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For those who has spent years living in rental properties, confronted by the same standard-issue beige walls and longing for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might be perceived as a direct affront.

This year, the influential color company has designated white as its premier hue.

To be precise, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "elevated" and "airy" which "functions as a symbol of calming influence in a society re-evaluating the worth of introspection".

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 mindset" and reflects a collective yearning to slow down, recalibrate and seek peace after years of visual overload.

But some commentators have dubbed the decision as "insensitive", suggesting that promoting minimalist and pristine white spaces can seem far removed from the smaller, lived-in homes the majority inhabit.

Additional critics contend that framing white as aspirational risks racial undertones, creating unease within current political and cultural discussions about race and representation.

Sterile or Serene?

Designer Chris Beaumont says the criticism goes beyond surface appeal, arguing that white carries societal connotations and is rarely a neutral choice.

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

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

Beaumont references the global health crisis as a defining period 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 visual emptiness feels rather out of step".

Instead of offering calm, he contends white now threatens to intensifying "a sense of desolation", especially when combined with cool, clinical lighting.

'Sterile Sensations

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

Although it may work in extremely sparse or structural spaces, she says bright whites seldom create calm in real homes.

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

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

She continues that "living spaces should elicit happiness and feel warm and lived-in, and this shade seems quite removed from that."

The critic expresses a desire that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "unabashed joyful interior design", 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 chosen as it "integrates perfectly with everything around it, offering a refined neutrality that seems deliberate and versatile".

Since its launch in 2000, Pantone's Colour of the Year has evolved into a significant industry signal.

Past choices have featured the optimism of a vibrant pink-orange, the serene assurance of Classic Blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and more recently more gentle, feeling-based tones like Peach Fuzz.

These colours don't just live on style predictions - they show up in fashion collections, beauty launches, home decor, packaging and even technology, shaping how products are marketed and how consumers envision the coming year.

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

Contrary to those who say the colour is dull, Robinson sees it as "flexible" and says it's best used in "sleeping quarters and living areas where you want a serene, calming ambiance".

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

Design expert Another professional says although he was taken aback that Pantone's pick this year was "essentially the lack of pigment", it is a bit like a basic flavor, 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 design features like wall molding and curved entries which is a "growing trend in modern homes".

In fashion, white has long been a basic rather than a bold declaration and as a Colour of the Year it poses a unique test to designers more familiar with vibrant colors.

Luxury stylist A styling expert says championing white feels "not focused on newness and more concerned with purpose", indicating a shift towards refinement after years of fad saturation.

"White forces designers and wearers alike to concentrate on shape, proportion and quality, there's really no room for error," she explains.

But she continues that it also carries assumptions around body confidence, way of life and privilege, stating: "If white is treated as something only a limited subset of people can pull off, it becomes divisive."

She says the fashion world is already aware of the problematic connotations associated with celebrating white as an ideal, especially during continuing conversations about representation and approachability, and the true challenge will be whether "companies engage with that complexity authentically, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

Style consultant Katie Malik concedes the choice at first shocked her, given Pantone's history of vibrant hues, but says it mirrors a genuine shift and fits within a broader sentiment of "quiet luxury