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For those who has spent a long time renting, confronted by the same landlord-approved beige walls and longing for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might be perceived as a personal attack.

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

To be precise, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white described as "lofty" and "billowy" which "acts as a emblem of calming influence in a society re-evaluating the importance of stillness".

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

As stated by Pantone, Cloud Dancer "is not just a colour, it's a mindset" and embodies a widespread desire to decelerate, recalibrate and find calm after years of aesthetic chaos.

But some critics have branded the decision as "insensitive", arguing that championing sparse and pristine white spaces can seem disconnected from the smaller, lived-in homes the majority inhabit.

Additional critics argue that framing white as an ideal carries subtext related to race, landing uncomfortably within continuing political and cultural conversations about race and representation.

Sterile or Serene?

Interior expert One design critic says the criticism goes beyond surface appeal, stating that white bears deeper meanings and is seldom a neutral choice.

"The color white sends a message," he says, influenced by a ten-year period of minimalist celebrity interiors – most notably Kim Kardashian's stripped-back home – that came to epitomize "affluence, order and distance from chaos".

He clarifies that white is "not intended to inspire but taking care not to offend", with Cloud Dancer embodying "restraint, moral minimalism and the concept that impartiality equals virtue".

Beaumont cites the global health crisis as a pivotal moment in how people perceive their homes.

"Almost instantly they transformed into our workspaces, refuges and emotional anchors," he says, stating that in this context, directing the Colour of the Year towards "further visual emptiness seems rather tone-deaf".

Instead of providing calm, he contends white now threatens to intensifying "a feeling of bleakness", especially when paired with cool, clinical lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

Lara Clark, a Surrey based design expert, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "is not perceived as a colour" and is "completely rejected for me".

Although it may work in extremely sparse or structural spaces, she says pure white shades rarely create calm in everyday living spaces.

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

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

She continues that "homes should elicit happiness and feel inviting and welcoming, and this shade seems quite distant from that."

Beaumont expresses a desire that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "full-scale dopamine décor", using vibrant hues to showcase individuality.

The vice president 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, offering a sophisticated impartiality that feels intentional and versatile".

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

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

These hues don't just live on trend forecasts - they appear in clothing lines, 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 "elegant choice" and while it may appear simple, "this specific hue feels gentle and refined rather than severe".

Contrary to those who say the colour is boring, Robinson sees it as "adaptable" and says it's best used in "bedrooms and living areas where you want a peaceful, restful atmosphere".

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

Design expert James Mellan-Matulewicz says although he was surprised that Pantone's selection this year was "fundamentally the lack of pigment", it is a bit like a basic flavor, in that "it is universally accepted but it's nobody's favourite".

He can see its benefits, explaining that white can work especially effectively as a backdrop for design features like wall molding and curved entries which is a "growing trend in modern homes".

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.

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

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

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

She says the industry is already cognizant of the problematic connotations tied to lauding white as an aspirational standard, especially during continuing discussions about representation and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "companies engage with that complexity honestly, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

Style consultant Katie Malik concedes the choice at first shocked her, considering Pantone's track record of vibrant hues, but says it mirrors a genuine shift and aligns with a wider mood of "quiet luxury