Pantone’s choice for the Color of the Year for 2026 is Cloud Dancer, a billowy white, with blank-canvas vibes, intended to be a foundation for fresh starts.
“At this time of transformation, when we are reimagining our future and our place in the world, Cloud Dancer is a discrete white hue offering a promise of clarity,” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.
Cloud Dancer is inspired by the inner strength required to stand still in a frenetic, high-tech world. Pantone acknowledges the growing role of AI and the pervasiveness of digital living in our daily lives, creating a need for space for consumers to stop and think.
Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, says that Cloud Dancer “exemplifies our search for balance between our digital future and our primal need for human connection.”
This color will be of particular interest to new-build homeowners because it’s all about starting anew, a shade that closely aligns with the optimism and potential that comes with being the first owner of a home. It’s meant to let the imagination wander - above the clouds - as the color name suggests.
“Although white is no longer the standard stand-alone, it is a great tonal complement to a vast array of energizing colors and will always be viewed as a perfect grounding element,” says Stephanie Pierce, director of design and trends at MasterBrand Cabinets. She adds that Cloud Dancer’s apricot undertones supply warmth, a common design objective in new homes.
Why Pantone’s Color of the Year Choices are Important
Homeowners may know the Paint Color of the Year selections from major paint brands, which use similar trend forecasting methods as Pantone, but Pantone’s influence is far broader.
Pantone’s annual color pick is always a significant moment, shaping look-ahead trends in interior design and numerous other industries, including fashion, automotive, and retail goods. It’s deeply researched and reflects how consumers feel, and how they want to feel, in the year ahead.
Since debuting in 1999, Pantone’s Color of the Year has consistently done one of two things: an about-face on previous trends or adds a layer for current trends to evolve. There is no middle ground.
Cloud Dancer represents the latter, building off a progression of colors dating back to 2023, including last year’s sultry Mocha Mousse. Together, these colors encourage consumers to live simply and savor the moment. “If 2025 and Mocha Mousse were about grounding and warmth, in 2026, Cloud Dancer feels like a deep breath. It’s refreshing, about clarity and reset,” says Meghan Howell, North American design and creative director at Formica Corporation.
Cloud Dancer Inspiration
Pantone offers room-by-room suggestions for Cloud Dancer.
It’s well suited for a bedroom because it promotes rest.
In the bathroom, it generates a serene spa vibe.
It promotes clarity and creativity, so it is a good choice for a home office, evidenced by Pantone's partnership with Post-Its, which is releasing sticky notes in the color.
Families will want to take note of the potential of this color for children and teen bedrooms, as Pantone is touting the shade as an antidote to overstimulation from digital activity, something which today’s youth struggles to balance.
Notably, Play-Doh, which embodies back-to-basics imaginative play, has partnered with Pantone to release Cloud Dancer-colored play clay.
Pantone is also acknowledging the growing trend towards texture in interior design, and Cloud Dancer works well in support of textural surfaces, making their features more prominent. It’s minimalist, without being stark, according to the company, creating the visual warmth that modern homeowners are after.
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Hero image courtesy of Pantone.
