Cream Kitchen Ideas for Any Style of Kitchen
Neutral, warm and calming - it’s no coincidence that cream is such a popular choice for any room in the home.
Having been a longtime staple of traditional kitchens, modern styles have now also embraced cream, matching it with more contemporary materials and features.
Here are some of our favourite ideas for styling cream in your kitchen, whether you go for modern, traditional or shaker!
Why choose a cream kitchen?
Versatility
As a neutral colour, cream can be adapted to almost any style, trend or material.
If you choose it as a base for elements of your kitchen that are most difficult and costly to replace, like your cabinets and worktops, you can easily give your kitchen a facelift with new paint or accessories that will still match the cream features.
Cream is classic and timeless, so you’ll always be able to update your space to a fresh look!
White alternative
Some people want a neutral colour scheme for their kitchen but find white too stark or cold. Cream is a warmer, more welcoming alternative, and can still be used in partnership with black for a stylish monochrome theme.
Maximises space
Light colours open up a space and make it seem bigger, so cream is a useful solution for small, narrow or oddly-shaped kitchens.
By pairing with other light colours and high-gloss, reflective surfaces, you can eliminate dark corners and make your kitchen feel as spacious as possible.
Ideas for modern kitchens
Contrast with bright colours
Bright, contrasting colours are a great way to add a little fun to your cream kitchen! Using cream as the primary colour for your walls, floors, cabinets and worktops, you can choose how far you want to go in featuring a brighter colour.
For a light touch, rely on lamp shades, appliances and seating to add little splashes of your bolder shade. Or if you want more of an equal balance, introduce a larger block of colour with a feature wall or kitchen island cabinets.
So, what colours go with a cream kitchen? With such a neutral base you have plenty of choice - try a pop of turquoise or orange for a quirky look, while a deep plum or red brings a more sophisticated feel.
Gloss it up
A gloss finish gives cream cabinets a more sleek feel - perfect for a contemporary kitchen. Emphasise the streamlined look further with handleless cabinets and a flush worktop.
A gloss kitchen has the added benefit of reflecting light to make your space seem bigger; an effect that will only be added to by the cream shades. So gloss is ideal if you have an awkwardly shaped or small kitchen that you’re looking to open up.
Play with patterns
In recent years, modern kitchen trends have broken away from minimalism and monochrome, and welcomed eye-catching patterns.
Think sharp geometric or bold floral prints - and why not use them to also bring in your pop of colour?
Kitchen splashbacks are a great place to introduce patterns, either behind selected appliances or along an entire wall. You could also consider a patterned kitchen wallpaper to create a feature wall.
If you’re worried about overdoing it, look for opportunities to add patterns to a limited area. Contain your pattern to just the space between your worktop and upper cabinets for example, or just the narrowest wall of a U-shaped kitchen.
Ideas for traditional kitchens
Opt for dark floors
Dark wood floors look stunning in a traditional kitchen, and even more so when contrasted with cream units and worktops. The natural texture of the wood grain dials up the softness of the cream to create a really cosy atmosphere in your home.
If you’re adding dark floors, remember to keep the room light with plenty of cream on the walls and cabinets. Drop in other wood accents in smaller elements like the worktop or dining stools, and finish the natural theme with some potted plants or homegrown herbs.
Styling a country kitchen
There are so many great cream country kitchen ideas out there - the warm, welcoming tone of cream is an ideal fit for a country or farmhouse style home.
Lean into traditional features like natural materials; think stone tile floors, solid wood worktops, and other wood accents. Add fabric textures with curtains, tea towels and tablecloths.
Country kitchens should feel lived in without being messy, so don’t be afraid to decorate your countertops with appliances, mason jars of ingredients or pots of utensils.
Glass-fronted cabinets or open shelves will open up the space and allow you to show off your best dining sets.
Ideas for shaker kitchens
Embrace a neutral scheme
The simple, uncluttered ethos of shaker style lends itself well to a muted colour scheme that combines neutral shades. Some see cream and grey as a ‘one or the other’ choice, but a cream and grey kitchen can be very calming, the warmth of the cream balanced by the cool of the grey.
An easy way to divide the shades is to pick one for your cabinets and another for walls.
These will offset each other nicely, and light wood worktops complement both while providing an additional natural texture.
Of course you can also dial up or down the contrast by the shade of grey you choose. Stick to a light grey for a consistent neutral palette, or go darker for more depth.
Accessorise with brass
Small touches of metals are a cost-effective way to add luxury touches to your kitchen without having to break the bank. You can add these touches in cupboard handles, storage racks and lamps.
For a cream shaker kitchen, brass is a perfect complementary metal that brings out the cream - for best results, choose a shade with gold or honey tones.
Feeling inspired by our cream kitchen ideas? Find your nearest showroom to get started on your dream kitchen.