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For those who has spent years renting, confronted by the same standard-issue beige walls and longing for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might feel like a disappointing choice.

This year, the renowned color company has designated white as its annual hue.

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "lofty" and "airy" which "serves as a symbol of tranquility in a society rediscovering the worth of quiet reflection".

It signifies the initial instance a pure white has been chosen as the Colour of the Year, and it has raised more than a few eyebrows.

Per Pantone, Cloud Dancer "represents more than a hue, it's a state of being" and embodies a collective yearning to slow down, recalibrate and achieve serenity after years of visual overload.

But some detractors have branded the decision as "out of touch", arguing that championing sparse and pristine white spaces can seem distant from the more compact, lived-in homes most people inhabit.

Others argue that positioning white as an ideal risks racial undertones, causing discomfort within continuing societal dialogues about race and representation.

Sterile or Serene?

Designer One design critic says the counter-reaction transcends surface appeal, arguing that white carries societal connotations and is seldom a innocuous choice.

"The color white sends a message," he says, shaped by a decade of sparse star homes – most notably Kim Kardashian's stripped-back home – that came to symbolize "affluence, order and distance from disorder".

He clarifies that white is "not about inspiration but taking care not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer embodying "restraint, virtuous simplicity and the idea that impartiality equals goodness".

Beaumont points to the pandemic as a pivotal moment in how people perceive their homes.

"Suddenly they transformed into our workspaces, refuges and sources of stability," he says, noting that in this context, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness seems rather out of step".

Rather than providing calm, he believes white now threatens to heightening "a feeling of emptiness", particularly when paired with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Sterile Sensations

An interior designer, a UK-based design expert, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "is not perceived as a colour" and is "completely rejected for me".

Although it may suit highly minimal or structural spaces, she says bright whites seldom create calm in real homes.

"An image of tranquility 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 clinical feelings."

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

Beaumont expresses a desire that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "unabashed joyful interior design", using colour to showcase individuality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute commented that people "have varied interpretations" to the significance of the colour, but it was chosen as it "integrates perfectly with everything around it, providing a sophisticated impartiality that seems deliberate and adaptable".

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

Past choices have included the optimism of a vibrant pink-orange, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and most recently softer, feeling-based tones like Peach Fuzz.

These colours extend beyond trend forecasts - they show up in fashion collections, beauty launches, interiors, packaging and even consumer electronics, shaping how products are sold and how consumers envision the coming year.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "beautiful choice" and while it may appear simple, "this particular shade feels soft and refined rather than severe".

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

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

Interior designer James Mellan-Matulewicz says although he was surprised that Pantone's pick this year was "fundamentally the lack of pigment", it is a bit like a basic flavor, in that "it is universally accepted but it's not a top choice".

He can see its benefits, noting that white can work particularly well as a background for design features like wall molding and curved entries which is a "rising style in contemporary houses".

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.

Luxury stylist Oriona Robb says elevating white feels "less about novelty and more about intention", reflecting a movement towards sophistication after years of fad saturation.

"White forces designers and wearers alike to concentrate on form, proportion and craftsmanship, there's really nowhere to hide," she explains.

But she continues that it also holds assumptions around body confidence, way of life and advantage, saying: "When white is treated as something only a limited subset of people can wear well, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the industry is already aware of the problematic connotations associated with lauding white as an aspirational standard, especially during ongoing conversations about representation and approachability, and the real test will be whether "brands engage with that complexity honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Cultural Mood, Not a Trend

Stylist Katie Malik concedes the choice initially surprised her, considering Pantone's track record of bold colours, but says it reflects a genuine shift and aligns with a wider mood of "quiet luxury