🔗 Share this article

For many people who has spent years renting, staring at the same landlord-approved beige walls and yearning for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might be perceived as a direct affront.

This time around, 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 characterized as "lofty" and "billowy" which "serves as a emblem of calming influence in a society re-learning the worth 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 "represents more than a hue, it's a philosophy" and signifies a shared urge to slow down, reset and seek peace after years of sensory saturation.

But some detractors have dubbed the decision as "insensitive", arguing that championing sparse and pristine white spaces can feel disconnected from the more compact, lived-in homes most people inhabit.

Additional critics propose that positioning white as an ideal carries subtext related to race, landing uncomfortably within current political and cultural dialogues about race and representation.

Clinical or Calm?

Interior expert Chris Beaumont says the criticism transcends aesthetics, noting that white carries cultural undertones and is rarely a innocuous choice.

"White is a signal," he says, shaped by a decade of minimalist celebrity interiors – most notably Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to represent "wealth, order and removal from chaos".

He elaborates that white is "not intended to inspire but being careful not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer embodying "restraint, moral minimalism and the idea that impartiality denotes virtue".

The designer points to the global health crisis as a pivotal moment in how people relate to 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 "more visual emptiness feels rather disconnected".

Instead of offering calm, he contends white now risks amplifying "a feeling of bleakness", especially when paired with harsh, sterile lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

An interior designer, a Surrey based interior designer, agrees and says Cloud Dancer "is not perceived as a colour" and is "firmly in the bin for me".

Although it may suit highly minimal or structural spaces, she says pure white shades rarely foster calm in everyday living spaces.

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

"White can feel stark and demanding and you wouldn't wish your home to emit clinical feelings."

She adds that "living spaces should spark joy and feel inviting and lived-in, and this hue seems quite removed from that."

The critic expresses a desire that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "full-scale joyful interior design", using colour 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 "works seamlessly with everything around it, providing a sophisticated impartiality that feels deliberate and adaptable".

Since its launch in 2000, Pantone's Colour of the Year has evolved into a significant trend indicator.

Past choices have included the optimism of Living Coral, the calm confidence of a deep blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and most recently softer, emotionally driven tones like Peach Fuzz.

These colours extend beyond style predictions - they appear in clothing lines, beauty launches, interiors, packaging and even consumer electronics, influencing how products are marketed and how consumers envision the year ahead.

Victoria Robinson, says Cloud Dancer is a "beautiful choice" and while it may seem basic, "this specific hue feels soft and elegant rather than stark".

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

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

Interior designer Another professional says although he was taken aback that Pantone's selection this year was "essentially the lack of pigment", it is a bit like a basic flavor, in that "everyone likes it but it's not a top choice".

He can see its merits, noting that white can work especially effectively as a backdrop for architectural details like panelling 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 presents a unique test to designers more familiar with vibrant colors.

Luxury stylist Oriona Robb says championing white seems "less about novelty and more about intention", indicating a shift towards refinement after years of fad saturation.

"The color white compels designers and wearers alike to focus on form, proportion and craftsmanship, there's really nowhere to hide," she explains.

But she adds that it also holds presumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and privilege, saying: "If white is viewed as something only a narrow group of people can pull off, it becomes divisive."

She says the industry is already cognizant of the problematic connotations associated with celebrating white as an ideal, especially during continuing conversations about inclusion and accessibility, and the real test will be whether "companies engage with that complexity honestly, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Style consultant Katie Malik admits 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