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For anyone who has spent a long time renting, staring at the same standard-issue magnolia walls and dreaming of adding some actual personality to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might be perceived as a direct affront.

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

In detail, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "lofty" and "billowy" which "functions as a emblem of tranquility in a society rediscovering the importance of quiet reflection".

It represents the initial instance a pure 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 embodies a shared desire to slow down, recalibrate and find calm after years of visual overload.

But some commentators have labelled the decision as "insensitive", suggesting that promoting minimalist and immaculate white spaces can feel distant from the more compact, lived-in homes most people occupy.

Additional critics argue that framing white as an ideal introduces racial undertones, creating unease within current political and cultural dialogues about race and representation.

Sterile or Serene?

Interior expert One design critic says the criticism transcends aesthetics, stating that white holds societal connotations and is seldom a innocuous choice.

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

He elaborates that white is "not about inspiration but being careful not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer representing "restraint, virtuous simplicity and the notion that neutrality equals goodness".

Beaumont cites the global health crisis as a defining period in how people perceive their homes.

"Almost instantly they transformed into our offices, refuges and sources of stability," he says, noting that against this backdrop, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "further visual emptiness feels rather disconnected".

Instead of offering calm, he argues white now threatens to intensifying "a feeling of desolation", particularly when paired 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 "completely rejected for me".

Although it may suit highly minimal or structural spaces, she says pure white shades seldom create calm in everyday living spaces.

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

"The color white may seem harsh and unforgiving 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 shade feels quite removed from that."

The critic hopes that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "unabashed joyful interior design", using vibrant hues to showcase personality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute stated that people "have varied interpretations" to the meaning of the colour, but it was chosen as it "works seamlessly with everything around it, offering a sophisticated impartiality that seems deliberate and adaptable".

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

Past choices have included the optimism of a vibrant pink-orange, the calm confidence of a deep blue, the vibrancy of Viva Magenta, and more recently softer, emotionally driven tones like a soft peach.

These colours extend beyond trend forecasts - they appear in fashion collections, cosmetic products, home decor, product wrapping and even technology, shaping how products are sold and how consumers imagine the coming year.

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

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

"Should you don't want to repaint, you can introduce the colour into a room with pillows, throws and drapes."

Design expert Another professional says although he was surprised that Pantone's selection this year was "essentially the absence of colour", it is a bit like a basic flavor, in that "everyone likes it but it's nobody's favourite".

He can see its benefits, explaining that white can work especially effectively as a background for design features like panelling and curved entries which is a "growing trend in contemporary houses".

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

Fashion consultant Oriona Robb says championing white seems "not focused on newness and more concerned with purpose", indicating a movement towards refinement after years of fad saturation.

"White forces designers and wearers alike to concentrate on shape, proportion and quality, there's really no room for error," she explains.

But she adds that it also carries assumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and privilege, stating: "If white is treated as something only a limited subset of people can wear well, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the industry is already aware of the problematic connotations tied to celebrating white as an ideal, especially amid continuing discussions about inclusion and approachability, and the real test will be whether "companies address that complexity honestly, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

Stylist Another expert concedes the choice at first surprised her, given Pantone's history of bold colours, but says it reflects a genuine shift and fits within a broader sentiment of "quiet luxury