Cream kitchen cabinets are so popular, and with good reason – they are warmer than a true white and not as stark as gray. Cream colored kitchen cabinets are the prettiest way to create a warm and inviting kitchen!

Learn about the custom paint color we created for our cream cabinets, and find out how to recreate this look in your own kitchen.

Cream kitchen cabinet with brass knobs in a traditional kitchen.
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Today I’m sharing the answer to one of the most frequently asked questions about our kitchen: What paint color did you use on your cream kitchen cabinets?

Oh, if only it were that easy to share with you. Finding the exact paint color you want can seem impossible at times! For our kitchen renovation, I envisioned a warm, deep cream color for the shaker style cabinets. A shaker cream kitchen just feels so cozy and traditional to me!

In our previous home, we had white kitchen cabinets, but at times it felt a bit stark. This time, we knew we wanted a richer, more traditional and timeless look.

Cream kitchen cabinet with brass knobs in a traditional kitchen.

Cream Kitchen Cabinets

Cream kitchen cabinets feel warm, but still offer a light, breezy feeling. They’re perfect for a North or South facing room that tends to read blue – especially in winter.

That’s why I’m sharing with you today. You’ll find the exact code for our custom cream kitchen cabinets, as well as a few of my other favorite cream colors that might work well for your own cream colored kitchen cabinets!

Cream kitchen cabinet with brass knobs in a traditional kitchen.
The Best Cream Kitchen Cabinets Color!

Colors like antique white tend to look too dingy or yellow in our home, although they are different for everyone. I love a light yet warm cream paint color which can be difficult to achieve.

You can see my favorite cream paint colors and the best warm whites here, but I wanted something a little different for this kitchen. I knew that even though I wanted something richer than a bright white, it still needed to have a high LRV to help bounce the natural light around.

The cream cabinets needed to blend with the adjacent breakfast nook and mudroom that are painted Navajo White. However, this color is not quite as “yellow”.

The color also had to blend with the neighboring living room, which is Zurich White… a dustier cream.

Cream kitchen cabinet with brass knobs in a traditional kitchen.
If you love the look of our classic cream kitchen, don’t skip this post about our Inset Cabinets and Cabinet Knob Placement!

A Custom Cream Color

The color we chose also had to complement the Olympia Danby marble without making it feel too white or too gray. Small feat, right?

So I took the easy route. I had Lacanche send a swatch of the range I had on order and had it color matched. It took a few attempts, but I think it’s absolutely perfect.

Our cream kitchen cabinets are not too white, too bright, too dusty, or too yellow. So what should I call it? Just Right White? Lacanche Cream? Sugar Cookie? I had to work sweets in there somehow.

Whatever you want to call it, I thought I’d share the color code for those who want cream cabinets that remind you of a sugar cookie.

Cream kitchen cabinet with brass knobs in a traditional kitchen.

This color would make the perfect furniture paint color, too! After all, our kitchen cabinets were designed to look like furniture.

You can use it on your kitchen island, though we chose to compliment it with a wood island.

This color is perfect for a traditional kitchen, but also works well for a modern, contemporary or country kitchen. It is a beautiful contrast to hardwood floors. You can also find subway tiles similar in color or opt to use a beadboard backsplash and paint it in the same color.

Tips

  • If you use the same color for your walls as your cream cabinets, your kitchen will instantly appear larger. We chose a true white ceiling paint, though, as we wanted the cabinets to appear truly cream!
  • Read more about painting walls and trim the same color here.
  • Check out this post about how to paint interior doors – these tips work well for cabinets, too!

Not sure what to paint the walls with your cream cabinets? The same color works well for both walls and ceiling, if you’d like. For walls I like to use eggshell sheen and for ceiling, flat.

Cream kitchen cabinet with brass knobs in a traditional kitchen.
Read all about Paint Sheens here!

Our Shaker Cabinet Rails and Stiles 

As you can see in the photo below, our rails and stiles are 2 and 1/8 inches all around. Learn more about custom cabinetry here!

Our Custom Cream Kitchen Cabinets Color

I had this color matched at our local Sherwin Williams.

The following information is exactly how our label reads on a one gallon can of paint. Download this free printable color code card to take with you to the paint store!

A graphic image with a paint code for a custom creak kitchen cabinets color

Quick tip: I have heard from several readers that occasionally someone at their paint store will be confused about this formula, and I’m not sure why that is. If you get someone new that seems unsure, perhaps ask to speak to a manager for clarification! 

Sherwin Williams Pro Classic Semi-Gloss (diluted for sprayer)

CCE*Colorant   OZ  32  64  128

B1 – Black             –       1      –       –

R2- Maroon         –       –      –       1

Y3-Deep Gold     –      2      1       1

More Cream Kitchen Cabinet Colors

Of course, our custom color won’t be for everyone! Luckily, we’ve got an incredible guide to Cream Paint Colors with my top 10 favorite cream colors detailed.

Because custom colors can be difficult to replicate, we’ve matched our cabinets to four specific colors that are closest to ours.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is cream a good color for kitchen cabinets?

Cream is a truly timeless color. You can never go wrong with choosing cream kitchen cabinets. In fact, I’d argue that they will look current for longer than any wood tone that you might choose instead.

What countertop goes well with kitchen cabinets?

Consider Danby Marble or Quartz Countertops in a warm white tone. While the cooler gray colors of marble can work beautifully with cream cabinets, many of the quartz options have more of a greige or brown undertone to the veining.

Does cream and gray look good together?

Yes, this is a combination we’ve used in many rooms of our home. A combination of grays, greige tones, and creams are beautiful, fresh, and still timeless.

You can see more of our new kitchen design with pendant lights and unlacquered brass hardware here!

Cream kitchen cabinet with brass knobs in a traditional kitchen.

More Kitchen Cabinet Colors

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181 Comments

  1. Every time I come to your blog I drool over your cream cabinets! We are planning to paint our cabinets this summer. I’ve been through the gambit… Simply White, various greys, greiges, taupes and mushrooms. 2 toned, 1 tone… Argh! We are planning to do black granite countertops and stainless appliances. Our floor is tile – a lightly blotchy white – it’s actually quite nice, but I would change it if I could! So the above is my predicament. Maybe a cream such as the one you used will be the right one. Thank you for posting the info! Do you have any thoughts? My kitchen is on the small side so I want to keep the color light but not bright. Also, are you able to share the name of the subway tile you used? Thanks so much! Love your blog! ❤️

    1. The subway tile we used in our previous kitchen was just from Lowe’s, I believe.
      I highly recommend getting a sample and looking at it with next to a sample of the counter, stainless and floor. It should work really well, but that’s the best way to ensure it’s the right decision before committing. Best wishes on your kitchen update!

  2. Hi Julie,
    Ok, trying again! I hope my comment posts this time.
    I really love your kitchen – its beautiful! And exactly the look I am going for in our kitchen (unlacquered brass hardware, toe-kick, inset shaker cabinets, exposed hinges). Our cabinet maker is expressing some concern about having exposed hinges with mdf cabinets. Are your cabinets framed in wood? Or all sprayed mdf? He is concerned that the mdf is not as strong as wood, and that with opening and closing the doors over time, the doors won’t hold up well. If yours are all mdf – have you found any issue with this?
    Thank you! (sorry if this comment in various iterations has been posted a number of times!)

    1. PS I’d love to see your kitchen when you’re done! You may notice I only did a toe kick at the sink and dishwasher, otherwise it’s finished with trim for a built in furniture feel.

      1. Thanks Julie for your replies and sorry again for the repeated messages! I realized only after I submitted the 3rd one that you likely only posted them once reviewed!! :S
        Hopefully one more question! You identified that your cabinets are maple, not mdf. My cabinet maker has identified we could go the wood frame route (instead of mdf), which would hold up better with exposed hinges, but he warned us that over time, we will get cracks in the paint in the various joints. Have you had any issues with this? Or your cabinet maker warn you about this? We are going with a darker paint colour (dark grey/green), so I’m worries these cracks will be very obvious (as opposed to in a lighter paint colour).
        Thanks!!

  3. Hi Julie, Your kitchen is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing. I am going for the same look (inset shaker cabinet doors, unlacquered brass bin pulls, exposed hinges) in our new kitchen. My cabinet maker has expressed concern over using exposed hinges on mdf custom cabinets. Are your cabinets wood framed? If not, are you finding the mdf cabinets holding up fine with the exposed hinges. Our cabinet maker is concerned that the mdf will not hold up well with a lot of opening and closing of doors with exposed hinges overtime.
    Thanks! (ps – i thought I sent this comment a few days ago but don’t see it posted here so I apologize if its a repeat.).

    1. Sorry I haven’t had a chance to respond – I’m traveling this week. My cabinets are framed and 100% maple. I am not having any issue with hinges, but am unfamiliar how they would work with MDF.
      I approve comments as I respond to help me keep up with them. I hope your remodel is easy and stress free!

  4. Hi Julie! Thanks for all the useful information! You’re blog and IG  accounts are divine. I’m building an in law addition for my parents … walls are up! I love your kitchen. How did you purchase your cabinets? Unfinished then had them sprayed? Do you recommend a brand if cabinets? I’m just trying to figuring out the most cost effective way to get a similar look as their kitchen will be an open concept /living room as well. Thanks in advance!
    Amy

    1. I had them custom made and sprayed…I didn’t shop cabinets so sadly don’t know how they compare price wise, I just like the aesthetic. Hope that helps! PS, I’ll be your in law!

  5. I love the cream color. I am looking for a cream color to paint my new cabinets with white appliances or silver if I decide to change my appliances in future years. What is the code for this cream color, please?