Cream Cabinets and Trim

12 years ago

I would like to use a subtle ivory/cream color for my kitchen cabinets. I selected Behr Heavy Cream by pulling one of the lightest colors out of the travertine we are using for the backsplash. Now I'm trying to decide what to paint the trim in the kitchen and the rest of the house. It is a very open layout with lots of windows, so there will be a lot of the trim color. I know I don't want it to be pure white because I hate the look of white trim next to cream colored cabinets. But I don't think I want the Heavy Cream on the trim throughout the house. Would it be reasonable to ask our painter to mix the heavy cream with some percentage of white to lighten it for the trim, doors, and windows? Or should I pick a lighter cream and paint the cabinets and all the trim the same lighter color? The house is new construction, so I don't have picture to share. Thanks!

BEHR Premium Plus Ultra 8 oz. #UL140-14 Heavy Cream Interior/Exterior Paint Samp · More Info

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Comments (5)

feeny
12 years ago
last modified: 12 years ago
It's hard to tell on a computer screen, but the Behr "Heavy Cream" you have chosen looks like a soft pinky-peach color to me, not a "subtle ivory/cream." Please be sure to paint a sample on a large piece of poster board and hold it up in your kitchen in different lights before making a final decision on the color. Ideally, if you chose a truly subtle ivory/cream you could use it on the trim as well, but I have to admit I would not feel that the "Heavy Cream" shade was neutral enough for trim.
kendravicknair thanked feeny
kendravicknair
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks. It does look a good bit darker on my computer screen than it does in person. And you are right about the tone - it is slightly peachier than some of the other whites I've considered. I'm trying to steer away from whites that are yellowish or greenish. The color seems perfect for the cabinets and looks great with the countertop and tile we've chosen, but I'm still worried that it is too dark for trim. It is hard for me to sample the paint in the house because right now it is being framed, so it is just bare wood everywhere. I would normally not want to choose any colors until I could see it in the house, but we are at the stage of ordering cabinets, so I need to make this decision very soon.
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feeny
12 years ago
last modified: 12 years ago
Well, I'm not sure this is the least bit of a help since I can't see the two colors together and there are a million different ivory and cream shades. But since you are in a hurry let me just say that we used BM Sail Cloth for both our cabinetry and our trim throughout the house, and it does not have any yellow undertones (the undertones are brown). It is the color of unbleached canvas and a good neutral for trim. But I have no idea how it would look next to a shade with that much peach in it.
ldb123
12 years ago
Not a pro - just a homeowner but in our last house we did something like what you mentioned in that our cabinets and (almost) all of our trim were painted a mixed color. It looked great at first, but when it came time for touchups, it was a royal pain because when we went back to have the formula made, we were stuck having to do it in gallons instead smaller cans. To go from a gallon formula cut to 1/4, we couldn't get it right and it made matching nearly impossible. To do it over again, I would have found the shade we liked (for you a lighter version of Heavy Cream) and found the closest match instead of mixing two different shades together. Good luck!!!!
bonshome
12 years ago
Forgot to add photo..sorry sent twice