The Colour of the Year announcements provide an exciting end to every year, giving us interior inspiration for the months ahead. In 2025, the leading two names in colour - Dulux and Pantone – chose from opposite ends of the spectrum. The colours chosen work as stand-alone shades but also, coincidently, work perfectly together! Here’s our guide to what homes will be wearing in 2026.
Boldest blue
For 2026, Dulux has chosen a trio of colours instead of just one. The Rhythm of Blues brings three indigo shades into our home. Slow Swing is the most intense of the pack, with its dark navy, inky tones for the bravest of decorators. While it can be used to create a cosy home office or perhaps a dining room when applied to every wall, it is a powerful shade. Dial down its intensity by confining it to a feature wall with a soft white or pale grey on the other walls.
Free Groove features a primary blue pigment, and is full of verve and vibrancy. When bought in the right paint finish, it can be applied to kitchen cabinets and furniture – perfect if you want a pop of colour in an otherwise neutrally-decorated space.
We think Mellow Flow will find the most fans being the most subtle of the three colours. Its calming qualities make it an ideal colour for use in bedrooms and bathrooms, pairing well with white fittings and oak furniture.
If in doubt, accessorise
If blue is too strong a colour to be used as a paint, think about adding some blue accessories that reflect Dulux’s Colours of the Year 2026.
Inspired by Free Groove: both John Lewis’s glass plump posy vase in cobalt or Next’s blue glass vase would look amazing filled with white flowers. You could also follow the colour combination up in the bathroom with this set of three blue glass storage accessories from Darthome – they’ll stand out beautifully against white sanitaryware.
Inspired by Slow Swing: bring a touch of whimsy to your home with Oliva Bonas’s iconic gluggle jug in the deepest midnight blue or go dark with your duvet with Dunelm’s Alston waffle set. If you’d like to add a dash of inky charm to your sofa, try this velvet pleated cushion from The Range in navy.
Inspired by Mellow Flow: Birdie Fortescue’s painted wooden candlesticks in light blue, teamed with Pooky’s candles in French blue, bring the softest shades to the dinner table. And blue and white is such a classic colour combination that these towels in petrol blue from M&S are a shortcut to bathroom style.
Whiter shade of pale
Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2026 has taken the world of interiors by surprise. After some very bold choices that have been divisive and hard to apply in the home, it has opted for Cloud Dancer.
Cloud Dancer for a blank canvas
It’s a barely-there shade of white, with a slight beige-grey undertone that gives it homely warmth. It’s a super versatile neutral that anyone can apply anywhere – use it to inspire your next paint purchase and create a calm, harmonious environment.
Dulux’s Rock Salt, Calm Clouds, Magic White and White Mist are good colour matches to Cloud Dancer, with just enough colour to balance out Dulux’s rich blue Colours of the Year. Soft white paint alternatives include Lick’s White 04, Benjamin Moore’s White Dove and French Chic’s Moon Whispers.
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