🔗 Share this article

For those who has spent years living in rental properties, confronted by the same landlord-approved magnolia walls and yearning for 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.

In detail, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "elevated" and "billowy" which "functions as a emblem of calming influence in a society re-learning the worth of introspection".

It signifies the initial instance white has been honored 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 widespread yearning to slow down, recalibrate and find calm after years of visual overload.

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

Additional critics contend that presenting white as aspirational risks subtext related to race, landing uncomfortably during continuing political and cultural discussions about inclusion and diversity.

Clinical or Calm?

Designer One design critic says the criticism transcends aesthetics, stating that white carries societal connotations and is seldom a neutral choice.

"White is a signal," he says, shaped by a decade of sparse star homes – most famously Kim Kardashian's stripped-back home – that came to represent "wealth, order and removal from chaos".

He elaborates that white is "not intended to inspire but being careful not to offend", with Cloud Dancer representing "restraint, moral minimalism and the concept that impartiality denotes goodness".

The designer points to the pandemic as a defining period in how people relate to their homes.

"Suddenly they became our offices, sanctuaries and sources of stability," he says, stating that against this backdrop, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "further aesthetic barrenness seems rather tone-deaf".

Rather than providing calm, he contends white now threatens to amplifying "a sense of bleakness", especially when combined with harsh, sterile lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

An interior designer, a Surrey based interior designer, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "doesn't really read as a colour" and is "completely rejected for me".

While it may work in extremely sparse or architectural spaces, she says bright whites seldom create calm in everyday living spaces.

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

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

She continues that "homes should elicit happiness and feel warm and welcoming, and this shade seems quite distant from that."

Beaumont hopes that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "unabashed dopamine décor", using colour to showcase personality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute commented that people "have varied interpretations" to the significance 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 evolved into a powerful trend indicator.

Past choices have featured the hopefulness of a vibrant pink-orange, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the energy of Viva Magenta, and most recently softer, emotionally driven tones like Peach Fuzz.

These colours don't just live on style predictions - they show up in clothing lines, cosmetic products, interiors, product wrapping and even consumer electronics, 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 seem basic, "this particular shade seems gentle and elegant rather than severe".

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

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

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

He can see its merits, noting that white can work particularly well as a background for architectural details like panelling and curved entries 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 poses a different challenge to designers more familiar with vibrant colors.

Luxury stylist Oriona Robb says championing white feels "less about novelty and more about intention", indicating a shift 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 clarifies.

But she adds that it also carries presumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and advantage, stating: "If white is treated as something only a limited subset of people can pull off, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the fashion world is already cognizant of the uncomfortable undertones associated with celebrating white as an ideal, especially amid continuing conversations about representation and approachability, and the real test will be whether "brands engage with that complexity authentically, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Cultural Mood, Not a Trend

Stylist Another expert concedes the choice initially shocked her, given Pantone's track record of vibrant hues, but says it mirrors a genuine shift and fits within a wider mood of "quiet luxury