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Pantone’s colour of the year for 2026 could be its most divisive yet
Next year’s colour is...
December: the season of mince pies, fizz, parties and trend forecasts. Whatever happened to being in the moment? Must we really cast our minds forward to 2026, and whether hispi cabbage will be replaced by napa, or leather bomber jackets by “literary chic”?
Into this maelstrom of predictions for 2026 comes Pantone, the influential United States-based colour institute, whose “colour of the year” pronouncements tend to have more credence than most.
However improbable it may have seemed last December, its 2025 prediction, Mocha Mousse, turned out to be bang on the money, embraced by the fashion, beauty, architecture and interiors worlds as heartily as a 9am flat white. So fervently did Kim Kardashian commit to mocha via her Skims empire that it’s tempting to wonder whether she and Pantone are in cahoots.
Controversial? Pantone had not chosen a brown for over a decade, before selecting Mocha Mousse for 2025.
Certainly, it has its haters, but whatever your feelings about brown, at least mocha was a colour. So, too, were Pantone’s predictions for 2024 (Peach Fuzz) and 2023 (Viva Magenta). By contrast, the punt for 2026 may feel somewhat underwhelming. In what is surely excellent news for minimalists, chefs and Geri Horner, Pantone’s colour of the year is white.
Of course, this is not just any white. It’s “Cloud Dancer”: “A billowy, ethereal white imbued with a feeling of serenity that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a frenetic society rediscovering the value of measured consideration and quiet reflection,” according to Pantone.
Quiet reflection is all very well, but those who have lived among it may opine that a “calming influence” is the last thing that white can claim to be; certainly if you’re the person charged with keeping it pristine. Rare is the person who hasn’t bought a white rug, armchair or sofa and lived to regret it – or if not rare, then exceedingly neat and clean.
White is alright for soft furnishings (unless you have pets or children, eat food or have sweaty hands).
As the founder of The White Company, Chrissie Rucker is better placed than most to understand the allure of white. “I believe it’s the most versatile colour of all, so it’s lovely to see this shade getting recognition from Pantone,” she says.
“Our world today is hectic and overwhelming, and used in the right way, white is the most wonderfully calm, cocooning colour to live with. It’s a brilliant canvas, ready to be built on, and I am always amazed at how it can truly transform a space, making a dark room feel lighter and a smaller room feel bigger. The little black dress of home, it never lets you down or dates.”
For interior designers, white will always be a classic. “We love working with white because it’s so versatile,” says Angelica Squire, the co-founder of design company Studio Squire. “Painting a space white also allows artwork, furniture, ceramics and tableware to become the focal point. We often return to Farrow & Ball’s Wimborne White, which feels clean without being too harsh and bright.”
Ask the expert: How do I choose a white paint?
As anyone who has stared at a paint chart for longer than is healthy will attest, white may seem a simple choice of wall colour, but it’s arguably the most complex, and should be approached with care.
“White is not just one colour. There are countless whites with different undertones, and choosing the wrong white can make a space look sterile, ghostly, or just off,” says Annie Harrison, the founder of design studio Fare Inc.
“A white that looks beautiful in a swatch under bright light can read very differently in a dim, shadowy living room.” As someone who has disconsolately daubed 12 dowdy whites on to a living room wall, I can relate.
Soft pastels are a match for the kind of slightly off-white Pantone are offering for next year.
Despite its drawbacks, there are always those for whom white is less a colour than their entire personality.
“If you gravitate towards white with your interiors, it suggests that you are well-balanced and positive, and like to lead an orderly life, with space around you,” says colour expert Jules Standish. “You are very good at being able to listen to others’ problems and give a fair-minded opinion, as well as bringing clarity and good decision-making into your communication style.”
Whether you plump for Cloud Dancer or not, most whites can look clinical and cold when worn head-to-toe, but this can be mitigated by adding some texture.
Offset cotton with satin or silk to add lustre, or wool to add depth, then add further texture via lace, faux feather or faux fur. The same works for your home: white interiors look far more interesting when they are furnished with a mix of different textures.
While white might not be the first colour you’d think to reach for during Christmas party season, the “blank page” feeling prompted by the New Year can make it feel more appealing.
Rucker describes her three white must-haves: “For me, it would be a great white shirt, a soft piece of cashmere, and for home, some crisp white sheets.”
What's in a colour, after all?
As for whether we’ll all be spending 2026 draped in Cloud Dancer, only time will tell.
“Next year in numerology terms is a ‘1 year’, a time when we get to start afresh, so this white shade is very aligned with the universe providing us with a clean slate, and an opportunity to begin a new chapter in our lives,” notes Standish. “After such a chaotic period, this is surely a welcome shade to embrace.”
Maybe, but go easy on the ketchup.
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