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For those who has spent years renting, confronted by the same landlord-approved magnolia walls and dreaming of adding some actual personality to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might feel like a personal attack.

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

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

It represents the initial instance a pure white has been chosen as the Colour of the Year, and it has generated significant controversy.

As stated by Pantone, Cloud Dancer "is not just a colour, it's a mindset" and signifies a shared yearning to decelerate, recalibrate and seek peace after years of visual overload.

But some detractors have dubbed the decision as "Pantonedeaf", suggesting that promoting sparse and immaculate white spaces can feel far removed from the more compact, lived-in homes the majority call home.

Others contend that framing white as aspirational risks racial undertones, landing uncomfortably amid ongoing societal conversations about inclusion and diversity.

Sterile or Serene?

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

"White is a signal," he says, shaped by a decade of minimalist celebrity interiors – most notably Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to epitomize "affluence, order and distance from chaos".

He clarifies that white is "not about inspiration but being careful not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer representing "austerity, moral minimalism and the idea that impartiality equals goodness".

Beaumont references the global health crisis as a turning point in how people interact with their homes.

"Almost instantly they transformed into our offices, sanctuaries and sources of stability," he says, adding that in this context, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "further aesthetic barrenness feels rather disconnected".

Instead of providing calm, he believes white now risks intensifying "a feeling of desolation", particularly when paired with cool, clinical lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

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

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

"What looks serene in a styled shoot can easily feel sterile at home," she clarifies.

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

She adds that "living spaces should elicit happiness and feel warm 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 "full-scale joyful interior design", using colour to showcase individuality.

A representative of the Pantone Colour Institute stated that people "have varied interpretations" to the significance of the colour, but it was chosen as it "works seamlessly with everything around it, providing a refined neutrality that seems intentional and adaptable".

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

Previous selections have featured the optimism of a vibrant pink-orange, the serene assurance of Classic Blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and more recently more gentle, emotionally driven tones like a soft peach.

These colours extend beyond style predictions - they appear in clothing lines, beauty launches, interiors, packaging and even consumer electronics, influencing how products are marketed and how consumers envision the coming year.

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

In contrast 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 serene, calming atmosphere".

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

Design expert James Mellan-Matulewicz 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 particularly well 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 staple rather than a bold declaration and as a Colour of the Year it presents a different challenge to designers more familiar with bold shades.

Fashion consultant A styling expert says championing white seems "less about novelty and more about intention", reflecting a movement towards sophistication after years of fad saturation.

"White forces designers and wearers alike to concentrate on shape, proportion and craftsmanship, there's really nowhere to hide," she clarifies.

But she adds that it also holds presumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and privilege, saying: "When white is treated as something only a limited subset of people can pull off, it becomes divisive."

She says the industry is already aware of the problematic connotations tied to lauding white as an aspirational standard, especially during ongoing conversations about representation and approachability, and the real test will be whether "companies address that complexity authentically, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Stylist Another expert admits the choice initially shocked her, given Pantone's history of vibrant hues, but says it mirrors a authentic change and aligns with a wider mood of "quiet luxury