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For many people who has spent years living in rental properties, staring at the same standard-issue beige walls and dreaming of injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might be perceived as a direct affront.

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

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

It signifies the initial instance a pure white has been picked as the Colour of the Year, and it has sparked considerable debate.

Per Pantone, Cloud Dancer "is not just a colour, it's a mindset" and reflects a collective yearning to decelerate, reset and find calm after years of aesthetic chaos.

But some commentators have labelled the decision as "Pantonedeaf", suggesting that elevating minimalist and pristine white spaces can feel disconnected from the smaller, messier homes most people inhabit.

Others argue that presenting white as aspirational carries racial undertones, landing uncomfortably during continuing societal conversations about inclusion and diversity.

Soothing or Stark?

Designer One design critic says the backlash goes beyond surface appeal, noting that white carries deeper meanings and is rarely a neutral choice.

"White is a signal," he says, shaped by a ten-year period of sparse star homes – most famously Kim Kardashian's stripped-back home – that came to epitomize "affluence, control and distance from disorder".

He explains that white is "not about inspiration but taking care not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer embodying "austerity, moral minimalism and the idea that neutrality equals virtue".

The designer references the pandemic as a defining period in how people perceive their homes.

"Overnight they became our workspaces, refuges and sources of stability," he says, noting that in this context, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more visual emptiness seems rather out of step".

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

'Hospital Vibes'

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

Although it may suit highly minimal or structural spaces, she says bright whites rarely create calm in everyday living spaces.

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

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

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

The critic hopes that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "unabashed dopamine décor", using colour to showcase individuality.

A representative of the Pantone Colour Institute commented that people "bring different feelings" to the meaning of the colour, but it was selected as it "works seamlessly with everything around it, providing a refined neutrality that feels intentional and adaptable".

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

Past choices have featured the hopefulness of Living Coral, the calm confidence of Classic Blue, the vibrancy of Viva Magenta, and more recently softer, feeling-based tones like Peach Fuzz.

These hues extend beyond style predictions - they show up in fashion collections, cosmetic products, interiors, product wrapping and even consumer electronics, shaping how products are marketed and how consumers envision the coming year.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "elegant choice" and while it may seem basic, "this particular shade seems gentle and refined rather than severe".

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

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

Design expert Another professional says although he was surprised 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, explaining that white can work particularly well as a background for design features like panelling and curved entries which is a "growing trend in modern homes".

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

Fashion consultant A styling expert says elevating white feels "not focused on newness and more concerned with purpose", reflecting a shift towards refinement after years of fad saturation.

"The color white compels designers and those who wear it alike to concentrate on shape, scale and quality, there's really no room for error," she clarifies.

But she adds that it also holds assumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and advantage, stating: "When white is viewed as something only a narrow group of people can pull off, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the fashion world is already cognizant of the problematic connotations tied to lauding white as an aspirational standard, especially amid ongoing conversations about inclusion and approachability, and the true challenge will be whether "companies engage with that complexity honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

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