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For those who has spent years living in rental properties, staring at the same landlord-approved magnolia walls and dreaming of injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might feel like a personal attack.

This time around, the renowned color company has designated white as its flagship hue.

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

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

According to Pantone, Cloud Dancer "transcends mere pigment, it's a mindset" and reflects a widespread yearning to decelerate, recalibrate and seek peace after years of aesthetic chaos.

But some commentators have branded the decision as "insensitive", arguing that elevating minimalist and immaculate white spaces can seem far removed from the more compact, messier homes the majority call home.

Additional critics propose that positioning white as an ideal carries subtext related to race, causing discomfort during continuing societal dialogues about inclusion and diversity.

Clinical or Calm?

Interior expert Chris Beaumont says the counter-reaction transcends surface appeal, noting that white bears deeper meanings and is seldom a neutral choice.

"White is a signal," he says, influenced by a ten-year period of sparse star homes – most notably Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to epitomize "affluence, order and distance from chaos".

He elaborates that white is "not about inspiration but taking care not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer representing "austerity, moral minimalism and the notion that impartiality denotes virtue".

The designer references the global health crisis as a turning point in how people relate to their homes.

"Overnight they became our workspaces, sanctuaries and emotional anchors," he says, noting that against this backdrop, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness seems rather tone-deaf".

Rather than providing calm, he contends white now threatens to intensifying "a feeling of bleakness", particularly when paired with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Sterile Sensations

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

While it may suit highly minimal or architectural spaces, she says bright whites rarely create calm in real homes.

"An image of tranquility in a styled shoot can easily seem clinical at home," she explains.

"The color white may seem harsh and unforgiving and you don't want your home to emit a medical atmosphere."

She adds that "living spaces should spark joy and be warm and welcoming, and this hue feels quite distant from that."

The critic expresses a desire that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "full-scale joyful interior design", using vibrant hues to showcase individuality.

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

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

Previous selections have featured the hopefulness of a vibrant pink-orange, the calm confidence of Classic Blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and more recently more gentle, emotionally driven tones like Peach Fuzz.

These colours extend beyond trend forecasts - they appear in clothing lines, beauty launches, interiors, product wrapping and even consumer electronics, shaping how products are marketed and how consumers envision the coming year.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "elegant choice" and while it may appear simple, "this specific hue seems soft and refined rather than severe".

In contrast to those who say the colour is boring, the expert sees it as "flexible" and says it's best used in "bedrooms and living areas where you want a serene, calming atmosphere".

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

Design expert James Mellan-Matulewicz 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 "it is universally accepted but it's nobody's favourite".

He can see its merits, noting that white can work particularly well as a background for architectural details like wall molding and curved entries which is a "rising style in modern homes".

In fashion, white has long been a staple 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 A styling expert says elevating white feels "less about novelty and more concerned with purpose", reflecting a shift towards sophistication after years of fad saturation.

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

But she continues that it also holds assumptions around self-image, lifestyle and privilege, saying: "If white is viewed as something only a limited subset of people can wear well, it becomes divisive."

She says the industry is already aware of the uncomfortable undertones associated with lauding white as an aspirational standard, particularly amid continuing conversations about representation and approachability, and the true challenge will be whether "brands engage with that complexity honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Style consultant Another expert admits the choice initially shocked her, considering Pantone's track record of bold colours, but says it reflects a genuine shift and aligns with a wider mood of "quiet luxury