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For anyone who has spent years living in rental properties, staring at the same landlord-approved beige walls and dreaming of injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might feel like a personal attack.

This time around, the renowned color company has chosen white as its flagship hue.

To be precise, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "elevated" and "airy" which "acts as a emblem of tranquility in a society re-learning the worth of quiet reflection".

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

As stated by Pantone, Cloud Dancer "transcends mere pigment, it's a state of being" and signifies a shared yearning to decelerate, recalibrate and find calm after years of visual overload.

But some commentators have labelled the decision as "out of touch", contending that elevating minimalist and immaculate white spaces can feel distant from the smaller, messier homes the majority call home.

Additional critics contend that framing white as aspirational carries racial undertones, landing uncomfortably amid ongoing political and cultural dialogues about inclusion and diversity.

Soothing or Stark?

Designer Chris Beaumont says the criticism transcends aesthetics, arguing that white holds societal connotations and is seldom a neutral choice.

"The color white sends a message," he says, shaped by a decade of minimalist celebrity interiors – most notably Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to represent "wealth, order and removal from disorder".

He explains that white is "not intended to inspire but taking care not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer personifying "restraint, moral minimalism and the idea that neutrality denotes virtue".

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

"Overnight they transformed into our workspaces, refuges and sources of stability," he says, adding that against this backdrop, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more visual emptiness seems rather out of step".

Instead of offering calm, he contends white now risks amplifying "a feeling of emptiness", particularly when paired with harsh, sterile lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

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 work in extremely sparse or architectural spaces, she says bright whites seldom create calm in real homes.

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

"The color white may seem stark and demanding and you wouldn't wish your home to emit hospital vibes."

She adds that "living spaces should elicit happiness and be inviting and welcoming, and this shade seems quite distant from that."

Beaumont expresses a desire that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "unabashed dopamine décor", using colour to express personality.

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 "integrates perfectly with everything around it, providing a refined neutrality that feels deliberate and versatile".

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 energy of Viva Magenta, and most recently softer, emotionally driven tones like Peach Fuzz.

These colours don't just live on trend forecasts - they appear in fashion collections, beauty launches, interiors, packaging and even technology, shaping 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 particular shade feels soft and elegant rather than stark".

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

"Even if you prefer not to redecorate, you can introduce the colour into a room with cushions, blankets and curtains."

Design expert James Mellan-Matulewicz says although he was taken aback that Pantone's selection this year was "essentially the lack of pigment", it is a bit like vanilla ice cream, in that "everyone likes it but it's nobody's favourite".

He can see its merits, explaining that white can work especially effectively as a background for design features like panelling and curved entries which is a "growing trend in contemporary houses".

In apparel, white has long been a basic rather than a bold declaration and as a Colour of the Year it poses a unique test 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 shift towards sophistication after years of trend overloads.

"White forces designers and those who wear it alike to focus on form, proportion and craftsmanship, there's really no room for error," she clarifies.

But she continues that it also carries presumptions around self-image, lifestyle and privilege, saying: "When white is treated as something only a narrow group of people can pull off, it becomes divisive."

She says the industry is already aware of the uncomfortable undertones tied to celebrating white as an ideal, especially amid ongoing discussions about representation and accessibility, and the real test will be whether "brands address that nuance honestly, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Cultural Mood, Not a Trend

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