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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 yearning for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might seem like a personal attack.

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

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "lofty" and "billowy" which "serves as a emblem of calming influence in a society rediscovering the worth of stillness".

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

As stated by Pantone, Cloud Dancer "represents more than a hue, it's a state of being" and reflects a shared desire to slow down, reset and find calm after years of visual overload.

But some commentators have dubbed the decision as "out of touch", suggesting that promoting sparse and immaculate white spaces can seem far removed from the more compact, messier homes everyday individuals occupy.

Additional critics argue that presenting white as aspirational introduces subtext related to race, creating unease within ongoing political and cultural discussions about inclusion and diversity.

Clinical or Calm?

Interior expert Chris Beaumont says the counter-reaction transcends surface appeal, arguing that white bears societal connotations and is rarely a innocuous choice.

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

He explains that white is "not intended to inspire but being careful not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer embodying "restraint, moral minimalism and the idea that neutrality denotes virtue".

Beaumont points to the pandemic as a turning point in how people perceive their homes.

"Almost instantly they became our workspaces, refuges and sources of stability," he says, adding that against this backdrop, directing the Colour of the Year towards "further visual emptiness seems rather tone-deaf".

Rather than providing calm, he argues white now risks heightening "a sense of bleakness", especially 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 work in highly minimal or architectural spaces, she says bright whites seldom foster calm in everyday living spaces.

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

"The color white may seem stark and unforgiving and you wouldn't wish your home to give hospital vibes."

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

Beaumont hopes that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "full-scale dopamine décor", using vibrant hues to showcase personality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute commented that people "bring different feelings" to the meaning of the colour, but it was selected as it "integrates perfectly with everything around it, offering a sophisticated impartiality that feels deliberate and adaptable".

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

Previous selections have featured the optimism of a vibrant pink-orange, the calm confidence of a deep blue, the energy of a bold pink-red, and most recently softer, emotionally driven tones like Peach Fuzz.

These hues don't just live on style predictions - they appear in clothing lines, cosmetic products, home decor, product wrapping and even technology, shaping how products are marketed and how consumers imagine the year ahead.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "elegant choice" and while it may appear basic, "this specific hue feels soft and elegant rather than stark".

Contrary 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, restful atmosphere".

"Even if you prefer not to repaint, you can incorporate the colour into a room with pillows, blankets and curtains."

Design expert Another professional says although he was taken aback 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 backdrop for architectural details like panelling 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 presents a different challenge to designers more familiar with vibrant colors.

Luxury stylist Oriona Robb says championing white feels "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 shape, proportion and craftsmanship, there's really no room for error," she explains.

But she adds that it also holds assumptions around body confidence, way of life and advantage, stating: "When white is treated as something only a limited subset of people can pull off, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the industry is already aware of the uncomfortable undertones tied to lauding white as an aspirational standard, especially during continuing discussions about representation and approachability, and the real test will be whether "brands address that nuance authentically, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

Stylist Another expert admits the choice at first shocked her, given Pantone's track record of bold colours, but says it mirrors a genuine shift and fits within a wider mood of "quiet luxury