Near the end of each calendar year, many color authorities and paint companies select a “Color of the Year” for the upcoming year. Most are predicated on current home designs, fashion, style and art trends, and they’re great fun to peruse for backstories.
Natural, earthy hues found in nature, plus saturated versions of blues, greens and reddish browns, lead the 2026 Color of the Year pack, heralding calm hues that are beautiful and easygoing.
Worldwide color company Pantone — one of the most anticipated sources — chose a stunning, soaring white called “Cloud Dancer” for 2026.
If you’re ready to buy or build a new custom Florida with ICI Homes, many of these colors are on-trend in a state where gorgeous landscapes and outdoor beauty often take centerstage.
Ready to learn more? Here are some tips for using these fresh colors in your new custom home.
Key takeaways
- Soft, nature-inspired colors continue to shape home design, creating bright, calming spaces that feel timeless.
- Using a consistent color palette throughout the home can make interiors feel larger, more cohesive, and filled with natural light.
- Accent colors, wallpaper, and color-drenching can add personality to spaces like home offices, powder rooms, and bedrooms.
- The ICI Homes Design Center helps homeowners select colors and finishes that reflect their personal style while creating a cohesive custom home.
Air it out
One of the most cohesive ways of using color in interior design is to go whole-house with it.
It’s never a bad choice because a neutral like Pantone’s Cloud Dancer both brightens and unifies every room. A single overall hue also visually expands your interiors, rather than the visual choppiness that can come with different colors on lots of walls.
But a classic white isn’t the only option. Depending on your household’s preference, a green or blue (or caramel) would accomplish the same goal. Or, a lighter variation of any favorite color.
Paint always is a personal choice, so don’t feel as though you MUST use the latest choices.
Pair it up
Unsure what colors you’d like in your new custom home? You might know those you DON’T want after living with them in your current abode!
Scan your wardrobe, favorite furnishings, decorative objects, collections and colors you gravitate toward in public spaces and friends’ and family members’ homes for clues and inspiration.
Need more help? ICI Homes’ latest model homes are just waiting to inspire you color-wise, in person or via video and digital photography on our website.
Once you’ve nailed new favorites, try pairing a color with one of today’s favorite design trends from the past — wallpaper. Bathrooms and bedrooms are fun places to do this, and if you need help with everything color-wise, our pros at the ICI Homes Design Center are glad to guide you through possibilities so that you can make your choices.
Which brings us to…
Color-drenching
Lavender your jam? Go for it. Our tip here is to be selective, unless your household is game going whole-house with pale lavender (share pics on our socials!).
Color-drenching is particularly fun in private spaces like powder rooms and home offices. Those are good spots to be adventurous since they don’t dominate more public living spaces. After all, if you later rue that red-hot powder room, all you need to quiet it are few new cans of paint!
Ready for your new custom Florida home? Talk to ICI Homes here.