The Pantone Color of the Year is… White?
As the year comes to a close, companies announce their top products of the year and set the tone for upcoming trends. Consumers look eagerly to find relatability and value in the selected trend. For example, Oxford’s Word of the Year this year is “Rage Bait” — how fitting.
This month, Pantone released their Color of the Year for 2026: “Cloud Dancer.” However, what Pantone advertises as a color of “quiet sophistication and comfortable elegance,” is really just a glorified white. One of their new articles regarding “Cloud Dancer” is a guide on how and where consumers can use the new color. But in all of the provided color palettes and settings, “Cloud Dancer” is underwhelming.
There has been debate for years about whether white is considered a color or not. For some, especially in design, white is a value that can either lighten a shade or area. In science and physics, white is the outcome of the overlap of all colors and doesn’t have its own wavelength. While Pantone’s “Cloud Dancer” is a color that many decide to feature or use in their homes, it is always in relation to other colors. It is not a color with personality or with its own value.
Pantone understands the psychology of color. With the first shade of white that Pantone has selected as their Color of the Year, they are attempting to emit a feeling of simplicity, elegance and mindfulness. White is a color that inspires luxury and calmness. And there is truth to the calm and serene feeling that white emits.
However, Pantone’s choice feels lazy. By picking a color that they claim is universal and “allows all other colors to shine and pop,” they are taking the easy way out, picking the color that goes with anything, and effectively deciding nothing.
Though a lazy option, “Cloud Dancer,” is surely an intentional choice. Picking white is a smart business move. Many modern homes have painted interiors with some version of white, and it goes with most styles and architecture. But, similar to architectural trends and the standardization of white, simplified design, the trend has become overdone.
Up until this year, Pantone’s Color of the Year was bright and distinct. In 2020, the chosen color was a dark navy blue called “Classic Blue.” In 2021, there were two chosen colors: “Ultimate Gray” and “Illuminating,” which is a bright yellow. 2022 featured “Very Peri,” a darker periwinkle and 2023 featured “Viva Magenta.” The next few years’ choices mark a shift toward more neutral colors: It began in 2024 with the decision of “Peach Fuzz,” followed by 2025’s “Mocha Mousse.”
It is true that bright, unique colors can be hard to style across different homes and settings. However, a color does not need to be vibrant, to be unique. A color can be muted, calming and serene, and it does not have to be white. A room does not need to be white to be spa-like or airy — light blue, lavender and even beige could work! By picking a white, Pantone is choosing something with no personality of its own and is dependent on the expression and reinforcement of other colors.
“Cloud Dancer” seems to be the reinstatement of the “Sad Beige Mom” aesthetic which was introduced online when a mom spray-painted her family’s Christmas tree beige to coordinate with the rest of her beige and white home. The internet went into uproar, claiming that her children, who were also dressed in beige and only seemed to have beige toys, were not allowed to express themselves. “Cloud Dancer” brings the sad beige to an extreme.
The Color of the Year should be stronger than a basic white. It should be a statement that represents something related to that year, with its own unique significance and intention. Pantone, a company that understands color and has so many options, had so much potential. It is unfortunate that with all they had at their disposal, they chose “Cloud Dancer.”
Photo Caption: Pantone color swatches arranged by shade
Photo Credit: Unsplash
