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A new year has officially arrived. While we may not know what 2026 has in store just yet, many of us are hoping this year brings a sense of calm, clarity, and balance.
At least, that’s exactly what Pantone is hoping for with their Colour of the Year for 2026. After several years of bold, expressive colours, Pantone has chosen a softer approach with Cloud Dancer, a warm, airy white meant to quiet the noise of everyday life.
Interior Designer at La-Z-Boy Kingston, Mary Lee Smyth, has long been a fan of Pantone’s Colour of the Year and describes Cloud Dancer as “a peaceful, calming white that feels like a reset for your home.”
So, what does this colour really represent? And how does Cloud Dancer fit into your space? This article will walk you through everything you need to know about Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2026 and how to bring it into your home.
Key Takeaways:
- Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2026, Cloud Dancer, reflects a shift toward calm and emotional balance, offering a softer alternative to bold colour trends.
- This warm, airy white works as both a neutral base and a design feature, making it easy to use across walls, furniture, and décor.
- Cloud Dancer pairs well with natural materials and subtle accent colours, allowing flexibility without overpowering a space.
- Designers recommend layering Cloud Dancer with texture, such as fabric, leather, wood, and metal, to add depth and warmth.
- The colour is ideal for bright, transitional homes, appealing to those seeking a timeless and soothing interior style.
In This Article…
- What is Pantone?
- Which Colours & Styles Pair Best with Pantone’s Colour of the Year?
- Who Would Love Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2026?
- Other 2026 Colours of the Year
What is Pantone?
Before we discuss the colour of the year, you may need clarification on Pantone itself. The company Pantone is known as the leading colour expert worldwide.
With a wide array of colour selections to choose from, Pantone surpasses far beyond any other colour company. They provide various services to various companies, such as picking the right colour for brands, consultations for perfect colour combinations, and educating those interested in emerging colour trends.
Pantone's Colour of the Year Selection Process
Every year, Pantone and other notable colour companies choose a colour that will set the tone for the upcoming year. Pantone achieves this by examining trends from the past year across various industries, including home design, advertising, social media, technology, fashion, and everyday life.
After carefully considering different tones for different meanings, they release a colour that shows what they hope to see in the upcoming year.
If we were to take a look at 2025’s Colour of the Year, Pantone introduced a chocolate brown tone that really brought depth into a space. Mocha Mousse represented comfort, warmth and harmony.
This year, Pantone decided to choose a colour that invokes a sense of calmness in a world that seems so chaotic and crazy. Rather than choosing a colour that was so bold and out of the ordinary, Pantone decided to surprise everyone yet again by going for the less obvious colour on anyone’s mind: white!
And so, Cloud Dancer was born! Cloud Dancer represents a deep sense of calm, tranquillity and peace in a noisy world
Now that we have reached the back half of the 2020s, we have consistently seen bold colours entering our colour trends and, in turn, people’s homes. However, with Cloud Dancer, this colour invites you to change your room into a place that’s full of imagination. While white may not be the most exciting colour, it is the place where great ideas begin.
How to Incorporate Pantone's Colour of the Year 2026 in Your Home
As mentioned before, Mary Lee has been a Pantone fan for a long time and is always up to date on all the colour trends and design trends for 2026. “I always have my Pantone colour picker with me whenever someone needs a better visual of what I’m describing,” she says.
Mary Lee interprets this year’s colour as “a colour that will bring in the spotlight in a room more so than ever before.”
Because this colour is a classic bright white, she believes there are many possibilities people can go to if they choose this colour in their room. She also predicts that with this being the latest colour of the year, people will realize that there are so many different coloured whites out there.
“There are whites that go into blue or whites that go into pink or green, etc. But it is important to figure out how they can come together and how they fit in with this specific Cloud Dancer white,” she says.
With that being said, Cloud Dancer is a great colour that can either take over the room in a bright way or become the centre of attention in a darker room.
Colour Palette that Compliments Cloud Dancer
So, how can Cloud Dancer complement your colour palette? How does this colour work well in your home?
As mentioned before, Mary Lee resonates with Pantone’s statement of this colour being the spotlight in a room. “While it can overpower a room very easily, it may not always need to be the main colour,” she says.
For example, one colour palette that could work well in a living room could be brighter colours on furniture and decor pieces, and Cloud Dancer being the canvas in the background. While it may be the colour of your walls, the room will bring guests in because of the accent colours you add to the room.
Mary Lee also notes that the colour black could also work well with this colour. Contrasting colours like black and white can be aesthetically pleasing if done right. For example, your sofa could be a bright Cloud Dancer white while the rest of your room incorporates darker tones. Or it could be the other way around!
Pastel colours could also work with this lighter white colour. If you’re looking for something less harsh or bold in your room. Pastel colours like lemon white and baby blue can help achieve the sense of calmness Cloud Dancer is trying to create. This colour palette could also work well if you have big windows in your space, too.
Pantone also has some interesting colour palettes on their website!
Design Styles & Furniture that Call for Cloud Dancer
Pantone’s colour of the year for 2026 is more than just a harmonious cloud white colour. It can change the mood of a room with some subtlety.
As mentioned before, natural colours like green and blue can work well with this colour. “Whether it is pastels or bold, darker colours, you can go almost any route with Cloud Dancer,” Mary Lee says. “Don’t think purple like amethyst purple,” she says, “think more floral.”
Because of this, most pastels could work with this colour, if they are paired with a flower in nature. Mary Lee also says that a red wine colour could also contrast well with Cloud Dancer, if this colour were in the form of a window curtain or a throw pillow.
If you’re trying to go into a more contemporary route, Mary Lee recommends using this colour in a neutral space to create depth. “If you already have lots of textured things in your living room, like an area rug, or blankets and pillows, something like a white leather sofa could do wonders.”
Mary Lee does warn, though, that white can easily stain and visibly collect dust, so it is important to consider who is using the space and how much you’re willing to upkeep this pristine space.
In terms of furniture pieces, Mary Lee says any comfy leather or fabric sofa could complement this colour very well, especially when going for a light-themed room. “Leather can also help bring in new textures and add more depth to a room.”
La-Z-Boy has many leather sofas available that can come in a light tan cover. To learn more about our selections, take a look at our Top Leather Sofas article.
More specifically, she notes the Greyson Sofa being a good fit for this type of colour, since its select leather already has a cover resembling this colour. “Plus, the Greyson already feels like sitting on a cloud,” she jokes. To learn more about the Greyson Furniture Family, take a look at this article.
Lastly, Mary Lee also states that a fabric white sectional like the Tahoe could do well in a room in a Cloud Dancer colour. “This can also help reinforce that cozy and calm feeling Pantone is trying to convey, since the Tahoe is a very relaxed-looking sectional,” she says. To learn more about the Tahoe Sectional, take a look at this article.
Who Would Love Pantone's Colour of the Year 2026?
Now that you know the inspiration behind Cloud Dancer and what it can bring into your home, do you think you would enjoy this colour of the year?
As with any colour, Cloud Dancer may not be right for everyone. Mary Lee believes that a lot of people can enjoy this colour if used properly.
For example, darker colours may not do the best with natural lighting, as it can create a sense of tiredness in a room, according to Mary Lee. “If you're in a room with a lot of natural light but the colours inside are darker, a lot of the time, people tend to feel more tired because their irises are working double time to adjust to such a contrast.”
So, if you have large windows in your living room, it might be best to add pastel colours with Cloud Dancer instead of darker colours.
If you’re looking to add Cloud Dancer to your home, Mary Lee also says to complement this colour with other textures. For example, because this colour is a generic white colour, it could go well with velvet pillows, a shag rug or even brass gold accents for an extra pop of colour.
Mary Lee also encourages people to use this colour if they’re looking for something different and new in their space. “This colour can work well for people who are starting a new chapter in their lives and are looking to start fresh with a new canvas.”
2026 Colour Trends Other Than Cloud Dancer
Pantone might be the most anticipated colour each year, but it is not the only colour company that shares predictions. Other companies have released their 2026 top colours, reflecting a different perspective on what they expect in the coming year.
Interestingly, Sherwin-Williams chose to also incorporate a neutral but diverse colour called Universal Khaki. This simple colour, according to them, is an essential neutral that can create a sense of livability and longevity.
There is also Behr's 2026 Colour of the Year, Hidden Gem, which contrasts Cloud Dancer entirely. This deep green is described as a hue that exudes quiet confidence. While it may not be the brightest green, it can certainly make a statement in many households that use natural colours like brown and lighter greens.
Lastly, Benjamin Moore's 2026 Colour of the Year, Silhouette, could be a great contrast to Cloud Dancer. This black charcoal colour is described as a distinctive colour that incorporates luxury, richness and can bridge pales and midtones together.
As you may have noticed, there seems to be a neutral shift in colour tones this year, with a lot of these colours becoming canvases for creativity and exploration. This is part of a colour trend called elevated neutral, which you can learn more about with our Colour Trends for 2026 article.
What's Next?
Cloud Dancer is not for the faint of heart. It is a colour meant to make a statement in your home and hopefully revive the lost excitement you once had for your room.
With that being said, do you have what it takes to use Cloud Dancer in your home?
You can start by checking out our complimentary design services to see how this year’s Pantone colour can work in your home. Working with an interior designer like Mary Lee can help relieve the stress of doing it yourself and make the process seem effortless.
Visit us at any of our furniture stores in Ottawa, Gatineau or Kingston or book an online appointment to talk to a sales consultant if you have any questions or concerns. To learn more about La-Z-Boy’s home decor and how it could potentially pair well with this colour, take a look at our home decor buyer’s guide.
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