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For anyone who has spent a long time living in rental properties, staring at the same standard-issue beige walls and dreaming of adding some actual personality to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might feel like a personal attack.

This time around, the influential color company has selected a shade of white as its flagship hue.

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "elevated" and "airy" which "acts as a emblem of calming influence in a society re-learning the importance of stillness".

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

According to Pantone, Cloud Dancer "transcends mere pigment, it's a state of being" and signifies a widespread urge to decelerate, recalibrate and find calm after years of visual overload.

But some detractors have branded the decision as "insensitive", arguing that promoting sparse and pristine white spaces can feel disconnected from the smaller, messier homes everyday individuals inhabit.

Additional critics contend that positioning white as an ideal introduces racial undertones, creating unease amid continuing political and cultural dialogues about race and representation.

Clinical or Calm?

Interior expert One design critic says the backlash goes beyond aesthetics, stating that white holds societal connotations 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 symbolize "wealth, control and distance from disorder".

He explains that white is "not intended to inspire but being careful not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer representing "restraint, moral minimalism and the idea that impartiality equals goodness".

The designer references the pandemic as a defining period in how people perceive their homes.

"Almost instantly they became our offices, sanctuaries and emotional anchors," he says, adding that against this backdrop, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "further visual emptiness seems rather tone-deaf".

Rather than providing calm, he believes white now risks intensifying "a feeling of desolation", particularly when paired with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Hospital Vibes'

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

While it may work in highly minimal or architectural spaces, she says pure white shades rarely foster calm in real homes.

"What looks serene in a professional photo can easily seem sterile at home," she explains.

"The color white may seem stark and demanding and you don't want your home to give clinical feelings."

She continues that "homes should elicit happiness and be warm and lived-in, and this hue feels quite removed from that."

Beaumont expresses a desire that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "full-scale 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 significance of the colour, but it was chosen as it "works seamlessly with everything around it, providing a sophisticated impartiality that feels intentional and versatile".

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

Past choices have featured the optimism of Living Coral, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and more recently softer, feeling-based tones like a soft peach.

These colours don't just live on style predictions - they show up in fashion collections, cosmetic products, home decor, packaging and even consumer electronics, influencing how products are marketed and how consumers imagine the coming year.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "beautiful choice" and while it may appear basic, "this particular shade feels soft and elegant rather than severe".

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

"Should you prefer not to repaint, you can introduce the colour into a room with pillows, throws and drapes."

Design expert Another professional says although he was taken aback that Pantone's pick this year was "fundamentally the lack of pigment", it is a bit like vanilla ice cream, in that "everyone likes it but it's not a top choice".

He can see its benefits, noting that white can work particularly well as a background for design features like panelling and curved entries which is a "rising style in modern homes".

In fashion, white has long been a staple rather than a statement and as a Colour of the Year it presents a unique test to designers more accustomed to vibrant colors.

Fashion consultant Oriona Robb says championing white seems "less about novelty and more concerned with purpose", indicating a shift towards refinement after years of fad saturation.

"The color white compels designers and those who wear it alike to focus on shape, proportion and craftsmanship, there's really no room for error," she clarifies.

But she continues that it also holds assumptions around body confidence, way of life and privilege, saying: "When white is viewed as something only a limited subset of people can pull off, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the industry is already aware of the problematic connotations tied to lauding white as an ideal, particularly during ongoing conversations about inclusion and approachability, and the real test will be whether "companies address that nuance honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Style consultant Katie Malik admits the choice initially shocked 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