Finding Calm in Cloud Dancer: My Journey with Felt and Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2026

There’s a quiet kind of joy in discovering a colour that feels like it’s been waiting for you. For me, that colour is Cloud Dancer — Pantone’s Colour of the Year for 2026 — and I’ve found its soft, airy presence especially beautiful when translated into felt. 

Cloud Dancer is subtle and gentle, sitting somewhere between off-white, pale grey, and the suggestion of sky on a calm morning.(But its incredibly difficult to photograph accurately). It isn’t a colour that shouts for attention; instead, it invites you to slow down, to look closer, and to breathe a little more deeply. In a world that often feels noisy and overstimulated, this shade feels like a pause — and felt, as a material, amplifies that feeling perfectly.

Working with felt in Cloud Dancer has been a surprisingly emotional experience for me. Felt already carries a sense of warmth and comfort. It’s soft, tactile, and forgiving, encouraging hands-on making and mindful creativity. When paired with such a calm, cloud-like colour, the result feels almost meditative. I’ve noticed that simply handling the material helps me feel grounded, as if the combination of texture and tone is gently reminding me to be present.

What I love most about Cloud Dancer felt is its versatility. Because the colour is so neutral yet full of character, it works beautifully across a wide range of uses. In home décor, it lends itself to soft furnishings such as wall hangings, lampshade accents, and decorative panels. The colour reflects light rather than absorbing it, making spaces feel brighter, airier, and more open.

In craft and design projects, Cloud Dancer felt is an ideal base colour. It pairs effortlessly with pastels for a delicate, romantic feel, or with darker tones for contrast and structure. I’ve found it especially effective in embroidery, appliqué, and layered textile art, where its softness allows stitching and detail to shine without overwhelming the design.

There’s also something wonderfully reassuring about using this felt for practical, everyday items. Book covers, glasses cases, and laptop sleeves all benefit from felt’s durability and Cloud Dancer’s understated elegance. These are objects that live with us daily, and having them in a colour that feels calm and intentional subtly changes how we experience our surroundings.

Ultimately, Cloud Dancer feels less like a trend and more like a state of mind. Through felt, I’ve found it to be a reminder that softness has strength, neutrality can be expressive, and quiet design can still carry deep emotion. As I continue to work with this colour, it feels less like I’m following a “Colour of the Year” and more like I’m listening to what I need right now: calm, clarity, and comfort — stitched gently into felt.