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For anyone who has spent years renting, staring at the same standard-issue beige walls and longing for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might feel like a personal attack.

This year, the influential color company has designated a shade of white as its premier hue.

In detail, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white described as "elevated" and "airy" which "acts as a emblem of calming influence in a society rediscovering the importance of introspection".

It marks the first time a pure white has been chosen as the Colour of the Year, and it has raised more than a few eyebrows.

According to Pantone, Cloud Dancer "represents more than a hue, it's a state of being" and embodies a shared yearning to slow down, recalibrate and find calm after years of sensory saturation.

But some critics have labelled the decision as "insensitive", arguing that promoting minimalist and pristine white spaces can feel disconnected from the more compact, lived-in homes the majority occupy.

Additional critics propose that positioning white as an ideal introduces racial undertones, landing uncomfortably during current political and cultural dialogues about race and representation.

Sterile or Serene?

Designer One design critic says the backlash goes beyond aesthetics, arguing that white carries societal connotations and is seldom a neutral choice.

"White is a signal," he says, shaped by a decade of minimalist celebrity interiors – most famously Kim Kardashian's stripped-back home – that came to symbolize "affluence, order and distance from disorder".

He clarifies that white is "not about inspiration but being careful not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer personifying "restraint, virtuous simplicity and the idea that impartiality signifies goodness".

The designer cites the pandemic as a defining period in how people relate to their homes.

"Suddenly they became our workspaces, sanctuaries and emotional anchors," he says, noting that in this context, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "further visual emptiness seems rather out of step".

Instead of providing calm, he contends white now threatens to amplifying "a sense of desolation", particularly when paired with cool, clinical lighting.

'Sterile Sensations

An interior designer, a UK-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 structural spaces, she says bright whites rarely foster calm in everyday living spaces.

"What looks serene in a professional photo can readily feel sterile at home," she clarifies.

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

She continues that "living spaces should elicit happiness and feel inviting and lived-in, and this hue feels quite removed from that."

Beaumont hopes that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "unabashed dopamine décor", using vibrant hues to showcase personality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute stated that people "bring different feelings" to the significance of the colour, but it was selected as it "works seamlessly with everything around it, providing a refined neutrality that seems intentional and versatile".

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

Previous selections have included the hopefulness of Living Coral, the calm confidence of a deep blue, the vibrancy of Viva Magenta, and more recently more gentle, emotionally driven tones like a soft peach.

These colours don't just live on style predictions - they appear in fashion collections, cosmetic products, home decor, packaging and even technology, shaping how products are sold and how consumers imagine the year ahead.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "beautiful choice" and while it may appear simple, "this particular shade seems gentle and refined rather than stark".

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

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

Design expert Another professional says although he was surprised that Pantone's pick this year was "fundamentally the absence of colour", it is a bit like vanilla ice cream, 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 wall molding and arched doorways which is a "rising style in modern homes".

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 accustomed to bold shades.

Luxury stylist A styling expert says championing white feels "less about novelty and more about intention", indicating a movement towards sophistication after years of fad saturation.

"White forces designers and those who wear it alike to concentrate on form, proportion and craftsmanship, there's really no room for error," she explains.

But she adds that it also holds assumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and advantage, stating: "If white is treated as something only a narrow group of people can pull off, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the fashion world is already cognizant of the problematic connotations tied to celebrating white as an aspirational standard, particularly amid ongoing conversations about representation and approachability, and the true challenge will be whether "brands address that complexity honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

Stylist Another expert concedes the choice at first shocked her, given Pantone's history of bold colours, but says it mirrors a genuine shift and aligns with a wider mood of "quiet luxury