Picking that perfect neutral shade for your home is ever the laborious task that doesn’t start with 2 shades, but it’s normal to have at least 20+ differing shades that you have to whittle down. Sound familiar?
Picking the right white is by no means an easy feat, but paint charts are designed to help make it that bit easier for you.
I would always recommend trying a tester pot of a couple of different shades in your home before committing. This part is SO important as shades can look wildly different in one home to another due to natural light, and the CRI & colour temperature of the bulbs you use in your light fittings.
So, perhaps you have whittled it down to these two highly popular neutral shades by Dulux, Fine Cream & Timeless, but you just can’t decide which one would suit your home, and design plans.
In this blog we explore the tricky buying decision which is Dulux Fine Cream or Timeless, their complementary colours and which types of rooms these neutral, cream shades are suited to.
What Colour Is Dulux Timeless?
Dulux Timeless is a warm, creamy white shade that is a versatile, and dynamic white for every room in a home. It has yellow undertones which make it an ideal colour for North facing rooms as the yellow helps to counteract the coldness of blue light.
It’s also a much more forgiving white colour than a standard Dulux Bright White shade which will pick up every blemish, fingerprint and scratch. Trust me on this.
What Colours Go With Dulux Timeless?
Tonal Combinations
When picking complimentary colours, a paint chart is always needed to check undertones. For example, a yellow wall pairs well with a green neutral, or 2 neutrals from the same family such as pink and pink. But never combine yellow with blue as you will have a colour temperament clash.
In the case of Dulux Timeless you want to look for tonal combinations, other Dulux colours with a yellow undertone.
Both Pale Citrus and Citrus Zing paint colours are perfect for layering with warmth and a cohesive feel. If you don’t want to go down such a yellow route, combining with other neutrals will work best for you.
Neutral Combinations
As Timeless is a creamy, white shade it also pairs well with other neutral colours. Both Ashen White and Calming Meadow are great choices. Use Calming Meadow as a grounding colour in a space such as on architraves, skirting or doors.
Pretty much any neutral combinations work with a cream shade, think earthy greens, browns, greys, creams and whites. This colour scheme is perfect for many home decor styles including Scandic, modern, rustic and modern farmhouse.
Designer’s Choice Combinations
Whilst it’s best practice to follow the undertones of your main colour paint which in this case is yellow, rules were meant to be broken, right? The designer’s choices add instant warmth to the creamy white shade of Timeless.
Pretty Pink and Raspberry Diva are quite contrasting shades, but anything really does go with a shade such as Timeless. Don’t just think of paint colours here, whilst Dulux recommend paint colours, these shades could be used throughout home furnishings, cushions, throws and decor accessories.
Feeling brave? You might even want to pair it with blues for a coastal decor scheme, Mineral Mist is a beautiful pastel blue shade which is a great complementary colour for Timeless.
Additional Complementary Colours
There are so many other colours which are a great match for Timeless, here are just a few!
- Black
- Bright White
- Earthy Green
- Brown
- Greige
- Grey
What Colour Is Dulux Fine Cream?
Dulux Fine Cream is a classed as a pale yellow with distinctive yellow undertones. This yellow based shade makes it a great choice for rooms with none, or minimal natural light as the yellow will counteract the natural blue light that makes a room feel cold.
What Colours Go With Dulux Fine Cream?
Tonal Combinations
When looking at paint charts, notice how those tiny little rectangular squares are cleverly arranged into colour groups? This is so it’s easy to see what undertone each of the whites and neutrals contain, from yellows to blues and greens, to reds, pinks and purples.
With Dulux Fine Cream in question, this popular Dulux shade has distinctive yellow undertones so it pairs well with other yellow colours. Dulux recommend a pairing of soft vanilla, a beautiful honey colour and Fresh Stem.
Neutral Combinations
If you’re looking to use Fine Cream in your home it’s likely you might want to create a neutral aesthetic too, and pairing with neutral combinations is a great way to achieve that soft, yet ultra relaxed feeling in your home.
Ashen White and Overtly Olive are great colour matches for Fine Cream. I’m such a stickler for pairing earthy greens and greige with creams such as Fine Cream as it creates such a cohesive, stylish space without much work. These additional colours can be easily introduced with furnishings, throws and cushions.
Designer’s Choice Combinations
Perhaps you want to use a neutral such as Fine Cream but you’re not afraid of colour and want o introduce some warmth for a really distinctive look. Well, Dulux suggest both Spring Rose, a quintessentially pink shade, and Dusted Damson which is a mix of a deep purple, brown shade.
It pays to be different in an interior, and I actually love this trio of colours together.
Additional Complementary Colours
There are so many other colours which are a great match for Fine Cream, here are just a few!
- Black
- Earthy Green
- Mustard
- Brown
- Bright White
- Greige
- Grey
Dulux Fine Cream or Timeless?
Dulux Fine Cream and Timeless are both incredibly difficult colours to choose between because they both have yellow undertones. If you’re looking to counteract blue light that comes from dark rooms, either of these colours are a great choice, but how do you choose between the two?
If you want a more understated, neutral shade I would personally opt for Timeless, whilst it does have yellow undertones, it looks like a warm cream, rather than Fine Cream which can look like a pale yellow in certain lights.
Get a tester pot of the two shades and paint a patch of them either side of each other in the room that they will be for.
Survey the shades during all times of the day, this part is important! Paint can look incredibly different in natural light, to the artificial light you use in the evening. Let it sit with you for a couple of days and it will make the decision for you!
Ultimately, if you want a more yellow shade opt for Fine Cream, if you want the benefits that come with yellow undertones but you want to keep things neutral, I’d go for Timeless all the way. What shade is your favourite out of the two?
