Featured in Forbes & House Beautiful
Forbes
Pantone’s Off-White Color Of The Year: Why Undertones Matter
House Beautiful
The Color No One Expected for 2026 — Pantone Goes White, And Experts Weigh In
Why I’m Not Mad About Pantone’s Color of the Year — Even If Everyone Else Is
If you’ve spent even five minutes in the design world over the past week, you already know: Pantone’s Color of the Year, Cloud Dancer, has the internet in a chokehold. Designers are debating, clients are curious, and honestly… I kind of love that everyone has such strong feelings about a color that most people would simply call white.
And yes, while most of the design community went straight to outrage (“just white?!”), I found myself taking a different approach. Forbes and House Beautiful reached out for my thoughts, and I became one of the few brave voices willing to speak kindly about this year’s selection. Not because I’m blindly loyal to Pantone, but because I genuinely think this color deserves a fair shot.
Let’s be honest: can anyone here confidently name last year’s Pantone Color of the Year? I sure can’t. But this year? Cloud Dancer has everyone talking. And there’s value in that alone.
Yes, I Thought It Would Be Bold, But Here’s Why Cloud Dancer Still Works.
Was I expecting something rich and moody for 2026? Absolutely. Chartreuse. Plum. Oxblood. Something with a little more drama and a lot more saturation. We’ve been wading through years of neutrals, and a collective craving for pigment is real.
But when the reveal dropped, I wasn’t disappointed. Surprised? Yes. Mad? Not even a little.
Because here’s the thing: people love white interiors. They always have and they always will. Sorry, not sorry. White is one of the most timeless colors in the designer’s toolkit, not because it’s safe or boring, but because it’s endlessly adaptable.
And Cloud Dancer isn’t just any white. It’s a warm, refreshing, atmospheric white, a white that feels like morning light and quiet luxury. It’s the tone architects reach for when they want a gallery-like base, a sense of calm, or that coveted “luxurious but effortless” feeling.
White Isn’t Basic, It’s a Luxury Power Move.
Let’s clear something up: I am not advocating for the contractor-grade trifecta of white shaker cabinets, white quartz countertops, and a white subway tile backsplash. We’ve all seen it. We’ve all lived through it. We’re all ready to move on.
But white interiors? White done intentionally? White as a tonal environment layered with texture, light, and dimension? That is luxury.
When you create a space built on subtle shifts of cream, bone, ivory, and yes, Cloud Dancer, you’re creating an experience. A mood. A home that feels curated rather than “decorated.”
White lets your art shine.
White lets your furnishings breathe.
White creates atmosphere in a way saturated color sometimes can’t.
And in a world where clients want homes that feel calm, warm, and grounding, a nuanced white foundation makes perfect sense.
You Can Love Pattern and Still Love White.
If you’ve followed my work, you know I’m no minimalist. I love a wallpapered room. I love a bold textile moment. I love design that has personality and soul.
But embracing white doesn’t mean abandoning joy or pattern. In fact, white can act as the tension your bold choices need to truly land. Just like in an art gallery, whitespace elevates whatever you place within it.
So let’s not hate on a white interior. Let’s use it better.
Final Thoughts: Cloud Dancer Might Be the Conversation We Needed.
Whether you love it, hate it, or are still deciding, Cloud Dancer has succeeded at something no one expected: it’s brought the design community together in the most passionate, dramatic, hilarious way possible.
We’re all talking. We’re all debating. We’re all imagining how to use it, or avoid it. And isn’t that the point of a Color of the Year? To spark conversation. To get designers thinking. To push the industry forward, even if we don’t all agree on the direction.
So yes, I spoke kindly about Cloud Dancer. Not because it’s perfect, but because it deserves nuance. And honestly? I can’t wait to see how people use it, boldly, subtly, or rebelliously, in the year ahead.