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For anyone who has spent years living in rental properties, staring at the same landlord-approved magnolia walls and dreaming of injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might feel like a direct affront.

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

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "lofty" and "billowy" which "serves as a symbol of tranquility in a society re-learning the worth of quiet reflection".

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

According to Pantone, Cloud Dancer "is not just a colour, it's a mindset" and reflects a collective yearning to slow down, recalibrate and find calm after years of visual overload.

But some commentators have labelled the decision as "Pantonedeaf", contending that elevating sparse and immaculate white spaces can seem disconnected from the smaller, messier homes most people call home.

Others argue that positioning white as aspirational introduces subtext related to race, causing discomfort within ongoing political and cultural conversations about race and representation.

Sterile or Serene?

Interior expert Chris Beaumont says the criticism goes beyond surface appeal, stating that white holds cultural undertones and is seldom a innocuous choice.

"White is a signal," he says, shaped by a ten-year period of sparse star homes – most famously Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to symbolize "wealth, control and removal from disorder".

He clarifies that white is "not about inspiration but being careful not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer personifying "restraint, moral minimalism and the idea that neutrality signifies goodness".

Beaumont points to the pandemic as a turning point in how people perceive their homes.

"Overnight they became our offices, refuges and sources of stability," he says, noting that against this backdrop, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness seems rather tone-deaf".

Rather than offering calm, he argues white now threatens to amplifying "a feeling of emptiness", especially when combined with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Sterile Sensations

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

Although it may suit extremely sparse or architectural spaces, she says pure white shades rarely create calm in real homes.

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

"White can feel stark and unforgiving and you don't want your home to emit hospital vibes."

She continues that "living spaces should spark joy and feel 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 "unabashed joyful interior design", using vibrant hues to showcase personality.

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".

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

Previous selections have featured the optimism of Living Coral, the calm confidence of a deep blue, the vibrancy of Viva Magenta, and most recently more gentle, emotionally driven tones like Peach Fuzz.

These hues don't just live on style predictions - they show up in fashion collections, beauty launches, interiors, packaging and even consumer electronics, influencing how products are marketed and how consumers envision the year ahead.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "elegant choice" and while it may appear basic, "this specific hue feels soft and refined rather than severe".

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

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

Design expert 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 a basic flavor, in that "everyone likes it 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 panelling and curved entries which is a "growing trend in contemporary houses".

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 bold shades.

Fashion consultant Oriona Robb says elevating white feels "less about novelty and more concerned with purpose", reflecting a movement towards refinement after years of fad saturation.

"The color white compels designers and wearers alike to concentrate on form, scale and craftsmanship, there's really no room for error," she clarifies.

But she adds that it also carries assumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and advantage, stating: "When white is treated 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 tied to celebrating white as an ideal, especially during continuing conversations about representation and accessibility, and the real test will be whether "companies address that complexity honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

Style consultant Katie Malik admits the choice at first shocked her, considering Pantone's history of vibrant hues, but says it mirrors a genuine shift and aligns with a wider mood of "quiet luxury