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For many people who has spent years renting, confronted by the same landlord-approved magnolia walls and yearning for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might seem like a personal attack.

This time around, the renowned color company has selected white as its premier hue.

To be precise, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white characterized as "lofty" and "airy" which "acts as a symbol of tranquility in a society rediscovering the importance of stillness".

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

As stated by Pantone, Cloud Dancer "transcends mere pigment, it's a state of being" and reflects a widespread desire to decelerate, reset and find calm after years of sensory saturation.

But some commentators have dubbed the decision as "out of touch", contending that championing sparse and pristine white spaces can seem distant from the more compact, lived-in homes the majority call home.

Additional critics propose that positioning white as aspirational carries racial undertones, causing discomfort during ongoing political and cultural discussions about race and representation.

Soothing or Stark?

Interior expert One design critic says the criticism transcends aesthetics, stating that white carries deeper meanings and is seldom a neutral choice.

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

He elaborates that white is "not intended to inspire but being careful not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer personifying "austerity, virtuous simplicity and the concept that impartiality denotes goodness".

Beaumont references the global health crisis as a pivotal moment in how people relate to their homes.

"Almost instantly 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 disconnected".

Instead of offering calm, he believes white now risks intensifying "a feeling of desolation", especially when combined with cool, clinical lighting.

'Hospital Vibes'

An interior designer, a UK-based design expert, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "doesn't really read as a colour" and is "completely rejected for me".

Although it may suit extremely sparse or architectural spaces, she says pure white shades seldom foster calm in everyday living spaces.

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

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

She continues that "homes should elicit happiness and be inviting and lived-in, and this hue seems quite distant from that."

Beaumont hopes that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "unabashed joyful interior design", using colour to showcase individuality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute stated that people "bring different feelings" to the significance of the colour, but it was chosen as it "works seamlessly with everything around it, offering a refined neutrality that feels deliberate and versatile".

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

Past choices have featured the optimism of a vibrant pink-orange, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the vibrancy of Viva Magenta, and more recently softer, feeling-based tones like a soft peach.

These hues don't just live on style predictions - they show up in clothing lines, beauty launches, home decor, packaging and even technology, influencing how products are marketed and how consumers imagine the year ahead.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "beautiful choice" and while it may seem simple, "this specific hue seems soft and elegant rather than stark".

In contrast to those who say the colour is dull, the expert sees it as "adaptable" and says it's best used in "sleeping quarters and living areas where you want a serene, restful atmosphere".

"Even if you don't want to repaint, you can incorporate the colour into a room with cushions, throws and curtains."

Design expert Another professional says although he was surprised 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 not a top choice".

He can see its benefits, noting that white can work particularly well as a backdrop for design features like wall molding and curved entries which is a "rising style in modern homes".

In fashion, white has long been a staple rather than a statement and as a Colour of the Year it presents a different challenge to designers more familiar with bold shades.

Luxury stylist Oriona Robb says elevating white seems "not focused on newness and more about intention", indicating a movement towards refinement after years of trend overloads.

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

But she continues that it also carries assumptions around body confidence, way of life and privilege, saying: "When white is treated as something only a narrow group of people can pull off, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the fashion world is already cognizant of the problematic connotations associated with lauding white as an ideal, especially amid continuing conversations about representation and approachability, and the true challenge will be whether "companies address that complexity authentically, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

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