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For those who has spent years living in rental properties, staring at the same standard-issue magnolia walls and dreaming of adding some actual personality to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might be perceived as a personal attack.

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

In detail, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white characterized as "elevated" and "airy" which "acts as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the importance of introspection".

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

According to Pantone, Cloud Dancer "represents more than a hue, it's a state of being" and signifies a widespread desire to decelerate, recalibrate and seek peace after years of sensory saturation.

But some critics have dubbed the decision as "Pantonedeaf", suggesting that championing minimalist and pristine white spaces can seem disconnected from the smaller, messier homes most people occupy.

Some observers contend that presenting white as aspirational introduces subtext related to race, landing uncomfortably within continuing political and cultural conversations about race and representation.

Clinical or Calm?

Interior expert One design critic says the criticism transcends surface appeal, stating that white carries cultural undertones and is rarely a neutral choice.

"White is a signal," he says, influenced by a decade of minimalist celebrity interiors – most famously Kim Kardashian's stripped-back home – that came to represent "wealth, control and distance from disorder".

He clarifies that white is "not intended to inspire but being careful not to offend", with Cloud Dancer representing "austerity, moral minimalism and the idea that impartiality denotes virtue".

The designer points to the pandemic as a defining period in how people perceive their homes.

"Overnight they became our workspaces, refuges and emotional anchors," he says, stating that in this context, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "further visual emptiness seems rather out of step".

Rather than providing calm, he believes white now risks heightening "a sense of bleakness", particularly when combined with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Sterile Sensations

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 structural spaces, she says bright whites seldom foster calm in everyday living spaces.

"An image of tranquility in a professional photo can easily feel clinical at home," she clarifies.

"The color white may seem harsh and unforgiving and you wouldn't wish your home to give clinical feelings."

She adds that "homes should elicit happiness and be warm and lived-in, and this hue feels quite removed from that."

The critic expresses a desire that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "unabashed joyful interior design", using colour to showcase individuality.

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 "works seamlessly with everything around it, offering a sophisticated impartiality that seems intentional and versatile".

Beginning in 2000, Pantone's Colour of the Year has become a significant industry signal.

Previous selections have featured the hopefulness of Living Coral, the serene assurance of Classic Blue, the vibrancy of Viva Magenta, and more recently more gentle, feeling-based tones like Peach Fuzz.

These colours extend beyond trend forecasts - they show up in clothing lines, beauty launches, home decor, packaging and even consumer electronics, influencing how products are marketed and how consumers imagine the year ahead.

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

In contrast to those who say the colour is boring, the expert sees it as "flexible" and says it's best used in "bedrooms and communal spaces where you want a peaceful, restful ambiance".

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

Design expert Another professional says although he was surprised that Pantone's selection this year was "fundamentally the absence of colour", it is a bit like a basic flavor, in that "everyone likes it but it's nobody's favourite".

He can see its benefits, explaining that white can work especially effectively as a backdrop for design features like wall molding and arched doorways which is a "rising style in modern homes".

In apparel, white has long been a basic rather than a statement and as a Colour of the Year it poses a different challenge to designers more accustomed to bold shades.

Fashion consultant A styling expert says elevating white seems "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 concentrate on form, scale and craftsmanship, there's really no room for error," she clarifies.

But she continues that it also holds assumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and privilege, stating: "When white is treated as something only a narrow group of people can wear well, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the fashion world is already aware of the uncomfortable undertones associated with lauding white as an aspirational standard, particularly amid continuing conversations about inclusion and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "companies engage with that complexity honestly, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Stylist Katie Malik admits the choice at first surprised her, given Pantone's history of bold colours, but says it mirrors a authentic change and fits within a wider mood of "quiet luxury