Pantone’s Cloud Dancer: A Neuroaesthetic Perspective On This Interior Design Decision

The design industry is, understandably, up in arms over Pantone’s 2026 Color of the Year: Cloud Dancer. As an interior designer who applies neuroaesthetic principles to my work, I wanted to weigh in. This decision says far more about our cultural moment than it does about color itself.

White, particularly in Western cultures, has long symbolized cleanliness, purity, and renewal. There is an undercurrent in society right now, a collective desire to start fresh, to reset, to return to something that feels clean and uncomplicated. In that sense, Pantone’s selection makes sense. It reflects a perception that people are craving neutrality, simplicity, and the psychological relief that comes with visual calm.

But here’s the tension: we don’t need Pantone to tell us to use white.

"Above the Clouds" seems to be the response from the Interior Design Industry on Pantone's 2026 Color of the Year "Cloud Dancer"

There is nothing new, bold, or revelatory about it. Designers have always used white. We know its power, its versatility, and its nuance. White is never just white. There are dozens of undertones, temperatures, and personalities within the category. Cloud Dancer will undoubtedly be beautiful in certain spaces. That is not the issue.

The issue is expectation.

The design industry looks to Pantone not for the obvious, but for inspiration for a color that captures momentum, creativity, and cultural evolution. Designers are hungry right now. We are in a moment of growth, confidence, and excitement. We want to flex. We want to show the world what is possible. And white, while essential, does not do that on a headline level.

The strong reaction to this choice feels rooted in annoyance and discomfort, and perhaps a collective “seriously?!”  White has always been the fallback. The safe option. The easy, sometimes lazy way to “refresh” a space. For a Color of the Year, many were hoping for something more courageous, something that challenged designers and clients alike to think differently.

This is where a neuroaesthetic lens becomes especially relevant.

When we apply neuroaesthetics to interior design, we are not asking whether something is simply beautiful or on trend. We are analyzing how a space is perceived, processed, and experienced by the human brain and nervous system. Neuroaesthetics gives us a framework to understand why environments resonate or fail to.

We look to three criteria when analyzing an aesthetic experience.

First, meaning and knowledge. This is the cognitive layer: what we understand about a space based on memory, culture, context, and personal history. A color is never neutral. White may communicate cleanliness and renewal in Western cultures, while carrying entirely different symbolism elsewhere. Pantone’s choice, then, becomes less about innovation and more about signaling a societal desire for order, clarity, and a reset.

Second, feeling and emotion. This is the visceral response. How does a space make us feel? Safe, inspired, grounded, energized? Emotional engagement is not accidental. A room that prioritizes neutrality alone may feel calm. But it can also feel flat, uninspiring, or emotionally distant. Humans do not connect deeply to spaces that offer nothing to respond to.

Third, sensory cues and data. This is the constant stream of information our senses are taking in: light, texture, fragrance, sound, air flow. The brain uses this data to assess comfort, safety, and engagement. Too much stimulation overwhelms us; too little disengages us. White-heavy environments often reduce sensory input, which can regulate the nervous system. But may also mute curiosity and momentum.

From this perspective, Pantone’s emphasis on calm is understandable. The idea of the home as a wellness space is everywhere, and rightly so. There are moments when the nervous system truly needs regulation, when overstimulation or chaos require environments that support the parasympathetic response.

Yes, calming spaces matter.

But calm is not the only human need.

People don’t always want serenity. Calendars are full. Lives are active. There is ambition, creativity, and forward motion to support. As interior designers, especially those working through a neuroaesthetic lens, our role is not merely to soothe, but to set the stage for life as it is actually being lived.

When neuroaesthetics is applied well, the goal is not neutrality, it is belonging. A successful space feels cohesive, fascinating, and homey in a neurological sense. It feels aligned. It engages the senses just enough to stimulate, inspire, and motivate. It supports regulation when needed, but it also supports action.

We do not take action for our clients. We create environments that encourage them to do so.

Viewed this way, Pantone’s Cloud Dancer reads less as a design directive and more as a cultural mirror. It reflects a society craving simplicity and ease, perhaps even choosing the path of least resistance when faced with complexity.

White will always have its place. It is timeless, powerful, and essential.

But for Color of the Year, designers were hoping for color. Something that captured where we’re going, not where we retreat.