In Defence of Pantone's Color of the Year — When Did It Become Cool to Hate on Painting Walls White?

A living room with white walls and a white sofa.

I'll be honest, I was shocked when I opened an email revealing what The Pantone Color Institute, the world's eminent color forecasters, had chosen for its Color of the Year for 2026.

And I've been in the trenches. I was there for the eye-watering Ultra Violet, and when the color prediction went rogue with a gray-and-yellow duo in Ultimate Gray and Illuminating. But still, 2026's Pantone Color of the Year, Cloud Dancer, really is going to make waves — just perhaps not in the way we'd usually expect.