The color wizards at Pantone have really done it this time. They\u2019ve set the internet ablaze with their 2026 color of the year, Cloud Dancer, which seems to be a euphemism for white. <\/p>\n
Sure, white has all kinds of almost imperceptible tints, but many netizens<\/a> are coloring this one as a copout. (And more than a few are invoking Sydney Sweeney’s infamous American Eagle ad.)<\/p>\n Let\u2019s see how Pantone describes its pick<\/a>:<\/p>\n The Pantone Colour of the Year 2026, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer, is a key structural colour whose versatility provides scaffolding for the colour spectrum, allowing all colours to shine. In a world where colour has become synonymous with personal expression, this is a shade that can adapt, harmonise, and create contrast, bringing a feeling of airy lightness to all product applications and environments, whether making a stand-alone statement or combined with other hues.<\/p>\n So, it looks like Pantone marketers are framing Cloud Dancer as everything and nothing at the same \u2014 which is what the color white is.<\/p>\n We had fun listing Peach Fuzz-colored home goods<\/a> from Austin for 2024 and pointing out how Mocha Mousse fit right in with Houzz\u2019s design predictions<\/a> for 2025. We\u2019re pretty sure most people in Austin don\u2019t need any more white in their millennial gray houses<\/a> for 2026, so we\u2019ve come up with some de-influencing recommendations this year, mixed in with a few ways Pantone\u2019s 2026 color of the year is popping up around town \u2014 and sometimes plaguing us \u2014 these days.<\/p>\n 1. A chic, minimalist mug 2. New-build houses bought during the pandemic 3. Oat milk from Desnudo 4. The mailer HAAM sends after a donation 5. Flour from Barton Springs Mill 6. Waymos breezing past school buses 7. MSG from Hana World 8. Peaceful candles from Parker + Scott
You could spend $30 on what basically amounts to a plain white mug<\/a> from Pantone, or you could get one that\u2019s almost the same at H-E-B for less than $4<\/a>. If you simply can\u2019t resist a Pantone dupe, Austin-based cookware brand Made In sells a set<\/a> of not one, but four white Cloud Dancer mugs for $40. They also offer the same set with blue or red rims for added personality \u2014 gasp!<\/p>\n
Nothing says post-boom Austin quite like a multistory townhouse in all white \u2014 except a multistory townhouse in white with black trim. Thankfully, all the recent reports we\u2019ve seen say the Austin housing market is stabilizing<\/a>. However, Cloud Dancers who bought during the pandemic can stay up in the sky a while longer; a report this summer found that a third of those homes risked selling at a loss<\/a>, which was the worst of any major metro.<\/p>\n
Austinites are more than used to being made fun of for their physiological dependence on alternative milks. We recommend trying some at Desnudo\u2019s cute blue-and-Cloud-Dancer<\/a> coffee trailers. Desnudo is the reigning champion for Best Coffee Shop<\/a> according to CultureMap\u2019s industry-voted Tastemaker Awards; plus they don\u2019t upcharge customers for choosing non-dairy milks for their beverages.<\/p>\n
Austinites who want to give a gift in a trendy color \u2014 one that does some good for an actually colorful community \u2014 can make a donation to the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians<\/a> (HAAM) in a friend\u2019s name. They\u2019ll send out a practical receipt on Cloud Dancer office paper.<\/p>\n
Become the envy of all your friends when you brag that your delicious Christmas cookies were baked using stone-milled, Cloud Dancer-esque flour<\/a>. In all seriousness, we can’t help but be sincere about Barton Springs Mill, which sifts its premium all-purpose flour to a superfine \u201c00,\u201d giving it a \u201csilky soft, almost white\u201d appearance without the use of bleaching agents.<\/p>\n
Driverless vehicles are having their heyday in Austin, and like Cloud Dancer, Waymo cars’ neutral white silhouette has become a symbol of Austin’s divided opinions about techno-futurism. All eyes are really on the fleet this week: Austin Independent School District has entered a battle with the company after its bus cameras caught<\/a> Waymo vehicles illegally passing the buses\u2019 stop arms at least 19 times this year.<\/p>\n
A little umami never hurt anybody. Austinites making their final trips to specialty Asian grocery store Hana World, which closes permanently on December 15, can pick up some shelf-stable, versatile, Cloud Dancer-colored monosodium glutamate granules to help run up their tab. The owners have said<\/a> they plan to use their final sales to pay staff going into the holidays. <\/p>\n
Excuse our skepticism about how a white nylon keychain<\/a> is supposed to embody a \u201ccalming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection.\u201d Why not try some aromatherapy? Parker + Scott\u2019s aptly named<\/a> \u201cSmells Like Five Minutes of Peace\u201d candle uses cactus flower, jade amber, and \u201czero judgement\u201d to help find that inner calm. <\/p>\n