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For many people who has spent a long time renting, staring at the same landlord-approved magnolia walls and longing for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might feel like a personal attack.

This time around, 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 described as "elevated" and "airy" which "acts as a emblem of calming influence in a society re-learning the importance of quiet reflection".

It signifies the first time white has been picked as the Colour of the Year, and it has raised more than a few eyebrows.

Per Pantone, Cloud Dancer "transcends mere pigment, it's a mindset" and signifies a collective desire to slow down, recalibrate and find calm after years of sensory saturation.

But some detractors have labelled the decision as "Pantonedeaf", contending that championing sparse and immaculate white spaces can feel far removed from the smaller, lived-in homes everyday individuals occupy.

Others contend that presenting white as aspirational carries subtext related to race, causing discomfort during current political and cultural conversations about race and representation.

Clinical or Calm?

Interior expert Chris Beaumont says the criticism transcends surface appeal, noting that white bears deeper meanings and is rarely a innocuous choice.

"The color white sends a message," he says, shaped by a decade of minimalist celebrity interiors – most famously Kim Kardashian's stripped-back home – that came to symbolize "affluence, order and distance from chaos".

He clarifies that white is "not intended to inspire but being careful not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer representing "austerity, virtuous simplicity and the notion that impartiality denotes virtue".

Beaumont cites the pandemic as a turning point in how people relate to their homes.

"Suddenly they transformed into our offices, refuges and sources of stability," he says, noting that in this context, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness feels rather out of step".

Instead of offering calm, he believes white now risks amplifying "a feeling of bleakness", especially when combined with harsh, sterile lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

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

While it may suit highly minimal or structural spaces, she says pure white shades rarely create calm in real homes.

"An image of tranquility in a professional photo can readily seem sterile at home," she explains.

"The color white may seem stark and unforgiving and you don't want your home to give clinical feelings."

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

Beaumont expresses a desire that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "full-scale dopamine décor", using colour to showcase personality.

A representative of the Pantone Colour Institute commented 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".

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

Previous selections have featured the optimism of Living Coral, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the energy of a bold pink-red, and most recently more gentle, feeling-based tones like a soft peach.

These colours extend beyond style predictions - 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.

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

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

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

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 vanilla ice cream, in that "everyone likes it but it's not a top choice".

He can see its merits, noting that white can work especially effectively as a background for design features 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 statement and as a Colour of the Year it poses a different challenge to designers more accustomed to vibrant colors.

Fashion consultant A styling expert says elevating white feels "not focused on newness and more concerned with purpose", indicating a shift towards refinement after years of trend overloads.

"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 adds that it also holds assumptions around self-image, way of life and advantage, saying: "If white is viewed as something only a limited subset of people can pull off, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the fashion world is already cognizant of the problematic connotations associated with celebrating white as an ideal, particularly during ongoing conversations about inclusion and accessibility, and the real test will be whether "companies address that complexity authentically, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

Style consultant Another expert admits the choice initially surprised her, considering Pantone's history of vibrant hues, but says it mirrors a genuine shift and fits within a wider mood of "quiet luxury