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For anyone who has spent a long time living in rental properties, confronted by the same standard-issue beige walls and yearning for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might feel like a direct affront.

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

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "lofty" and "billowy" which "serves as a emblem of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of stillness".

It signifies the first time a pure white has been picked 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 mindset" and embodies a shared urge to slow down, recalibrate and find calm after years of sensory saturation.

But some critics have branded the decision as "Pantonedeaf", suggesting that championing minimalist and pristine white spaces can feel disconnected from the smaller, messier homes everyday individuals inhabit.

Additional critics argue that framing white as aspirational carries subtext related to race, creating unease during ongoing political and cultural conversations about race and representation.

Clinical or Calm?

Designer One design critic says the criticism transcends surface appeal, arguing that white bears societal connotations and is seldom 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 austere home – that came to symbolize "wealth, control and distance from chaos".

He clarifies that white is "not intended to inspire but taking care not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer embodying "austerity, virtuous simplicity and the notion that impartiality equals goodness".

The designer references the global health crisis as a defining period in how people relate to their homes.

"Suddenly they became our workspaces, sanctuaries and sources of stability," he says, noting that against this backdrop, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness seems rather tone-deaf".

Instead of providing calm, he contends white now threatens to heightening "a sense of emptiness", particularly when combined with cool, clinical lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

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

Although it may work in highly minimal or architectural spaces, she says bright whites seldom foster calm in real homes.

"An image of tranquility in a styled shoot can readily feel sterile at home," she clarifies.

"The color white may seem stark and demanding and you don't want your home to give a medical atmosphere."

She continues that "homes should elicit happiness and feel inviting and lived-in, and this hue seems quite distant from that."

The critic expresses a desire that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "unabashed dopamine décor", using colour to express individuality.

The vice president 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 seems deliberate and adaptable".

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

Previous selections have featured the optimism of Living Coral, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the energy of Viva Magenta, and most recently more gentle, emotionally driven tones like Peach Fuzz.

These hues extend beyond trend forecasts - they appear in fashion collections, beauty launches, interiors, product wrapping and even consumer electronics, influencing how products are sold 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 feels soft and elegant rather than stark".

Contrary to those who say the colour is boring, the expert sees it as "flexible" 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 pillows, blankets and drapes."

Interior designer Another professional says although he was taken aback that Pantone's pick this year was "essentially the lack of pigment", it is a bit like a basic flavor, in that "it is universally accepted but it's nobody's favourite".

He can see its merits, noting that white can work especially effectively as a backdrop for architectural details like wall molding and arched doorways which is a "growing trend in contemporary houses".

In apparel, white has long been a basic rather than a statement and as a Colour of the Year it presents a different challenge to designers more accustomed to vibrant colors.

Luxury stylist Oriona Robb says championing white seems "not focused on newness and more about intention", reflecting a movement towards refinement after years of fad saturation.

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

But she adds that it also holds assumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and advantage, saying: "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 lauding white as an ideal, particularly during continuing discussions about inclusion and approachability, and the true challenge will be whether "brands address that complexity authentically, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Style consultant Another expert admits the choice at first surprised her, given Pantone's track record of vibrant hues, but says it mirrors a authentic change and aligns with a broader sentiment of "quiet luxury