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For many people who has spent a long time renting, confronted by the same standard-issue magnolia walls and longing for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might be perceived as a disappointing choice.

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

To be precise, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "lofty" and "airy" which "serves as a emblem of calming influence in a society rediscovering the importance of stillness".

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

Per Pantone, Cloud Dancer "represents more than a hue, it's a philosophy" and reflects a widespread desire to slow down, reset and find calm after years of sensory saturation.

But some commentators have labelled the decision as "Pantonedeaf", arguing that elevating minimalist and pristine white spaces can feel disconnected from the more compact, messier homes most people occupy.

Additional critics contend that presenting white as aspirational risks racial undertones, creating unease during current societal dialogues about race and representation.

Soothing or Stark?

Designer Chris Beaumont says the criticism goes beyond surface appeal, arguing that white holds societal connotations and is rarely a innocuous choice.

"White is a signal," he says, influenced by a ten-year period of sparse star homes – most notably Kim Kardashian's stripped-back home – that came to represent "affluence, order and distance from chaos".

He explains that white is "not about inspiration but being careful not to offend", with Cloud Dancer embodying "restraint, virtuous simplicity and the idea that impartiality denotes virtue".

The designer references the pandemic as a pivotal moment in how people interact with their homes.

"Almost instantly they transformed into our workspaces, refuges and emotional anchors," he says, adding that in this context, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more visual emptiness feels rather tone-deaf".

Rather than offering calm, he argues white now threatens to amplifying "a sense of bleakness", especially when combined with cool, clinical lighting.

'Sterile Sensations

An interior designer, a Surrey based design expert, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "is not perceived as a colour" and is "firmly in the bin for me".

Although it may work in extremely sparse or architectural spaces, she says pure white shades seldom create calm in everyday living spaces.

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

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

She continues that "living spaces should elicit happiness and be warm and lived-in, and this hue feels quite distant from that."

Beaumont hopes that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "unabashed dopamine décor", using vibrant hues to showcase personality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute commented that people "bring different feelings" 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 versatile".

Beginning in 2000, Pantone's Colour of the Year has evolved into a powerful trend indicator.

Previous selections have included the hopefulness of Living Coral, the calm confidence of a deep blue, the energy of Viva Magenta, and more recently more gentle, emotionally driven tones like Peach Fuzz.

These hues extend beyond trend forecasts - they appear in clothing lines, beauty launches, interiors, product wrapping and even technology, shaping how products are marketed and how consumers envision the year ahead.

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

In contrast to those who say the colour is boring, the expert sees it as "adaptable" and says it's best used in "sleeping quarters and living areas where you want a serene, restful ambiance".

"Should you don't want to repaint, you can introduce the colour into a room with cushions, throws 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 vanilla ice cream, in that "everyone likes it but it's nobody's favourite".

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 "rising style in modern homes".

In fashion, 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 familiar with vibrant colors.

Luxury stylist A styling expert says championing white seems "less about novelty and more concerned with purpose", indicating a movement towards sophistication after years of trend overloads.

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

But she continues that it also carries presumptions around body confidence, way of life and privilege, saying: "When white is treated as something only a narrow group of people can wear well, it becomes divisive."

She says the fashion world is already cognizant of the problematic connotations associated with celebrating white as an ideal, especially amid ongoing conversations about representation and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "companies address that complexity honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Stylist Another expert admits the choice at first surprised her, considering Pantone's history of bold colours, but says it reflects a authentic change and fits within a wider mood of "quiet luxury