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For those who has spent years renting, confronted by the same landlord-approved beige walls and longing for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might feel like a disappointing choice.

This time around, the renowned color company has chosen white as its flagship hue.

To be precise, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white characterized as "lofty" and "airy" which "serves as a emblem of calming influence in a society re-evaluating the worth of quiet reflection".

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

According to Pantone, Cloud Dancer "represents more than a hue, it's a state of being" and embodies a widespread urge to decelerate, recalibrate and achieve serenity after years of aesthetic chaos.

But some critics have branded the decision as "insensitive", suggesting that promoting sparse and immaculate white spaces can seem disconnected from the more compact, messier homes everyday individuals occupy.

Others contend that presenting white as an ideal carries subtext related to race, causing discomfort amid current societal conversations about race and representation.

Clinical or Calm?

Designer Chris Beaumont says the counter-reaction goes beyond aesthetics, stating that white holds cultural undertones and is rarely a neutral choice.

"The color white sends a message," he says, shaped by a ten-year period of minimalist celebrity interiors – most notably Kim Kardashian's stripped-back home – that came to epitomize "affluence, control and removal from disorder".

He clarifies that white is "not intended to inspire but taking care not to offend", with Cloud Dancer representing "restraint, moral minimalism and the notion that neutrality equals virtue".

Beaumont cites the global health crisis as a defining period in how people interact with their homes.

"Overnight they became our workspaces, sanctuaries and sources of stability," he says, noting that in this context, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness seems rather tone-deaf".

Instead of providing calm, he believes white now risks intensifying "a feeling of emptiness", especially when combined with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Sterile Sensations

Lara Clark, a Surrey based interior designer, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "doesn't really read as a colour" and is "firmly in the bin for me".

While it may suit highly minimal or structural spaces, she says bright whites rarely foster calm in real homes.

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

"White can feel stark and demanding 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 feels quite removed from that."

The critic expresses a desire that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "unabashed dopamine décor", using vibrant hues to showcase personality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute commented that people "have varied interpretations" to the significance of the colour, but it was chosen as it "integrates perfectly with everything around it, offering a sophisticated impartiality that seems deliberate and adaptable".

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

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

These hues extend beyond style predictions - they appear 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 "elegant choice" and while it may appear basic, "this specific hue seems soft and refined rather than stark".

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

"Should you prefer not to redecorate, you can introduce the colour into a room with cushions, throws and curtains."

Design expert Another professional says although he was taken aback that Pantone's selection this year was "fundamentally the lack of pigment", it is a bit like vanilla ice cream, in that "it is universally accepted but it's nobody's favourite".

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

In apparel, white has long been a staple rather than a statement and as a Colour of the Year it presents a unique test to designers more familiar with vibrant colors.

Fashion consultant Oriona Robb says elevating white seems "less about novelty and more concerned with purpose", indicating a movement towards refinement after years of trend overloads.

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

But she adds that it also carries presumptions around body confidence, way of life and advantage, saying: "When white is treated as something only a limited subset of people can wear well, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the industry is already aware of the uncomfortable undertones tied to celebrating white as an aspirational standard, particularly amid continuing discussions about representation and accessibility, and the real test will be whether "companies engage with that complexity honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Style consultant Another expert admits the choice initially surprised her, given Pantone's history of bold colours, but says it reflects a authentic change and aligns with a broader sentiment of "quiet luxury