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For many people who has spent a long time living in rental properties, staring at the same standard-issue beige walls and longing for adding some actual personality to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might feel like a personal attack.

This year, the influential color company has selected white as its annual hue.

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "lofty" and "airy" which "serves as a emblem of calming influence in a society re-evaluating the value of quiet reflection".

It signifies the initial instance a pure white has been honored as the Colour of the Year, and it has generated significant controversy.

Per Pantone, Cloud Dancer "transcends mere pigment, it's a state of being" and signifies a collective desire to decelerate, recalibrate and find calm after years of aesthetic chaos.

But some commentators have dubbed the decision as "insensitive", suggesting that championing sparse and immaculate white spaces can seem distant from the more compact, messier homes the majority inhabit.

Some observers argue that presenting white as an ideal carries racial undertones, landing uncomfortably during continuing political and cultural discussions about inclusion and diversity.

Clinical or Calm?

Interior expert One design critic says the counter-reaction transcends aesthetics, noting that white bears cultural undertones and is seldom 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 epitomize "affluence, control and removal from disorder".

He elaborates 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 impartiality equals goodness".

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

"Overnight they became our workspaces, sanctuaries and emotional anchors," he says, noting that in this context, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "further visual emptiness feels rather disconnected".

Rather than providing calm, he contends white now risks intensifying "a sense of emptiness", especially when combined with cool, clinical lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

An interior designer, a Surrey based interior designer, agrees and says Cloud Dancer "is not perceived as a colour" and is "completely rejected for me".

Although it may work in extremely sparse or architectural spaces, she says bright whites rarely foster calm in real homes.

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

"White can feel 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 seems quite distant from that."

Beaumont expresses a desire that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "unabashed joyful interior design", using vibrant hues to express individuality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute stated that people "bring different feelings" to the significance of the colour, but it was selected as it "integrates perfectly with everything around it, offering a refined neutrality that seems deliberate and adaptable".

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

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

These colours extend beyond style predictions - they appear in fashion collections, beauty launches, home decor, product wrapping and even technology, influencing how products are sold and how consumers imagine the coming year.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "beautiful choice" and while it may appear basic, "this particular shade feels soft and refined rather than stark".

Contrary to those who say the colour is boring, Robinson sees it as "flexible" and says it's best used in "bedrooms and communal spaces where you want a peaceful, calming atmosphere".

"Even if you don't want to redecorate, you can incorporate the colour into a room with pillows, blankets and curtains."

Design expert James Mellan-Matulewicz says although he was surprised that Pantone's pick this year was "essentially the absence of colour", it is a bit like vanilla ice cream, in that "everyone likes it but it's nobody's favourite".

He can see its merits, explaining that white can work particularly well 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 bold declaration and as a Colour of the Year it poses a different challenge to designers more familiar with vibrant colors.

Luxury stylist Oriona Robb says elevating white feels "less about novelty and more concerned with purpose", reflecting a movement towards refinement after years of trend overloads.

"The color white compels designers and those who wear it alike to focus on form, scale and quality, there's really nowhere to hide," she explains.

But she continues that it also holds presumptions around self-image, lifestyle and privilege, 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 uncomfortable undertones tied to lauding white as an aspirational standard, especially during ongoing conversations about representation and approachability, and the real test will be whether "companies engage with that nuance honestly, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Cultural Mood, Not a Trend

Stylist Another expert admits the choice initially shocked her, given Pantone's history of bold colours, but says it reflects a authentic change and fits within a wider mood of "quiet luxury