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For anyone who has spent years renting, staring at the same standard-issue beige walls and yearning for adding some actual personality to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might seem like a disappointing choice.

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

To be precise, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white characterized as "lofty" and "billowy" which "functions as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the worth of quiet reflection".

It marks the initial instance a pure white has been chosen as the Colour of the Year, and it has sparked considerable debate.

As stated by Pantone, Cloud Dancer "represents more than a hue, it's a state of being" and embodies a shared desire to slow down, recalibrate and seek peace after years of visual overload.

But some commentators have labelled the decision as "out of touch", arguing that elevating minimalist and pristine white spaces can seem disconnected from the more compact, lived-in homes most people occupy.

Others contend that framing white as an ideal introduces racial undertones, landing uncomfortably within current political and cultural conversations about inclusion and diversity.

Soothing or Stark?

Interior expert Chris Beaumont says the counter-reaction transcends surface appeal, stating that white holds deeper meanings and is rarely a neutral choice.

"White is a signal," he says, shaped by a ten-year period of minimalist celebrity interiors – most notably Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to epitomize "affluence, control and removal from disorder".

He clarifies that white is "not intended to inspire but taking care not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer embodying "restraint, virtuous simplicity and the concept that neutrality denotes goodness".

Beaumont points to the global health crisis as a defining period in how people relate to their homes.

"Suddenly they became our workspaces, sanctuaries and emotional anchors," he says, adding that against this backdrop, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness feels rather out of step".

Instead of providing calm, he argues white now risks intensifying "a sense of desolation", especially when paired with cool, clinical lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

Lara Clark, a Surrey based design expert, agrees and says Cloud Dancer "doesn't really read 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 real homes.

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

"The color white may seem stark and unforgiving and you don't want your home to emit hospital vibes."

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

The critic expresses a desire that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "full-scale joyful interior design", using vibrant hues to express personality.

A representative of the Pantone Colour Institute commented that people "bring different feelings" to the significance of the colour, but it was selected as it "integrates perfectly with everything around it, providing a sophisticated impartiality that seems deliberate and versatile".

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

Past choices have featured the hopefulness of a vibrant pink-orange, the calm confidence of a deep blue, the energy of Viva Magenta, and more recently more gentle, feeling-based tones like Peach Fuzz.

These colours extend beyond trend forecasts - they appear in clothing lines, cosmetic products, home decor, product wrapping and even technology, shaping how products are sold and how consumers imagine the year ahead.

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

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

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

Interior designer 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 vanilla ice cream, in that "it is universally accepted but it's nobody's favourite".

He can see its benefits, noting that white can work especially effectively as a background for architectural details like wall molding and curved entries which is a "rising style in contemporary houses".

In apparel, 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 championing 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 quality, there's really no room for error," she clarifies.

But she continues that it also holds assumptions around self-image, way of life and privilege, saying: "When white is treated as something only a narrow group of people can wear well, it becomes divisive."

She says the industry is already aware of the problematic connotations associated with lauding white as an ideal, particularly during ongoing discussions about inclusion and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "brands address that nuance honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Style consultant Katie Malik concedes the choice at first shocked her, given Pantone's track record of bold colours, but says it mirrors a authentic change and fits within a broader sentiment of "quiet luxury