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For many people who has spent years living in rental properties, staring at the same standard-issue beige walls and dreaming of injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might feel like a personal attack.

This time around, the renowned color company has chosen white as its premier hue.

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white characterized as "elevated" and "billowy" which "serves as a emblem of tranquility in a society re-evaluating the value of quiet reflection".

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

Per Pantone, Cloud Dancer "transcends mere pigment, it's a philosophy" and signifies a widespread yearning to slow down, recalibrate and seek peace after years of aesthetic chaos.

But some detractors have branded the decision as "out of touch", suggesting that promoting sparse and pristine white spaces can seem disconnected from the more compact, lived-in homes the majority occupy.

Additional critics argue that positioning white as aspirational carries racial undertones, creating unease within current societal dialogues about inclusion and diversity.

Soothing or Stark?

Interior expert One design critic says the counter-reaction transcends surface appeal, arguing that white holds deeper meanings and is rarely a innocuous choice.

"White is a signal," he says, influenced by a ten-year period of minimalist celebrity interiors – most notably Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to represent "affluence, order and distance from chaos".

He elaborates that white is "not about inspiration but being careful not to offend", with Cloud Dancer personifying "restraint, virtuous simplicity and the notion that neutrality denotes virtue".

Beaumont cites the pandemic as a defining period in how people interact with their homes.

"Almost instantly they became our offices, refuges and emotional anchors," he says, stating that against this backdrop, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "more visual emptiness feels rather disconnected".

Instead of providing calm, he argues white now threatens to amplifying "a feeling of emptiness", especially when combined with cool, clinical lighting.

'Hospital Vibes'

An interior designer, a UK-based interior designer, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "is not perceived as a colour" and is "completely rejected for me".

While it may work in extremely sparse or structural spaces, she says pure white shades rarely create calm in everyday living spaces.

"An image of tranquility in a styled shoot can easily seem clinical at home," she clarifies.

"White can feel harsh and demanding and you don't want your home to emit hospital vibes."

She continues that "living spaces should elicit happiness and be inviting and welcoming, and this hue seems quite distant from that."

The critic expresses a desire that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "full-scale joyful interior design", using colour to express personality.

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

Beginning in 2000, Pantone's Colour of the Year has evolved into a powerful trend indicator.

Previous selections have featured the hopefulness of Living Coral, the serene assurance of Classic Blue, the energy of a bold pink-red, and more recently softer, emotionally driven tones like Peach Fuzz.

These colours don't just live on style predictions - they show up in clothing lines, beauty launches, interiors, packaging and even consumer electronics, shaping how products are sold and how consumers imagine the coming year.

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

In contrast to those who say the colour is boring, the expert sees it as "flexible" and says it's best used in "bedrooms and communal spaces where you want a serene, restful ambiance".

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

Design expert Another professional says although he was taken aback that Pantone's pick this year was "fundamentally the absence of colour", it is a bit like a basic flavor, in that "everyone likes it but it's not a top choice".

He can see its merits, noting that white can work especially effectively as a background for design features like panelling and arched doorways which is a "rising style in contemporary houses".

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

Luxury stylist Oriona Robb says championing white seems "not focused on newness 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 focus on shape, scale and quality, there's really nowhere to hide," she explains.

But she adds that it also holds assumptions around self-image, way of life and privilege, saying: "If white is treated as something only a narrow group of people can wear well, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the industry is already aware of the problematic connotations associated with celebrating white as an aspirational standard, particularly amid ongoing discussions about representation and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "brands engage with that complexity honestly, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Stylist Another expert concedes the choice at first surprised her, considering Pantone's track record of vibrant hues, but says it reflects a authentic change and fits within a wider mood of "quiet luxury