As Pantone announces its colour of 2026, a vanilla off-white, here's more on the reasoning behind the choice – and what other trending colours can help you achieve greater domestic bliss.
Pantone has spoken – and the colour of the year 2026 is… white. Or more specifically, Cloud Dancer, a vanilla-whipped, fluffy off-white that appears less like a colour trend and more like the inside of a marshmallow. But can an achromatic shade capture the global mood? Stephen Westland, professor of colour science, at the University of Leeds, isn't convinced. "The colour of the year is a gimmick to promote commercial interest," he says. "Although Pantone are the most well-known predictors, there are at least a dozen others who choose a colour of the year, and they all typically disagree."
Indeed, trend forecasters WGSN proclaimed teal their 2026 colour some time ago, while other design experts maintain earthy tones will be popular as the next year unfolds – none of which helps us decide what shade to paint our sitting room.
Cloud Dancer joins a long tradition of paint names that veer between quirky and absurd, a marketing strategy that has itself become an art form. Farrow & Ball have given us Dead Salmon, Elephant's Breath, Arsenic, and tasty classic Broccoli Brown. They're not alone: Benjamin Moore has Nacho Cheese, Dunn-Edwards Dangerous Robot, and the list gets stranger from there. Brands construct these abstract names because they're memorable and evocative, less about describing a colour and more about selling an atmosphere.
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