Beige vs Cream vs Ivory - Colors Compared (2024)

In this article, you will learn about beige, cream, and ivory paint colors including a side-by-side comparison. If you are considering either of these colors, the following information will help you make the right decision.

Beige vs Cream vs Ivory Paint Colors

Beige, cream, and ivory are all neutrals that can work well with other colors, both as wall colors and trim paint. While these neutrals may not work effectively on the floor unless you’re a very particular housekeeper.

However, these colors are actually quite different from one another and may or may not work well with other colors in your decor.

Definitions

Hex Code

The attributed hex codes for each color is ahexadecimalmethod of determining the combination of red, blue and green that goes into creating a color.

The important thing about a hex code is that it is shorter; being able to lose the three digits of each of the RGB code allows coders and designers to more efficiently note which colors they want to be included in their web pages and layouts.

RGB Code

While the use of hex codes really didn’t blossom until it was necessary to create efficient HTML coding, the RGB scale stretches back into the early 1900s and was popular in coloring in print media, from cartoons to advertisem*nts.

When considering paint colors vs. digitally produced colors, it’s important to remember that the primarypaint colors are red, blue, and yellow. In the light spectrum, you’re working with red, green, and blue.

When you combine all the colors in paint, you get black. If you split white light in a prism, you will get all the colors broken out.

LRV

LRV, or Light Reflectance Value, is a measurement that indicates the amount of light a paint color reflects. It is expressed as a percentage, ranging from 0% (absolute black, which absorbs all light) to 100% (absolute white, which reflects all light).

Beige

Beige is a fairly well-balanced neutral with a warm edge. When talking about warm and cool colors, the tone to focus on is blue. Blue is a cooling tone in any color mix, while red is a warming tone.

If your carpet is a blue-based gray and looks gray against white walls, it will look blue once you paint your walls beige. Unless you want blue carpet, it is critical that you choose the right base color of gray.

However, if you enjoy warm tones in your home and are creating a space that is calm and restful, such as in a family room, beige is a great wall color over another color that contains yellow.

By the numbers, the blue in this color is lower than the red and green (which provides the yellow) so this color will tend to warm.

This wall color would look amazing with a rust or moss green sofa, burgundy or brown carpet, and tan drapes. Make sure your tan is also yellow-based by painting a swatch of beige next to the window.

If your drapes don’t have a strong yellow to them, they will appear dirty.

Beige is formulated to disappear, especially as a wall color. If you have a lot of different wood tones in your space, this may be an ideal wall color to allow you to highlight all of your oak, maple, and cherry tones without a lot of competition or stark contrasts.

One of the best places to use beige is in the kitchen.

RGB: 245, 245, 220
Hex Code: #F5F5DC

Barely Beige (1066) by Benjamin Moore

Barely Beige (1066) by Benjamin Moore is a warm, light beige color that offers a soft and inviting appearance. It provides a subtle hint of color that is versatile and adaptable, making it a popular choice for a variety of interior settings.

Best Uses:

1. Living Rooms: Creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere, serving as a perfect neutral backdrop for furniture and decor.
2. Bedrooms: Offers a calming and restful environment, ideal for creating a cozy and comfortable space.
3. Kitchens: Works well with both modern and traditional kitchen designs, pairing beautifully with white or wooden cabinetry.
4. Bathrooms: Provides a clean and fresh look, enhancing a sense of space and light.
5. Hallways and Entryways: Gives a bright and airy feel, making these transitional spaces more inviting.
6. Dining Rooms: Adds a touch of elegance without overpowering the room, allowing dining furniture and accents to stand out.

Colors that Complement Barely Beige:

1. Whites and Off-Whites:
   • White Dove (OC-17): A soft, warm white that pairs perfectly for trim and ceilings.
   • Simply White (OC-117): A clean white that enhances the brightness and clarity of Barely Beige.
   • Cloud White (OC-130): A warmer off-white that complements the subtle warmth of Barely Beige.
2. Greys:
   • Gray Owl (OC-52): A light, neutral gray that creates a balanced and sophisticated look.
   • Stonington Gray (HC-170): A slightly deeper gray that adds depth and contrast.
3. Browns and Tans:
   • Lenox Tan (HC-44): A rich tan that harmonizes with the warmth of Barely Beige.
   • Shaker Beige (HC-45): A medium beige that provides a cohesive and layered look.
4. Blues:
   • Palladian Blue (HC-144): A soft blue that offers a refreshing and airy complement.
   • Hale Navy (HC-154): A deep navy blue that adds a bold and sophisticated contrast.
5. Greens:
   • Sage Mountain (1488): A soft green that enhances the natural and calming feel.
   • Saybrook Sage (HC-114): A muted green that pairs well for a harmonious, nature-inspired palette.

Barely Beige (1066) by Benjamin Moore is a versatile and inviting neutral color that can enhance a variety of spaces. Pair it with complementary colors to create a balanced and cohesive design, suitable for any room in your home.

Hex Code: #EADBC4

LRV: 71.32

Get a peel and stick paint sample of Barely Beige (1066) here.

Paint Color Samples

Would you like to sample these paint colors? I recommend using a peel and stick paint sample fromSAMPLIZE. Peel and stick paint samples are very affordable and easy to use. They are also clean and environmentally friendly!

Advantages of using peel and stick paint samples:

• EASY TO USE: Simply move your SAMPLIZE paint sample around the room to test under a variety of lighting conditions.
• AFFORDABLE: Budget-friendly solution and no more buying inaccurate swatches, rollers, wasted paint.
• SUPER FAST DELIVERY: Depending on your location, 1 day delivery is possible.
• ORDER FROM HOME: Save a trip to the store looking for samples.
• NO MESS: SAMPLIZE uses real paint samples with zero-mess
• NO WASTE: No leftover cans or wasted paint.

Cream

Cream is a surprisingly strong color, especially in strong sunlight. If the room you’re painting gets a lot of sun, be prepared for it to look yellow a lot of the time.

It will also appear yellow against white trim. However, it’s not a bold or lemon yellow. Luckily, this pale yellow is a color that works and plays well with a lot of tones.

If you have a new home and are looking for that base wall color for all the rooms to start with, consider using cream. This tone works well with painted or wood trim.

Consider pairing it with rich rust or green carpet in a bedroom or family room.

Because cream has a tendency to appear yellow, go ahead and use your boldest accessories. While royal blue may not appear healthy against this color, a fuzzy teal throw over your brown leather sofa will be beautiful.

Cream is a wonderful foil for any tone that contains even a hint of yellow.

Cream is neutral and can work with either warm or cool colors.

RGB: 254, 251, 234
Hex Code: #FEFBEA

Windsor Cream (913) by Benjamin Moore

Windsor Cream (913) by Benjamin Moore is a warm, soft cream color with yellow undertones. It exudes a cozy and inviting feel, making spaces look bright and cheerful. This versatile color is suitable for various interior settings and can enhance the warmth and elegance of a room.

Best Uses:

1. Living Rooms: Creates a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere, perfect for relaxation and socializing.
2. Bedrooms: Offers a serene and restful environment, ideal for a cozy and comfortable space.
3. Kitchens: Works well with both modern and traditional kitchen designs, pairing beautifully with white or natural wood cabinetry.
4. Bathrooms: Provides a clean, fresh look, enhancing the sense of space and light.
5. Dining Rooms: Adds a touch of warmth and elegance, allowing dining furniture and accents to stand out.
6. Hallways and Entryways: Gives a bright and airy feel, making these transitional spaces more inviting.
7. Ceilings and Trim: Can be used on ceilings and trim to add warmth and coordinate with other warm tones in the room.

Colors that Complement Windsor Cream:

1. Whites and Off-Whites:
   • White Dove (OC-17): A soft, warm white that pairs perfectly for trim and ceilings.
   • Simply White (OC-117): A clean white that enhances the brightness and warmth of Windsor Cream.
   • Cloud White (OC-130): A warmer off-white that complements the creaminess of Windsor Cream.
2. Neutrals:
   • Revere Pewter (HC-172): A light gray that creates a balanced and sophisticated look.
   • Balboa Mist (OC-27): A soft, neutral gray that adds a subtle contrast.
3. Browns and Tans:
   • Grant Beige (HC-83): A warm beige that harmonizes with the yellow undertones of Windsor Cream.
   • Lenox Tan (HC-44): A rich tan that provides depth and a cohesive look.
4. Blues:
   • Palladian Blue (HC-144): A soft blue that offers a refreshing and airy complement.
   • Hale Navy (HC-154): A deep navy blue that adds a bold and sophisticated contrast.
5. Greens:
   • Hollingsworth Green (HC-141): A soft green that enhances the natural and calming feel.
   • Saybrook Sage (HC-114): A muted green that pairs well for a harmonious, nature-inspired palette.

Windsor Cream (913) by Benjamin Moore is a versatile and warm color that brings brightness and coziness to any space. Pair it with complementary colors to create a balanced and harmonious design, suitable for a variety of rooms in your home.

Hex Code: #F6E7D1

LRV: 80.53

Get a peel and stick paint sample of Winsdor Cream (913) here.

Ivory

Ivory is the closest thing to white that you can get in this listing of neutrals. Weirdly enough, it doesn’t go with a clean, bright white because bright whites contain blue.

By the numbers, ivory is nearly neutral. It has equal parts red and green and a slightly lower amount of blue.

Ivory will work well as a trim color or as a wall color. If you want to use this with a blue, try to use blue that has at least some green, such as cadet or teal.

If you choose to pair it with a purple, go for dark and smoky purple that has had its brightness dimmed with a bit of green.

If you pair ivory with a royal purple or a cerulean blue, the wall will look great, but your trim could look dirty and dingy.

You may be happier using your brightest blues and purples in accent pieces that don’t get near the trim at all.

There’s not enough yellow in ivory to stand up against blue-based tones. Like beige, ivory is formulated to disappear.

If you can use it with lots of warm tones, from peach to rust and from sage to moss green, ivory can work on every wall of your home and all of your trim.

If your space gets a great deal of sunlight, this tone may appear yellow as cream does. However, once you close the blinds or the room is in shade, that yellow will draw back and the walls will appear ivory.

The yellow in ivory is not as bold or bright as it is in cream tones, which is one of the many reasons that this color is terrific as a trim paint.

For those who live in older homes and have windows that don’t offer UV protection, be aware that even this light tone can fade.

It’s the warm tones that tend to give up first; yellow, orange, and red will fade more quickly than a blue bedroom wall or your child’s purple bathroom if sun exposure is constant.

Because all three of these tones are fairly high in red, be prepared for these colors to change over time. If you notice the room is starting to look white instead of ivory, pull down a piece of wall art to see what has happened to the paint exposed to sunlight.

Once the warm tone is gone from this paint, you may not appreciate how it works with the rest of your decor.

RGB: 255, 255, 240
Hex Code: #fffff0

Ivory is a great color to choose for painting a whole house.

RGB: 255, 255, 240
Hex Code: #FFFFF0

Impressive Ivory (SW 7560) by Sherwin-Williams

Description: Impressive Ivory (SW 7560) by Sherwin-Williams is a warm, soft ivory color with subtle yellow undertones. It offers a light and inviting feel, making spaces look bright and cheerful. This versatile color is suitable for various interior and exterior settings and can enhance the warmth and elegance of a room.

Best Uses:

1. Living Rooms: Creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere, serving as a perfect neutral backdrop for furniture and decor.
2. Bedrooms: Provides a calming and restful environment, ideal for creating a cozy and comfortable space.
3. Kitchens: Works well with both modern and traditional kitchen designs, pairing beautifully with white or natural wood cabinetry.
4. Bathrooms: Offers a clean, fresh look, enhancing the sense of space and light.
5. Dining Rooms: Adds a touch of warmth and elegance, allowing dining furniture and accents to stand out.
6. Hallways and Entryways: Gives a bright and airy feel, making these transitional spaces more inviting.
7. Ceilings and Trim: Can be used on ceilings and trim to add warmth and coordinate with other warm tones in the room.
8. Exterior: Works beautifully on exterior siding, trim, or front doors, creating a timeless and welcoming appearance.

Colors that Complement Impressive Ivory:

1. Whites and Off-Whites:
   • Pure White (SW 7005): A clean, bright white that pairs well for trim and ceilings.
   • Alabaster (SW 7008): A soft, warm white that enhances the creaminess of Impressive Ivory.
   • Dover White (SW 6385): Another warm white that provides a subtle contrast.
2. Neutrals:
   • Accessible Beige (SW 7036): A warm beige that complements the soft undertones of Impressive Ivory.
   • Agreeable Gray (SW 7029): A light, neutral gray that adds a subtle contrast and balances the warmth.
3. Blues:
   • Naval (SW 6244): A deep navy blue that adds a sophisticated and dramatic contrast.
   • Rainwashed (SW 6211): A soft blue-green that offers a refreshing and airy complement.
4. Greens:
   • Sea Salt (SW 6204): A light, muted green that enhances the natural and calming feel.
   • Sage (SW 2860): A muted green that pairs well for a harmonious, nature-inspired palette.
5. Browns and Tans:
   • Tony Taupe (SW 7038): A warm taupe that harmonizes with the creaminess of Impressive Ivory.
   • Kilim Beige (SW 6106): A soft beige that provides depth and a cohesive look.

Impressive Ivory (SW 7560) by Sherwin-Williams is a versatile and inviting neutral color that can enhance a variety of spaces. Pair it with complementary colors to create a balanced and cohesive design, suitable for any room in your home.

Hex Code: #F4DFC5

LRV: 75.92

Get a peel and stick paint sample of Impressive Ivory here.