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For many people who has spent a long time renting, staring at the same standard-issue magnolia walls and longing for adding some actual personality to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might feel like a direct affront.

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

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white characterized as "lofty" and "billowy" which "functions as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the worth of stillness".

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

Per Pantone, Cloud Dancer "is not just a colour, it's a state of being" and reflects a collective urge to slow down, recalibrate and achieve serenity after years of aesthetic chaos.

But some commentators have dubbed the decision as "Pantonedeaf", contending that elevating minimalist and pristine white spaces can feel distant from the more compact, messier homes everyday individuals call home.

Additional critics argue that presenting white as aspirational risks subtext related to race, landing uncomfortably within current societal dialogues about inclusion and diversity.

Clinical or Calm?

Designer One design critic says the criticism goes beyond surface appeal, noting that white carries cultural undertones and is seldom a innocuous choice.

"The color white sends a message," he says, influenced by a decade of sparse star homes – most notably Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to represent "affluence, order and removal from chaos".

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

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

"Overnight they became our workspaces, refuges and sources of stability," he says, noting that against this backdrop, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness seems rather disconnected".

Instead of providing calm, he believes white now risks heightening "a feeling of bleakness", especially when paired with cool, clinical lighting.

'Hospital Vibes'

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

While it may work in highly minimal or structural spaces, she says bright whites rarely foster calm in everyday living spaces.

"An image of tranquility in a professional photo can readily 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 "living spaces should elicit happiness and feel inviting and lived-in, and this shade feels quite distant from that."

Beaumont expresses a desire that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "unabashed 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 chosen as it "integrates perfectly with everything around it, offering a refined neutrality that seems intentional and adaptable".

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

Previous selections have included the hopefulness of Living Coral, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and more recently softer, feeling-based tones like a soft peach.

These colours don't just live on trend forecasts - they show up in fashion collections, cosmetic products, home decor, product wrapping and even consumer electronics, influencing how products are marketed and how consumers imagine the coming year.

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

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

"Should you don't want to redecorate, you can introduce the colour into a room with pillows, throws and drapes."

Interior designer James Mellan-Matulewicz says although he was surprised that Pantone's selection this year was "fundamentally the absence of colour", 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, explaining that white can work particularly well as a background for design features 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 statement and as a Colour of the Year it poses a different challenge to designers more familiar with bold shades.

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

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

But she adds that it also holds presumptions around body confidence, way of life and advantage, stating: "If white is viewed as something only a limited subset of people can wear well, it becomes divisive."

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

A Cultural Mood, Not a Trend

Style consultant Another expert concedes the choice initially shocked her, considering Pantone's history of vibrant hues, but says it mirrors a authentic change and aligns with a wider mood of "quiet luxury