Pantone Colour of the year: Are we ready for all white?

Pantone Colour of the year Cloud Dancer and How to Use It in Your Home

Happy New Year and welcome to 2026! We always feel the new year is a great moment to think about how small design moves can make a big difference in your home.

Every year, Pantone reveals a Colour of the Year, a hue selected to reflect the cultural mood and inspire designers across interiors, fashion, products and environments. For 2026, we understand the need for calm, but is PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer really the inspiration behind a year in colour? Is a soft, neutral off-white with a calm, ethereal presence the answer to all our interiors questions? As you can imagine it has caused quite a lot of chatter online, with people aghast at how Pantone could choose a shade that some might see as a humble shade of white.

But with most houses featuring the overlooked and under appreciated neutral in at least one room, is this actually the Pantone of every year? Let’s take a deeper dive…

What Cloud Dancer Is (and Isn’t)

In the world of neutrals there have been hit after hit, first came magnolia, then came the famous Farrow and Ball Elephant's Breath and a myriad of must have shades in between. So maybe Cloud Dancer has the potential to do the same...

Cloud Dancer isn’t a stark, clinical white it’s an off-white that feels lighter and softer than crisp white, with enough warmth to work across interiors without feeling cold.

This makes it a versatile foundation colour that:

• Brightens and enlarges spaces with natural light

• Works with both cool and warm materials

• Provides a neutral backdrop for layered interiors

We have been loving using Claybrook Cloudscape recently. Claybrook describe it a white "that has just a tiny bit of brownish tan added... the type of sky you’d like to see if laying in the long grass and gazing upwards.” And we couldn’t agree more. It is soft and inviting with no harsh blue/grey tones and no dreaded yellow!

So how can you make your home feel fresh with Pantone’s 2026 Colour in Your Home

Whether you’re planning a refresh or a full redesign this year, here are practical ways to bring a soft white like Cloud Dancer into your space.

1. On Walls & Ceilings (for a Fresh, Light Base)

Painting walls, ceilings, skirtings or joinery in Cloud Dancer creates a bright, restful backdrop that makes other colours and materials sing. In spaces with plenty of daylight, this hue feels warmer and more dimensional than flat white.

2. Layer with Texture, Not Just Colour

Because Cloud Dancer is neutral, texture becomes the key second ingredient: think creamy linen, looped bouclé upholstery, wool rugs and softly grained timbers. These layered materials prevent the space from feeling flat and make the neutrality feel intentional.

3. Pair with Warmer Tones for Depth

Off-white works beautifully next to deeper, richer tones like soft taupes, warm mid-tones, natural wood and muted stone. These combinations keep spaces feeling grounded rather than too minimalist. If you indulged in the previous pantone of the year Mocha Mousse then this is a wonderful backdrop to the rich indulgent tones of chocolate.  

4. Use as a Canvas for Personal Details

On its own, a neutral backdrop like Cloud Dancer lets ceramics, art, textiles and sculptural objects come forward without visual competition. It’s especially effective in curated living rooms, galleries and bedrooms where personality should lead. You will usually see art gallery walls painted in white and that is for a reason!

Why This Is a Good Time for Home Tweaks

January and early in the year are great for pausing and thinking about how your home feels and functions. You don’t need a dramatic refresh to see impact even small updates like:

• Repainting in a calming neutral

• Swapping textiles or lighting

• Refining colour accents can make a space feel more intentional and considered.

Cloud Dancer is particularly useful because it doesn’t force a dramatic palette shift it supports what you already have and helps unify varied elements in a way that feels calm, elegant and future-proof.

Let us know what you think of Cloud Dancer!