🔗 Share this article

For many people who has spent a long time renting, staring at the same standard-issue magnolia walls and yearning for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might seem like a personal attack.

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

To be precise, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white described as "elevated" and "airy" which "functions as a emblem of calming influence in a society re-evaluating the value of introspection".

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 signifies a shared urge to slow down, recalibrate and achieve serenity after years of visual overload.

But some detractors have dubbed the decision as "out of touch", suggesting that championing minimalist and pristine white spaces can feel distant from the more compact, messier homes everyday individuals inhabit.

Some observers argue that positioning white as an ideal risks racial undertones, landing uncomfortably within current societal conversations about inclusion and diversity.

Clinical or Calm?

Interior expert Chris Beaumont says the backlash transcends surface appeal, stating that white bears cultural undertones and is rarely a innocuous choice.

"The color white sends a message," he says, shaped by a ten-year period of minimalist celebrity interiors – most famously Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to symbolize "affluence, control and distance from chaos".

He clarifies that white is "not about inspiration but being careful not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer embodying "restraint, virtuous simplicity and the notion that impartiality signifies goodness".

Beaumont references the global health crisis as a pivotal moment in how people perceive their homes.

"Overnight they transformed into our offices, sanctuaries and sources of stability," he says, stating that against this backdrop, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "more visual emptiness feels rather out of step".

Rather than providing calm, he argues white now threatens to intensifying "a sense of bleakness", particularly when paired with cool, clinical lighting.

'Sterile Sensations

An interior designer, a UK-based interior designer, agrees and says Cloud Dancer "doesn't really read as a colour" and is "firmly in the bin for me".

While it may suit extremely sparse or structural spaces, she says bright whites rarely create calm in real homes.

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

"The color white may seem stark and unforgiving and you don't want your home to emit hospital vibes."

She adds that "homes should elicit happiness and be warm and lived-in, and this shade 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 vibrant hues to express personality.

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

Beginning in 2000, Pantone's Colour of the Year has become a significant industry signal.

Previous selections have featured the optimism of Living Coral, the calm confidence of Classic Blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and more recently softer, feeling-based tones like Peach Fuzz.

These hues don't just live on style predictions - they show up in clothing lines, beauty launches, interiors, packaging and even consumer electronics, shaping how products are sold and how consumers envision the year ahead.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "elegant choice" and while it may appear basic, "this specific hue seems gentle and elegant rather than severe".

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

"Even if you don't want to redecorate, you can incorporate the colour into a room with cushions, throws and curtains."

Interior designer Another professional says although he was surprised that Pantone's selection this year was "essentially the absence of colour", it is a bit like vanilla ice cream, in that "everyone likes it but it's nobody's favourite".

He can see its benefits, explaining that white can work particularly well as a background for architectural details like panelling and arched doorways which is a "rising style in contemporary houses".

In apparel, white has long been a staple rather than a bold declaration and as a Colour of the Year it poses a different challenge to designers more familiar with bold shades.

Fashion consultant A styling expert says elevating white seems "not focused on newness and more concerned with purpose", reflecting a movement towards refinement after years of trend overloads.

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

But she adds that it also holds presumptions around self-image, way of life and advantage, stating: "If white is treated as something only a limited subset of people can pull off, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the industry is already cognizant of the problematic connotations associated with celebrating white as an aspirational standard, particularly amid continuing discussions about inclusion and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "companies address that nuance authentically, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

Stylist Katie Malik concedes the choice initially shocked her, given Pantone's history of vibrant hues, but says it reflects a genuine shift and fits within a broader sentiment of "quiet luxury