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For many people who has spent years renting, staring at the same standard-issue beige walls and dreaming of 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 white as its flagship hue.

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "elevated" and "billowy" which "serves as a emblem of calming influence in a society re-learning the importance of introspection".

It marks the initial instance white has been picked as the Colour of the Year, and it has generated significant controversy.

As stated by Pantone, Cloud Dancer "represents more than a hue, it's a state of being" and signifies a shared urge to slow down, recalibrate and seek peace after years of visual overload.

But some commentators have labelled the decision as "Pantonedeaf", suggesting that elevating sparse and immaculate white spaces can seem distant from the more compact, messier homes everyday individuals occupy.

Some observers propose that presenting white as aspirational carries subtext related to race, landing uncomfortably within current societal discussions about inclusion and diversity.

Clinical or Calm?

Designer One design critic says the criticism goes beyond surface appeal, noting that white bears societal connotations and is rarely a innocuous 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 epitomize "affluence, control and distance from chaos".

He explains that white is "not about inspiration but taking care not to offend", with Cloud Dancer personifying "austerity, virtuous simplicity and the notion that neutrality denotes virtue".

Beaumont points to the global health crisis as a defining period in how people perceive their homes.

"Almost instantly they became our offices, refuges and emotional anchors," he says, adding that against this backdrop, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness seems rather tone-deaf".

Instead of offering calm, he believes white now threatens to intensifying "a sense of desolation", particularly when combined with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Sterile Sensations

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

While it may work in highly minimal or architectural spaces, she says bright whites rarely create calm in real homes.

"What looks serene in a professional photo can easily feel sterile at home," she clarifies.

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

She adds that "living spaces should elicit happiness and feel inviting and lived-in, and this shade feels quite removed from that."

The critic hopes that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "full-scale joyful interior design", using vibrant hues to showcase personality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute stated that people "have varied interpretations" to the significance of the colour, but it was selected as it "works seamlessly with everything around it, providing a refined neutrality that seems intentional and adaptable".

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

Past choices have featured the optimism of a vibrant pink-orange, the calm confidence of Classic Blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and more recently more gentle, feeling-based tones like a soft peach.

These colours extend beyond style predictions - they show up in clothing lines, beauty launches, home decor, product wrapping and even technology, shaping how products are marketed and how consumers envision the year ahead.

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

Contrary to those who say the colour is dull, the expert sees it as "flexible" and says it's best used in "sleeping quarters and communal spaces where you want a peaceful, calming atmosphere".

"Even if you prefer not to repaint, you can introduce the colour into a room with pillows, throws and drapes."

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 "everyone likes it but it's not a top choice".

He can see its benefits, explaining that white can work particularly well as a background for design features like wall molding and curved entries which is a "rising style in contemporary houses".

In fashion, white has long been a basic rather than a statement and as a Colour of the Year it poses a unique test to designers more familiar with bold shades.

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

"White forces designers and wearers alike to concentrate on form, proportion and quality, there's really no room for error," she explains.

But she continues that it also holds presumptions around self-image, way of life and privilege, stating: "If white is treated as something only a narrow group of people can wear well, it becomes divisive."

She says the industry is already aware of the problematic connotations associated with celebrating white as an ideal, especially amid continuing conversations about inclusion and approachability, and the true challenge will be whether "brands address that complexity authentically, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

Style consultant Katie Malik concedes the choice at first surprised her, considering Pantone's history of vibrant hues, but says it mirrors a authentic change and aligns with a wider mood of "quiet luxury