2026 a cloud dancer thanks to Patone.

9 Jan

2026 a cloud dancer thanks to Patone.

discover the tone set to trend.

Pantone creates a hue for the year, and has done since 1999. This year it’s a beige-white which, to many, may seem “similar to a blank canvas” — but “Cloud Dancer signifies our desire for a fresh start. Peeling away layers of outmoded thinking, we open the door to new approaches. An airy white hue, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer opens up space for creativity, allowing our imagination to drift so that new insights and bold ideas can emerge and take shape,” says Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Color Institute, on the influential annual project.

I became aware of the significance of this whole colour-of-the-year business last year, sat in my hair salon, toner developing. Ironic really — while I was literally changing my own colour, a conversation about an upcoming competition came up, based on hair colour, where the brief was the colour of the year.

And that’s where it stops being a concept and becomes a thing you can’t unsee.

It’s not just a colour — it’s a mood

2025 was Mocha Mousse, a rich warm chocolate brown, which I was astonished to find infiltrated everything in the world. Even my tissue box has the shade. That’s when it clicked: this isn’t just a colour that floats around trend people’s moodboards. It lands. It spreads. It finds its way into the background of daily life until you’re surrounded by it without even trying.

I realised upon researching it isn’t just a colour but a mood. These last few years have been a comforting warm hug as it’s been a grey world. It represents people not in what they see but what they need. The last few years we have needed stability, calm, in a world full of change where nothing seems stable.

The influence is a pheromone. Fashion, home décor — frankly anything you can think of will surely be shaded in.

Which is why Cloud Dancer feels like a telling choice for 2026. It’s quiet. It’s soft. It’s the kind that can look like “nothing” — until you realise “nothing” is sometimes the whole point.

Thankfully it’s a versatile colour which can be paired with both bold and muted tones, so for 2026 feel free to choose a palette which suits.

The array of tones are sure to be in your wardrobe, so don’t be obliged to go out on a shopping spree. Although the colour is a highlight in the world this year, take a look at where infusions can take place — not a replacement for all the days, because Cloud Dancer isn’t the main character every day, after all.

If you want to stay up to date, start by seeing where the warm beige fits you — whether it be in the toner, the lampshade, or your basic t-shirts.

Because this is how it happens. It starts small. It’s the thing you choose because it feels “easy” or “fresh”, then suddenly you notice it’s everywhere: a creamy knit, a neutral trainer, a clean manicure, the packaging on your shelf, the quiet shift in fashion and home.

Safe to say it will be popping up somewhere in your life and with the quiet softness I doubt you’ll be opposed to it.

Cloud Dancer might look like a blank canvas, but that doesn’t mean it’s empty. It means space. It gives room to breathe.

And if the last few years have been anything, it’s proof that what trends isn’t always what looks exciting — it’s what people need.

So We will see you soon Cloud Dancer.

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