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For anyone who has spent years living in rental properties, confronted by the same landlord-approved magnolia walls and longing for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might be perceived as a personal attack.

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

To be precise, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "elevated" and "airy" which "serves as a symbol of tranquility in a society rediscovering the value of introspection".

It marks 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 "is not just a colour, it's a mindset" and signifies a collective urge to slow down, recalibrate and achieve serenity after years of aesthetic chaos.

But some commentators have dubbed the decision as "insensitive", arguing that promoting sparse and immaculate white spaces can feel far removed from the more compact, messier homes everyday individuals occupy.

Additional critics argue that positioning white as an ideal carries subtext related to race, landing uncomfortably amid ongoing societal dialogues about race and representation.

Sterile or Serene?

Designer Chris Beaumont says the counter-reaction transcends aesthetics, arguing that white bears deeper meanings and is seldom a neutral choice.

"White is a signal," he says, shaped by a decade of minimalist celebrity interiors – most notably Kim Kardashian's stripped-back home – that came to epitomize "affluence, control and distance from chaos".

He explains that white is "not intended to inspire but taking care not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer embodying "austerity, virtuous simplicity and the concept that impartiality denotes virtue".

The designer references the pandemic as a turning point in how people perceive their homes.

"Overnight they transformed into our offices, refuges and sources of stability," he says, stating that against this backdrop, directing the Colour of the Year towards "further visual emptiness seems rather disconnected".

Instead of offering calm, he argues white now risks amplifying "a sense of desolation", particularly when combined with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Hospital Vibes'

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 suit highly minimal or architectural spaces, she says bright whites seldom create calm in real homes.

"An image of tranquility in a styled shoot can easily feel clinical at home," she explains.

"White can feel harsh and unforgiving and you don't want your home to emit clinical feelings."

She adds that "living spaces should elicit happiness and be warm and welcoming, and this hue seems quite distant from that."

Beaumont hopes that homeowners will disregard 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 commented that people "have varied interpretations" to the meaning of the colour, but it was selected as it "works seamlessly with everything around it, providing a refined neutrality that feels intentional and adaptable".

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

Past choices have included the optimism of a vibrant pink-orange, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and more recently softer, emotionally driven tones like Peach Fuzz.

These colours extend beyond style predictions - they show up in fashion collections, cosmetic products, interiors, packaging and even technology, shaping how products are sold and how consumers imagine the year ahead.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "elegant choice" and while it may seem simple, "this particular shade feels gentle and refined rather than stark".

In contrast to those who say the colour is dull, the expert sees it as "flexible" and says it's best used in "bedrooms and communal spaces where you want a serene, calming atmosphere".

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

Design expert James Mellan-Matulewicz 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 "it is universally accepted but it's not a top choice".

He can see its benefits, explaining that white can work especially effectively as a backdrop for architectural details like wall molding and arched doorways which is a "rising style in contemporary houses".

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.

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

"The color white compels designers and wearers alike to focus on form, proportion and quality, there's really no room for error," she explains.

But she adds that it also holds assumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and advantage, saying: "When white is viewed as something only a limited subset of people can pull off, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the fashion world is already aware of the uncomfortable undertones tied to lauding white as an aspirational standard, especially amid ongoing discussions about inclusion and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "companies address that complexity authentically, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Cultural Mood, Not a Trend

Style consultant Another expert concedes the choice initially shocked her, given Pantone's history of vibrant hues, but says it reflects a authentic change and fits within a broader sentiment of "quiet luxury