Cream Color – How to Create and Use a Cream Color Palette

Neutral colors are extremely popular, and cream falls into this category. Not only is it an easy color to work with, but it also goes with almost any color you can think of. People are fond of this neutral color that is warm and soft, and so versatile. To gain more insight into the cream color, let us find out what color makes cream, along with various other facts about this hue!

What Color Is Cream?

Is cream a color? Yes, cream is a color that can be described as a pale yellow, a pastel shade of yellow, or a type of cream-white color. The cream color follows the same path as pastels and possesses a high value or brightness and a low saturation or color intensity. However, if you increase its value or brightness, you will eventually come to white with no yellow present, which is technically not a color.

So, you can also say that cream is an off-white color with yellow undertones. There are a multitude of different tones and shades of cream that contain more or fewer levels of yellow that appear almost white. In the table below, you will find the cream hex code, which is what identifies a web color. The other cream color codes are there to help web designers or others see the composition for each hue.

The RGB cream color code displays the quantity of red, as well as green and blue involved to produce the color cream. The CMYK cream color code is there for those who wish to print something and involves ink pigments, unlike the web colors that are determined by combining different colors of light. For printing, the colors used are cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.

Cream Color: A Brief History

Where does the name for the cream color come from? It is quite self-explanatory, as the cream is a dairy product that is ultimately produced by cows. The plants or grass the cows eat is rich in what is known as yellow carotenoid pigments, and these pigments land in the fresh milk obtained from the cows. The higher the fat content, the more of a yellow tone the milk will have. This can then be made into cream and butter, which has a distinctive yellow tone.

Mona Lisa (1503) by Leonardo da Vinci; Leonardo da Vinci, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The first time that cream was used as a named color was documented in 1590. The cream color has been used to create a variety of skin tones in paintings and is used alongside other bolder colors for contrast. Consider the Mona Lisa (1503) by Leonardo da Vinci, where you will find a range of colors from reds to blues, as well as yellow and bright flesh or skin tones. The cream color is used prolifically in the art form known as anime, a Japanese form of hand drawing or computer-generated animation characters.

Cream Color Meaning

Cream is a combination of white and yellow that exhibits characteristics of both these colors. The cream-white color is warm, comforting, soothing, and calming. This color can also be sophisticated, and elegant, and is associated with reliability, purity, peace, humility, openness, and stability. 

The various cream colors provide mostly a more feminine appeal and can add a touch of romance to a cream color palette.

Shades of Cream

You do not have to stick to a single color, as the color cream can come in a variety of different shades and tones. Some can be quite yellow or dark in appearance, while others lean more toward white. However, they all share warm, yellowish undertones. Let us have a look at one or two shades of cream.

Beige

Beige is another popular neutral color and can be described as a light grayish yellow. Cream, you can also say that it is a pastel hue with an undertone of yellow and a hint of pink. Beige has more of a yellow and gray undertone, almost like unbleached wool. 

So, even though they may be confused with each other, there are subtle differences and there are separate beige and cream hex codes. 

Eggshell

This color is similar to the outside or shell of a chicken egg, hence the name eggshell. The color can be described as a light grayish yellow and may even be considered more of a shade of white. Eggshell is an off-white, warm, and pale neutral color that is often used as an interior paint.

Pale Goldenrod

This color is a very soft yellow hue, which comes from the golden rod color that is a deeper and stronger shade of yellow. The name comes from the flower that has many medicinal as well as other uses.

What Colors Go With Cream?

Cream colors are quite versatile and can go with numerous different colors, which is what makes it a popular neutral color. You can pair it with other shades of cream and yellows or create a bolder cream color palette with reds or pinks, blues, and greens. As a neutral color, cream will always work wonderfully with other neutrals like white, brown, gray, black, and beige. Let us take it further and delve into a little color theory, where the color wheel will help to provide various color combinations.

Complementary Cream Colors

When taking the color theory into account, and understanding a bit about the color wheel, you will be able to find complementary and other combinations. So, if you take cream, which has a yellow undertone, and you go to the color wheel, the color directly on the opposite end is complementary. In this case, it is a pale, light, or pastel blue. Side-by-side, these colors stand out or create a beautiful contrast. 

Just like you can use different shades of cream, you can also try various shades of blue. For example, consider cream and navy blue.

Analogous Cream Colors

All neighboring colors on the color wheel can be considered analogous. Again, the color cream can be considered a shade of yellow, so different shades of orange and green can work harmoniously with cream, creating a calm and pleasant cream color palette. Again, consider other shades, for example, coral, a darker shade of orange, or teal, a darker shade of green.

Triadic Cream Colors

This color combination uses three colors, which can be located on the color wheel as an even-sided triangle outline. These colors also create contrast and grab your attention, although these are lighter colors so not as much as more vibrant colors. Again, you can try other more vibrant shades, for example, lavender. 

It is not as vibrant as other shades of purple, but it provides more of a contrast. 

Monochromatic Cream Colors

This color combination is one of the easiest to work with, as you do not have to worry if the colors go together. This type of cream color palette involves a single color like cream and then uses various shades and tints of the same color. So, you will land up with darker versions and lighter hues in a color palette.

What Color Makes Cream Acrylic Paint?

When painting, the color cream is often the go-to color for skin tones. A simple way to achieve cream color paint is to mix a small amount of yellow into a white base. The white will dull the appearance of the yellow. However, whatever color you are attempting to mix, it is best to have a basic understanding of color theory. You will learn all about primary, secondary, and tertiary colors, and what a color wheel is. You will also learn about color bias or temperature, amongst other necessary information. You will learn that you can mix an array of different colors by simply using your three primary colors.

Also, when mixing, it is best to mix small amounts of darker paint with lighter paint. You should also take note that the cream color can take on a different appearance, depending on the color it is paired with. It is also a good idea to keep a color chart of your mixing experiments, to record the different color proportions you use. There are various cream paint colors you can purchase in-store, and then adjust at home to create the perfect cream color that suits your needs, or you can try the following ideas to mix cream color acrylic paint.

• You can try to mix various brown paints like raw sienna or yellow ochre with titanium white paint. Remember to add small amounts of brown to the white.
• Instead of titanium white, try using titanium buff, which is a warm, neutral-based white. You can then mix in added white for even lighter color versions.
• As mentioned, there are many skin tone paints available. You can then mix in white, raw sienna, or yellow ocher to create a variety of cream shades.

Cream Colors in Fashion and Interior Designs

Cream is a color that is mostly worn by women, but it does also have a place in men’s fashion. Men’s white tuxedos are, in most cases, a shade of cream that creates a contrast against the white shirt underneath. The color cream is also a simple color to work with and can easily be paired with bold colors. 

There are many cream outfits you can create, match with denim, or pair with white and other neutrals for an elegant look.

Cream Color Interior Designs

Cream acts as a neutral color and can come in shades that appear white to ones that have a much more yellow appearance that can easily warm up a room. In general, all cream colors can be used as your base color, which can help complement any other color choice. You can learn more in our separate article about what colors go with cream.

The color cream is often used as wall paint and on ceilings and as flooring, but you can also bring in the color more subtly with furniture and other accessories like appliances, wall art, cushions, and curtains, amongst other items.  Cream colors never go out of fashion, so using them as your base color is easy, so here are some tips you can use on how to style a room using cream.

• To add some interest as well as depth, consider using different shades of cream.
• Incorporate natural wooden elements to help improve the natural look and create a more welcoming appeal.

• Play with different materials and textures using textiles like rugs or curtains. Also, wicker and rattan can easily be combined with cream.
• You can combine the different materials and textures to create a more layered effect.
• Add bolder colors with cream to create more of a dynamic space.

Cream colors are adaptable and easy to work with, and you can pair them with many colors. You will also find a variety of shades of this amazing hue. As there are so many benefits to using this neutral color, it is not difficult to see why it is so popular!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cream a Color?

What color is cream? White is technically not a color; however, cream is a color. This is because cream has a yellowish undertone. So, you can say cream is either a shade of yellow, or you might even say it can be a shade of white.

What Does the Cream Color Convey?

The cream color meaning is quite simple; this color is warm, conveys a sense of comfort, and helps to create a soothing effect. This color also conveys a sense of purity and elegance and is associated with reliability.

What Colors Work Best With Cream?

The cream color is useful and works seamlessly with a lot of different colors. Since it is a neutral color, it does pair best with other neutrals like white, brown, black, gray, and beige. Also, shades of blue can add a beautiful contrast when paired with cream.

Charlene Lewis( Content Creator and Creativity Writer )

In 2005, Charlene completed her Wellness Diplomas in Therapeutic Aromatherapy and Reflexology from the International School of Reflexology and Meridian Therapy. She worked for a company offering corporate wellness programs for a couple of years, before opening up her own therapy practice. It was in 2015 that a friend, who was a digital marketer, asked her to join her company as a content creator, and this is where she found her excitement for writing.

Since joining the content writing world, she has gained a lot of experience over the years writing on a diverse selection of topics, from beauty, health, wellness, travel, and more. Due to various circumstances, she had to close her therapy practice and is now a full-time freelance writer. Being a creative person, she could not pass up the opportunity to contribute to the Art in Context team, where is was in her element, writing about a variety of art and craft topics. Contributing articles for over three years now, her knowledge in this area has grown, and she has gotten to explore her creativity and improve her research and writing skills.

Charlene Lewis has been working for artincontext.org since the relaunch in 2020. She is an experienced writer and mainly focuses on the topics of color theory, painting and drawing.

Learn more about Charlene Lewis and the Art in Context Team.