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For many people who has spent a long time renting, staring at the same landlord-approved beige walls and yearning for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might seem like a personal attack.

This year, the renowned color company has designated white as its premier hue.

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "lofty" and "billowy" which "functions as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the worth of introspection".

It represents the initial instance white has been honored as the Colour of the Year, and it has raised more than a few eyebrows.

Per Pantone, Cloud Dancer "represents more than a hue, it's a philosophy" and signifies a shared yearning to decelerate, recalibrate and find calm after years of visual overload.

But some critics have dubbed the decision as "out of touch", suggesting that promoting minimalist and immaculate white spaces can feel distant from the smaller, lived-in homes most people call home.

Additional critics contend that framing white as aspirational carries racial undertones, landing uncomfortably amid continuing societal dialogues about race and representation.

Soothing or Stark?

Interior expert One design critic says the counter-reaction goes beyond aesthetics, noting that white bears deeper meanings and is rarely a neutral choice.

"The color white sends a message," he says, influenced by a ten-year period of sparse star homes – most famously Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to represent "wealth, control and distance from chaos".

He clarifies that white is "not about inspiration but taking care not to offend", with Cloud Dancer embodying "austerity, virtuous simplicity and the idea that impartiality signifies virtue".

The designer points to the global health crisis as a defining period in how people interact with their homes.

"Overnight they became our offices, sanctuaries and emotional anchors," he says, adding that in this context, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more visual emptiness seems rather out of step".

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

'Hospital Vibes'

Lara Clark, a Surrey based interior designer, agrees and says Cloud Dancer "doesn't really read as a colour" and is "firmly in the bin for me".

While it may suit extremely sparse or structural spaces, she says pure white shades rarely create calm in real homes.

"What looks serene in a styled shoot can readily seem clinical at home," she clarifies.

"White can feel harsh and unforgiving and you don't want your home to emit clinical feelings."

She continues that "homes should elicit happiness and be warm and lived-in, and this shade seems quite distant from that."

Beaumont expresses a desire that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "full-scale dopamine décor", using colour to express personality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute stated that people "have varied interpretations" to the meaning of the colour, but it was selected as it "integrates perfectly with everything around it, providing a sophisticated impartiality that feels intentional and adaptable".

Beginning in 2000, Pantone's Colour of the Year has evolved into a significant industry signal.

Past choices have featured the hopefulness of Living Coral, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and more recently more gentle, emotionally driven tones like a soft peach.

These colours extend beyond trend forecasts - they show up in clothing lines, beauty launches, home decor, packaging and even technology, influencing how products are marketed and how consumers envision the year ahead.

Victoria Robinson, says Cloud Dancer is a "elegant choice" and while it may appear simple, "this specific hue seems soft and elegant rather than severe".

In contrast to those who say the colour is dull, the expert sees it as "adaptable" and says it's best used in "sleeping quarters and living areas where you want a peaceful, calming atmosphere".

"Should you don't want to redecorate, you can introduce the colour into a room with cushions, throws and curtains."

Interior designer 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 not a top choice".

He can see its merits, noting that white can work particularly well as a backdrop for design features like wall molding and arched doorways which is a "growing trend in modern homes".

In apparel, white has long been a basic rather than a statement and as a Colour of the Year it presents a different challenge to designers more accustomed to bold shades.

Luxury stylist Oriona Robb says elevating white seems "not focused on newness and more about intention", reflecting a shift towards refinement after years of trend overloads.

"The color white compels designers and wearers alike to focus on form, proportion and quality, there's really no room for error," she explains.

But she continues that it also carries assumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and advantage, saying: "When white is viewed as something only a limited subset of people can wear well, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the industry is already cognizant of the uncomfortable undertones associated with lauding white as an aspirational standard, especially during continuing conversations about representation and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "brands address that nuance honestly, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Cultural Mood, Not a Trend

Style consultant Another expert admits the choice initially surprised her, considering Pantone's track record of bold colours, but says it reflects a authentic change and fits within a wider mood of "quiet luxury