Has “color of the year” jumped the shark?

The peanut gallery was chuckling this week when Pantone announced its selection for the color 2026 is white.

Not just white, though. It’s a “balanced white.” More specifically, Pantone 11-4201 Cloud Dancer, and it does have a slight tint to it if you squint.

Pantone is a global color-standards company that provides a universal language for reproducing color. Its color of the year declaration is a pretty big deal that affects how designers (including interior designers) think about color trends in the coming year.

So why did the color company choose the absence of color for its color of the year?

“The cacophony that surrounds us has become overwhelming, making it harder to hear the voices of our inner selves,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “A conscious statement of simplification, Cloud Dancer enhances our focus, providing release from the distraction of external influences.”

Pantone VP Laurie Pressman adds: “We are living in a transitional time where people are seeking truth, possibility and a new way of living,” describing Cloudy Dancer as “an airy white hue that exemplifies our search for balance between our digital future and our primal need for human connection.”

Pantone has been selecting a “color of the year” since 1999. This was the first time white was chosen by the team of experts at the color company.