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For anyone who has spent a long time living in rental properties, staring at the same landlord-approved beige walls and longing for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might be perceived as a direct affront.

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

To be precise, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white characterized as "lofty" and "airy" which "serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society re-evaluating the value of introspection".

It marks the first time a pure white has been picked as the Colour of the Year, and it has generated significant controversy.

Per Pantone, Cloud Dancer "represents more than a hue, it's a philosophy" and embodies a collective urge to decelerate, recalibrate and achieve serenity after years of visual overload.

But some commentators have labelled the decision as "Pantonedeaf", arguing that elevating minimalist and immaculate white spaces can seem disconnected from the more compact, lived-in homes everyday individuals inhabit.

Additional critics propose that presenting white as aspirational introduces racial undertones, landing uncomfortably during current political and cultural dialogues about inclusion and diversity.

Sterile or Serene?

Interior expert Chris Beaumont says the criticism goes beyond aesthetics, noting that white holds cultural undertones and is rarely a innocuous choice.

"The color white sends a message," he says, influenced by a ten-year period 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 intended to inspire but taking care not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer personifying "restraint, moral minimalism and the concept that impartiality signifies virtue".

The designer cites the pandemic as a turning point in how people interact with their homes.

"Overnight they became our offices, refuges and sources of stability," he says, noting that against this backdrop, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "more visual emptiness feels rather tone-deaf".

Rather than offering calm, he believes white now risks intensifying "a feeling of emptiness", especially when combined with cool, clinical lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

An interior designer, a Surrey based interior designer, agrees and says Cloud Dancer "doesn't really read as a colour" and is "completely rejected for me".

While it may suit extremely sparse or structural spaces, she says bright whites rarely foster calm in real homes.

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

"White can feel harsh and demanding and you wouldn't wish your home to emit a medical atmosphere."

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

Beaumont hopes that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "unabashed joyful interior design", using vibrant hues to express 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 sophisticated impartiality that seems deliberate and versatile".

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

Previous selections have included the hopefulness of Living Coral, the serene assurance of Classic Blue, the energy of a bold pink-red, and more recently more gentle, feeling-based tones like Peach Fuzz.

These colours don't just live on trend forecasts - they appear in clothing lines, cosmetic products, interiors, product wrapping and even technology, shaping how products are marketed and how consumers envision the coming year.

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

In contrast to those who say the colour is dull, the expert sees it as "adaptable" and says it's best used in "sleeping quarters and communal spaces where you want a peaceful, calming ambiance".

"Even if you don't want to redecorate, you can introduce the colour into a room with pillows, blankets and drapes."

Interior designer James Mellan-Matulewicz 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 benefits, noting that white can work particularly well as a backdrop for architectural details like wall molding and curved entries which is a "growing trend in modern homes".

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 vibrant colors.

Luxury stylist A styling expert says championing white seems "less about novelty and more about intention", reflecting a movement towards refinement after years of trend overloads.

"White forces designers and wearers alike to concentrate on form, scale and craftsmanship, there's really no room for error," she clarifies.

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

She says the industry is already aware of the uncomfortable undertones tied to celebrating white as an aspirational standard, especially during continuing discussions about inclusion and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "companies engage with that complexity honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Cultural Mood, Not a Trend

Stylist Katie Malik concedes the choice initially surprised her, considering Pantone's track record of bold colours, but says it reflects a authentic change and fits within a wider mood of "quiet luxury