Sherwin Williams Steamed Milk: Paint Color Review
THINGS ARE GETTING STEAMY AROUND HERE…
When looking for the best cream-inspired paint color for your cabinets, walls, or exterior, it often comes down to two things – degree of yellow and depth. This is where Steamed Milk triumps over many other shades, as it has many things going for it in both categories.
This is why we’re taking an up close and personal look at it today, with its very own color review…
BEFORE WE GET STARTED…
To show you RELATEABLE & REAL homes, I ONLY use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients. Some Pinterest images have been over-edited or aren’t even the color they’re said to be – this won’t happen here. I also don’t take photos from other Designer’s sites.
WHAT TYPE OF COLOR IS STEAMED MILK?
Steamed Milk is a cream paint color. And what makes cream, well, cream? Yellow! This means Steamed Milk is a version of yellow, a hue many are nervous about using on their walls. However, it has some interesting undertones that stop it from looking like your typical shade of cream (which you’ll learn about shortly).
A room with a north-facing light can seem a titbit nipply throughout the day, right? This is where a color like Steamed Milk comes in handy, adding a soft, gentle warmth without too much color commitment.
The same goes for east-facing afternoon and west-facing morning light, which can feel a bit flat and drab. Just be cautious in south-facing rooms or those with western light, as that warm sunshine can double up the warmth of color like Steamed Milk!
North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?
WHAT’S THE LRV OF STEAMED MILK?
Steamed Milk has an LRV of 76, which is fabulous for a soft cream look. Some heavier creams can be a bit weighty, however, go much lighter than this and you start winking at the white world.
If you have a dark room, Steamed Milk does a pretty good job adding some softness, but don’t expect it to work wonders if you don’t improve your interior lighting. However, if your room is super bright, a color with this high of an LRV will wash out. Steamed Milk really does its best work in a room with ‘adequate lighting,’ whether you get it from the outside or light bulbs.
All of this said, even though it has a reasonably higher LRV, I find that Steamed Milk has a really interesting density and body – both of which can lack in some brighter, cleaner shades of cream.
Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint-lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.
How to Make a Dark Room Look Brighter – and it ain’t with paint!
The Best Paint NUMBER for Your Home – 62
Here’s your Peel & Stick sample of Steamed Milk
WHAT UNDERTONES DOES STEAMED MILK HAVE?
This is where Steamed Milk separates itself from the pack a little. Whereas some of the most popular cream paint colors have a strong commitment to their yellow undertone and only dabble in orange or green, Steamed Milk picks up a good whack of orange, along with a bit of a neutral base. This combo gives Steamed Milk a considerably calmer, less sunshine-inspired approach to cream.
Could Steamed Milk look too peachy?
Generally speaking? No. However, if you put it with finishes that lean harder into yellow, yes. If it does, it will be more like a dirty, beige-inspired peach with a cream base. Really, this baddy should be cream…with benefits. Long story short – SAMPLE IT CAREFULLY!
And because I only use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients, I don’t have a ton of Steamed Milk in action, but I have a larger-scale shot of the previous room…
The Ultimate Guide to Paint Colors & Undertones
WHAT WHITE TRIM COLOR GOES WITH STEAMED MILK?
Some off-white, cream-inspired colors can be fussy with their white partners, and Steamed Milk is definitely one of those.
- My first choice would be to ask the paint store to lighten Steamed Milk by 50% and 75%. I haven’t done this myself (although I’ve done it with MANY other colors), but it can be neat if it works. Sometimes, the undertones change a bit too much, but other times, you get a ‘more or less’ lighter version of what you started with!
- The challenge is that there aren’t any whites with the same yellow and orange as Steamed Milk – they mostly go yellow. This means many of the best whites are too yellow for Steamed Milk’s particular blend.
- I might look at Benjamin Moore’s White Dove or maybe Sherwin Williams Cheviot, but it’s not easy!
- By the way, Sherwin Williams’ website states it goes with Marshmallow – over my dead body, it does…WOOOOOOF!
The 4 Best White Paint Colors from Sherwin Williams
WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO STEAMED MILK?
This is the fun part, where you get to sample and compare similar shades! It’s via this comparison that you see shifts in temperature, depths, and undertones, helping you land on the PERFECT shade for your home and its finishes.
STEAMED MILK vs. CASA BLANCA
This is a great comparison, as Casa Blanca is a popular choice for more traditional cream cabinet colors. What’s SO interesting (to a color nerd like me) is that Casa Blanca and Steamed Milk have the same LRV of 76. But this is where the REAL similarities end.
Casa Blanca is a more traditional cream that commits to yellow on a larger scale. Not to say it’s overwhelming (for the average person), but its degree of yellow shows up at the party with tassels on. And sure, it has a bit of orange and a touch of neutral base calming it down, you’ll notice a good shift in intensity between the two, as Steamed Milk looks more beige in comparison (while still being creamy…ish).
Sherwin Williams Casa Blanca: My FULL Paint Color Review
STEAMED MILK vs. CREAMY
Ooookay, so while you can compare these two, as in some homes, either could work, you’ll see a HUGE difference.
The wainscoting and trims in this lovely, updated traditional home are Creamy.
As you know, Steamed Milk is a very muted cream paint color with a blend of yellow and orange (and a neutral base). Creamy is also toned down and not nearly as colorful as its friends.
However, along with being toned down, it drops the orange like a hot friggin’ potato. Compared to Creamy, Steamed Milk seems almost like a dirty version of peach!
Benjamin Moore Ballet White | Simply White | Sherwin Williams Neutral Ground (review coming soon!)
Sherwin Williams Creamy: FULL Paint Color Review
The other main difference is that Creamy has an LRV of 81, which has it winking at the white world, whereas Steamed Milk takes a solid step back.
BENJAMIN MOORE PAINT COLORS SIMILAR TO STEAMED MILK
Again, comparison is one of the most important parts of your color journey! This said, Benjamin Moore doesn’t have anything similar; however, sometimes your finishes demand a different blend, making these options pretty useful.
- Benjamin Moore White Down. This is a good one, as just like Creamy, you’ll see what happens when the orange undertone gets dropped. White Down can be a GREAT option for walls and cabinets. White Down is also a bit calmer and more neutral.
- Benjamin Moore Maritime White is another beauty, an interesting off-white beige with serious flexibility.
WHERE DOES STEAMED MILK WORK & NOT WORK?
Steamed Milk is surprisingly versatile, although it doesn’t check off every box…
CREAM CABINETS & TRIM
If your finishes need a non-white color and you’re exploring off-whites, Steamed Milk can be a great place to start. While off-whites (especially cream ones) come with their challenges, because Steamed Milk is more grounded and neutral than many, it’s a touch more flexible.
This said, some warm whites and very slight off-whites are suitable for cabinets AND trims. Steamed Milk is too dark and strong unless you have a quite traditional home, and that’s your jam.
The Best Paint Colors to Update Cream Cabinets & Trims
Updating Cream Cabinets & Trim: Common Questions
WOOD TRIMS, DOORS, & CABINETS
Thanks to its yellow-orange, slightly peach vibe, Steamed Milk can be stunning with a wide range of woods. This means wood finishes with similar undertones, including many golden oaks, can coordinate.
While this next image doesn’t have Steamed Milk, it shows other off-whites with wood trim to give you an idea of the contrast…
Wind’s Breath | Ballet White | Aesthetic White | White Duck | White Heron
I would be very cautious with wood stains with many pink, red, or graywash (which has a purple or purple-pink undertone), as these can easily clash.
EXTERIOR SIDING OR STUCCO
Steamed Milk can be a beautiful exterior color for a very gentle but reasonably warm look. Colors like this can sit a bit more passively on some interior walls, but they often warm up on exteriors, so sample carefully to make sure it settles how you want.
5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color
ON CABINETS, ISLANDS, OR BATHROOM VANITIES
If your countertop and tiles cater to cream, Steamed Milk is absolutely worth sampling and comparing with a few other similar shades (coming up shortly). Its muted approach often settles nicer than more commitment, yellow-centric creams.
How to Choose the Best White Paint Color for Your Kitchen Cabinets
WHICH PAINT COLORS GO WITH STEAMED MILK?
Again, contrary to what Sherwin Williams says, colors like Marshmallow are a hard no. Instead, check out beautiful shades like…
- Some warmer, taupe-inspired colors like Sherwin Williams Pediment (please note that most of these colors are for a ‘home palette,’ not to be used in a single room)
- A range of light to medium-depth beige paint colors with similar undertone profiles.
- Some slightly darker, funky greiges with more green than not can be neat with Steamed Milk, including colors like Sherwin Williams Universal Khaki.
- A wide range of fudgy, warm dark browns.
- TONS of light green paint colors.
- Along with any number of medium to dark greens as accent colors for islands, feature walls, doors, and more.
- Some blue-green-gray blends can be pretty, but make sure they aren’t TOO heavy on the gray, and meet Steamed Milk where it is color-wise (don’t look flatter than it).
READ MORE
The 13 Best Cream Paint Colors
How to Update Cream Cabinets & Trims: Common Questions
The Best Warm Neutral Paint Colors That AREN’T BEIGE!
NEED HELP?
Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!
Glad you finally did an article on Steamed Milk! I’d watch your vids and you’d show it as a comparison, and you always said it was “super pretty,” but you never really talked about it!
I was looking for something with juuust enough warmth that it would STAY looking warm when the lighting turned cool in my east-facing rooms, and Steamed Milk was just the ticket. It also sits nicely with the dark woods in my living room, where Creamy felt a little too high-contrast.
I did see kitchen pics from a very well-known designer *coughstudiomcgeecough* that paired Steamed Milk with Westhighland White. Boy did that bring out the peach in Steamed Milk, and not in a good way!
OH jeez, the second you said Steamed Milk and Westhighland White I was like ‘WHAT THE WHAT???!!’ Yikes. And I would LOOOOVE to see photos of your Steamed Milk in action! Thanks for following my stuff :).
Having established that my north-facing bathroom, will love Steamed Milk & “lighten up” the heavy, energy-sucking orangey-brown counter-top/shower enclosure AND floor tiles (circa early 2000’s), I plan to paint the oak cabinets B.M Ashen Tan, the lightest hue, pulled from the variegated tile. Will use BM for cabinet paint, for its high quality cabinet paint-NOT $$$$ ; )
Thoughts ? re: combining Steamed Milk w/ Ashen Tan, which can show up purple, if yellow is too prominent in surrounding walls…. I think…
Thank you for all the INVALUABLE, in-depth information you provide with humour, grit & superb Canadian style.
We’ve chosen Steamed Milk for our family room/kitchen/dining area. It’s a large open room that faces north so I’m hoping this colour will bring some warmth to the space. We are thinking of doing the trim in SW white snow. For anyone who has used Steamed Milk, which colour did you end up choosing for the trim? The employee at SW suggested Greek Villa for trim but I’m worried it’s too warm/yellow for trim and doors. I was initially going to do Pure White as that’s what our cabinets are but wondering if it’s too “cool” to pair with Steamed Milk!
We did Steamed Milk walls and Greek Villa trim throughout our common spaces. It looks nice together, subtle but definitive.
Hi! We are looking at Steamed Milk, and I was surprised to see you say to be careful to with red or pink woods. We have Brazilian cherry hardwood floors (so a very strong red undertone), and this is one of the few colors that has not gone completely mushroom or muddy on us. Divine White and Bauhaus Buff are also both in the running. The orange undertones are actually keeping the paint looking warm rather than dull, drab, muddy, or chalky. Now, I am questioning my choices.