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For those who has spent years renting, confronted by the same landlord-approved magnolia walls and longing for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might be perceived as a disappointing choice.

This time around, the influential color company has selected 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 calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection".

It represents the first time a pure white has been chosen 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 mindset" and reflects a widespread yearning to decelerate, reset and find calm after years of visual overload.

But some critics have branded the decision as "out of touch", suggesting that promoting sparse and immaculate white spaces can feel disconnected from the more compact, lived-in homes the majority inhabit.

Others propose that positioning white as aspirational carries racial undertones, causing discomfort during continuing political and cultural dialogues about race and representation.

Soothing or Stark?

Interior expert One design critic says the backlash goes beyond aesthetics, arguing that white bears deeper meanings and is rarely a neutral choice.

"White is a signal," he says, influenced by a decade of minimalist celebrity interiors – most notably Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to represent "wealth, order and removal from chaos".

He elaborates that white is "not about inspiration but taking care not to offend", with Cloud Dancer personifying "restraint, moral minimalism and the concept that impartiality denotes goodness".

The designer points to the pandemic as a pivotal moment in how people relate to their homes.

"Suddenly they became our workspaces, sanctuaries and sources of stability," he says, adding that against this backdrop, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness feels rather disconnected".

Instead of providing calm, he argues white now threatens to heightening "a feeling of bleakness", particularly when paired with harsh, sterile lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

An interior designer, a UK-based design expert, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "doesn't really read as a colour" and is "firmly in the bin for me".

Although it may suit extremely sparse or structural spaces, she says bright whites seldom create calm in real homes.

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

"White can feel stark and unforgiving and you wouldn't wish your home to emit clinical feelings."

She adds that "homes should spark joy and be warm and lived-in, and this hue feels quite removed from that."

The critic expresses a desire that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "unabashed joyful interior design", using colour to express personality.

A representative of the Pantone Colour Institute commented that people "bring different feelings" to the significance of the colour, but it was chosen as it "integrates perfectly with everything around it, providing a sophisticated impartiality that seems intentional and adaptable".

Since its launch in 2000, Pantone's Colour of the Year has evolved into a powerful industry signal.

Previous selections have featured the hopefulness of Living Coral, the calm confidence of a deep blue, the vibrancy of Viva Magenta, and most recently softer, emotionally driven tones like Peach Fuzz.

These hues don't just live on trend forecasts - they appear in fashion collections, beauty launches, interiors, product wrapping and even consumer electronics, shaping how products are marketed and how consumers imagine the year ahead.

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

Contrary to those who say the colour is dull, Robinson sees it as "flexible" and says it's best used in "bedrooms and communal spaces where you want a peaceful, calming atmosphere".

"Even if you don't want to repaint, you can introduce the colour into a room with cushions, blankets and curtains."

Interior designer Another professional says although he was surprised that Pantone's selection this year was "fundamentally the absence of colour", it is a bit like a basic flavor, in that "it is universally accepted but it's nobody's favourite".

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

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

Luxury stylist A styling expert says elevating white feels "less about novelty and more concerned with purpose", reflecting a shift towards sophistication after years of trend overloads.

"White forces designers and wearers alike to focus on shape, proportion and craftsmanship, there's really no room for error," she clarifies.

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

She says the industry is already aware of the uncomfortable undertones associated with celebrating white as an ideal, particularly amid continuing conversations about representation and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "companies engage with that complexity authentically, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Stylist Katie Malik admits the choice at first surprised her, given Pantone's track record of bold colours, but says it reflects a authentic change and fits within a broader sentiment of "quiet luxury