🔗 Share this article

For those who has spent a long time 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 personal attack.

This year, the influential color company has chosen white as its flagship hue.

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white characterized as "elevated" and "airy" which "functions as a symbol of tranquility in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection".

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

Per Pantone, Cloud Dancer "transcends mere pigment, it's a philosophy" and signifies a widespread yearning to decelerate, recalibrate and achieve serenity after years of aesthetic chaos.

But some commentators have branded the decision as "out of touch", suggesting that elevating minimalist and immaculate white spaces can feel disconnected from the more compact, messier homes the majority inhabit.

Additional critics contend that positioning white as an ideal risks subtext related to race, creating unease within continuing political and cultural conversations about inclusion and diversity.

Soothing or Stark?

Interior expert Chris Beaumont says the counter-reaction transcends surface appeal, arguing that white carries societal connotations and is seldom a neutral choice.

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

He explains that white is "not intended to inspire but being careful not to offend", with Cloud Dancer embodying "restraint, virtuous simplicity and the idea that neutrality signifies goodness".

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

"Suddenly they transformed into our offices, sanctuaries and sources of stability," he says, noting that against this backdrop, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness feels rather out of step".

Rather than offering calm, he contends white now threatens to heightening "a sense of bleakness", particularly when combined with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Hospital Vibes'

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".

While it may work in highly minimal or architectural spaces, she says pure white shades rarely create calm in real homes.

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

"The color white may seem stark and unforgiving and you don't want your home to emit hospital vibes."

She adds that "homes should elicit happiness and feel warm and lived-in, and this shade feels quite removed from that."

The critic hopes that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "unabashed joyful interior design", using vibrant hues to express personality.

A representative of the Pantone Colour Institute stated that people "have varied interpretations" to the significance of the colour, but it was selected as it "integrates perfectly with everything around it, providing a refined neutrality that feels deliberate and adaptable".

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

Previous selections have included the hopefulness of Living Coral, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and more recently more gentle, feeling-based tones like Peach Fuzz.

These hues don't just live on style predictions - they appear in fashion collections, beauty launches, interiors, packaging and even consumer electronics, influencing how products are marketed and how consumers imagine the year ahead.

Victoria Robinson, says Cloud Dancer is a "beautiful choice" and while it may appear basic, "this specific hue feels gentle and refined rather than stark".

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

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

Interior designer Another professional says although he was surprised that Pantone's pick this year was "fundamentally the absence of colour", it is a bit like vanilla ice cream, in that "everyone likes it but it's not a top choice".

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

In apparel, white has long been a staple rather than a bold declaration and as a Colour of the Year it poses a different challenge to designers more accustomed to vibrant colors.

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

"White forces designers and those who wear it alike to concentrate on shape, proportion and quality, there's really nowhere to hide," she clarifies.

But she adds that it also holds assumptions around self-image, lifestyle and advantage, stating: "When white is viewed 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 celebrating white as an ideal, particularly during ongoing discussions about representation and approachability, and the true challenge will be whether "companies address that complexity honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

Style consultant Another expert admits the choice at first surprised her, considering Pantone's track record of vibrant hues, but says it mirrors a authentic change and fits within a wider mood of "quiet luxury