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For many people who has spent a long time renting, staring at the same landlord-approved beige walls and dreaming of injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might feel like a direct affront.

This year, the renowned color company has selected white as its annual hue.

To be precise, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white characterized as "elevated" and "billowy" which "functions as a symbol of calming influence in a society re-evaluating the value of stillness".

It marks the initial instance a pure white has been chosen as the Colour of the Year, and it has sparked considerable debate.

According to Pantone, Cloud Dancer "represents more than a hue, it's a mindset" and reflects a collective yearning to decelerate, recalibrate and achieve serenity after years of visual overload.

But some critics have dubbed the decision as "insensitive", arguing that championing minimalist and pristine white spaces can seem distant from the more compact, messier homes most people occupy.

Others propose that framing white as aspirational carries racial undertones, landing uncomfortably during continuing political and cultural discussions about inclusion and diversity.

Clinical or Calm?

Interior expert Chris Beaumont says the backlash transcends surface appeal, noting that white bears cultural undertones and is rarely a neutral choice.

"The color white sends a message," he says, shaped by a decade of minimalist celebrity interiors – most famously Kim Kardashian's stripped-back home – that came to epitomize "affluence, order and distance from chaos".

He explains that white is "not about inspiration but taking care not to offend", with Cloud Dancer embodying "restraint, moral minimalism and the idea that neutrality signifies virtue".

The designer points to the global health crisis as a turning point in how people perceive their homes.

"Almost instantly they became our workspaces, refuges and sources of stability," he says, stating that against this backdrop, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "more visual emptiness seems rather tone-deaf".

Rather than offering calm, he argues white now risks amplifying "a sense of desolation", especially when combined with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Sterile Sensations

An interior designer, a Surrey based interior designer, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "is not perceived as a colour" and is "firmly in the bin for me".

Although it may work in highly minimal or architectural spaces, she says pure white shades rarely create calm in everyday living spaces.

"An image of tranquility in a professional photo can readily feel sterile at home," she clarifies.

"White can feel stark and unforgiving and you wouldn't wish your home to give hospital vibes."

She adds that "living spaces should spark joy and be inviting and welcoming, and this hue feels quite removed from that."

The critic hopes that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "unabashed joyful interior design", using vibrant hues to showcase individuality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute stated that people "bring different feelings" to the meaning of the colour, but it was selected as it "integrates perfectly with everything around it, offering a sophisticated impartiality that seems intentional and versatile".

Since its launch in 2000, Pantone's Colour of the Year has become a powerful industry signal.

Past choices have featured the hopefulness of a vibrant pink-orange, the calm confidence of a deep blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and more recently more gentle, feeling-based tones like Peach Fuzz.

These hues extend beyond trend forecasts - they show up in fashion collections, cosmetic products, home decor, packaging and even technology, shaping how products are sold and how consumers envision the coming year.

Victoria Robinson, says Cloud Dancer is a "elegant choice" and while it may appear basic, "this specific hue feels soft and elegant rather than stark".

Contrary to those who say the colour is boring, Robinson sees it as "flexible" and says it's best used in "bedrooms and living areas where you want a peaceful, restful ambiance".

"Even if you prefer not to redecorate, you can introduce the colour into a room with pillows, blankets and curtains."

Design expert James Mellan-Matulewicz says although he was taken aback that Pantone's selection this year was "essentially the absence of colour", it is a bit like vanilla ice cream, in that "it is universally accepted but it's nobody's favourite".

He can see its benefits, noting that white can work especially effectively as a background for architectural details like wall molding and curved entries which is a "growing trend in modern homes".

In apparel, white has long been a staple rather than a bold declaration and as a Colour of the Year it poses a unique test to designers more familiar with bold shades.

Luxury stylist Oriona Robb says championing white feels "less about novelty and more about intention", reflecting a shift towards refinement after years of fad saturation.

"The color white compels designers and those who wear it alike to concentrate on shape, scale and quality, there's really no room for error," she explains.

But she continues that it also carries presumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and advantage, stating: "When white is treated as something only a limited subset of people can pull off, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the fashion world is already aware of the uncomfortable undertones associated with celebrating white as an ideal, especially during continuing conversations about representation and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "brands address that nuance authentically, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Cultural Mood, Not a Trend

Style consultant Another expert admits the choice at first surprised her, given Pantone's history of vibrant hues, but says it reflects a genuine shift and aligns with a broader sentiment of "quiet luxury