of cream-colored couches and chairs. It’s a good idea to use silver in a few other areas as well: you might include a few silver lamps or frames on the wall.
Designing With Cream
So which color should you choose to complement cream? The good news is that cream is so versatile that it’s almost impossible to find a color that doesn’t go with it! Just think of the mood you’re looking to create, and let that be your guide.