Page 64 - Demo

64 | Gazette Life | February 2026GAZETTE | EXTERIORThis year%u2019s Pantone shade of the year has been a controversial choice, but it%u2019s one that means that Lanzarote couldn%u2019t be more fashionable.Cloud Dancer, or Pantone 11-4201, is a %u201csoft, serene off-white chosen to symbolize calm, clarity, quiet reflection, and new beginnings in a fast-paced world%u201d, according to the publicity. It%u2019s the first time a white has been chosen as shade of the year, and the choice has been criticised for being boring, with claims that %u201cwhite isn%u2019t a colour.%u201d In fact, as whites go, Cloud Dancer seems to be even more boring than other off-white shades, such as Magnolia, with its tinge of pink, or Cream, with its touch of yellow. If anything, it%u2019s just a wee bit grey, like a cloud, and is hardly likely to over-excite any home decorator.That, however, may be the point. The world is not in a calm and tranquil state at the moment, and perhaps Pantone feel that we So hot white now!need something that barely makes us think at all, a calm, blank space of oblivion. In any case, it%u2019s a choice that%u2019ll make exterior decorators on Lanzarote feel a little trendier than they usually do. White is, of course, not only one of the favourite colours on Lanzarote, but it is also stipulated by local by-laws, based on the aesthetic decisions of C%u00e9sar Manrique. Lanzarote%u2019s love affair with white is based on its historic lime industry, based on the burning of glasswort in kilns called caleros. Lime was exported all over Europe and meant that cheap limewash was also available to paint homes. White is also one of three colours of the Canarian flag, echoing the clouds of the sky and the breaking surf on the coasts of eight islands. White egrets are often seen around the island, and the pale, white skin of Scottish and Irish tourists is also a common sight for the first few hours of their holiday, after which it turns a bright pink, similar to Pantone%u2019s Living Coral, which was bang on trend in 2019. The truth, of course, is that Lanzarote%u2019s white colour scheme is likely to continue for many more decades, but for the moment, islanders who are painting their walls and roofs can console themselves that, while it may be a bit boring, whitewash is so hot right now. A fashionable egret struts its stuff in the colour of the year.