White hot & feeling blue: interior design trends for 2026

If you have ever heard a Colour of the Year announcement and thought ‘not for me’, 2026 could be your time. While bold magenta, earthy brown, fuzzy peach and daring purple have dominated the last few years, Pantone caught everyone off guard with its choice for 2026.

White out

The global colour experts decided white is where it’s at. That’s right, Pantone has chosen Cloud Dancer as its Colour of the Year 2026. It's described as a billowy, lofty white – warmer than pure brilliant white and definitely the most neutral shade we have seen for years.

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Cloud Dancer is the perfect shade of white if you are redecorating ahead of a sale. It imbues a sense of calm and peacefulness, and is neutral enough to paint on every wall, ceiling and surface. The colour also features the faintest tinge of greige (grey meets beige), which stops the shade looking cold. 

While Pantone doesn’t sell its own brand of paint, Cloud Dancer is an easy shade to colour match. You can show a swatch of Cloud Dancer to Brewers’ colour matching experts and take home an almost identical shade in a multitude of paint finishes. Alternatively, head to B&Q, where Valspar’s Tidy White, Gauze White or White Hot are great matches for Cloud Dancer.

Pantone has created a number of colour palettes where Cloud Dancer provides the perfect backdrop. It suggests pairing the shade with the palest pastels, earthy golds and ochres, or aqua greens and breezy blues.

Into the blue

The latter brings us nicely to another Colour of the Year announcement. Dulux also used the end of year to reveal the colour it feels will find favour in 2026. Spoilt for choice, the paint manufacturer actually chose a suite of colours – three stunning shades of blue.

Each is from the indigo family, with the merest hints of purple and red bringing warmth to each shade. Collectively known as The Rhythm of Blues, Free Groove, Slow Swing and Mellow Flow work together as a trio, partnered up or used as a single stand-out colour focus. 

Mellow Flow probably has the broadest appeal, with notes of cornflower, lavender and flint grey. It’s just about pale enough to be painted on every wall and would look amazing in bathrooms and bedrooms. 

A bold move

Free Groove is akin to the richest shade of denim blue – highly saturated and an ideal colour if you want to grab attention. Slow Swing is reminiscent of the darkest night skies, with the same drama as painting a wall black but with a richer, softer hue.

Perfect paint shade partners

What all three blues need is a neutral foil, therefore this year’s colour choices feel serendipitous. Pantone’s Cloud Dancer provides the perfect white balance – use it on three out of four walls, with Free Groove, Slow Swing or Mellow Flow on the other to create a striking feature.

As property agents, we are thrilled that Cloud Dancer is Pantone’s Colour of the Year as it provides the perfect blank canvas that home movers are looking for. As for Dulux’s blues, we think they would make excellent splashes of colour, bringing vibrancy and freshness to the home.

If you are inspired to move to a new property and get decorating, contact us for buying and selling advice.