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For many people who has spent a long time renting, confronted by the same landlord-approved beige walls and yearning for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might seem like a disappointing choice.

This time around, the renowned color company has selected a shade of white as its premier hue.

In detail, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "elevated" and "airy" which "acts as a emblem of calming influence in a society re-evaluating the worth of quiet reflection".

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

According to Pantone, Cloud Dancer "transcends mere pigment, it's a state of being" and embodies a collective desire to decelerate, recalibrate and achieve serenity after years of sensory saturation.

But some commentators have dubbed the decision as "Pantonedeaf", arguing that promoting minimalist and pristine white spaces can feel distant from the smaller, lived-in homes most people call home.

Some observers argue that framing white as aspirational introduces racial undertones, creating unease during current political and cultural conversations about inclusion and diversity.

Clinical or Calm?

Designer One design critic says the counter-reaction goes beyond surface appeal, noting that white carries deeper meanings and is rarely a neutral choice.

"White is a signal," he says, shaped by a ten-year period of sparse star homes – most notably Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to symbolize "wealth, control and distance from chaos".

He clarifies 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 impartiality denotes virtue".

The designer references the global health crisis as a turning point in how people perceive their homes.

"Almost instantly they transformed into our workspaces, refuges and sources of stability," he says, stating that in this context, directing the Colour of the Year towards "further visual emptiness seems rather disconnected".

Instead of offering calm, he believes white now risks intensifying "a sense of desolation", especially when combined with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Sterile Sensations

Lara Clark, a UK-based design expert, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "doesn't really read as a colour" and is "firmly in the bin for me".

Although it may work in extremely sparse or architectural spaces, she says bright whites rarely create calm in real homes.

"What looks serene in a professional photo can easily feel clinical at home," she explains.

"White can feel harsh and demanding and you don't want your home to give a medical atmosphere."

She continues that "living spaces should spark joy and be inviting and welcoming, and this hue feels quite distant from that."

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

A representative of the Pantone Colour Institute stated that people "bring different feelings" to the meaning of the colour, but it was chosen as it "works seamlessly with everything around it, providing a sophisticated impartiality that seems deliberate and versatile".

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

Past choices have included the hopefulness of a vibrant pink-orange, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the energy of a bold pink-red, and more recently more gentle, emotionally driven tones like Peach Fuzz.

These hues extend beyond trend forecasts - they show up in clothing lines, beauty launches, home decor, product wrapping and even technology, influencing how products are sold and how consumers imagine the year ahead.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "beautiful choice" and while it may appear 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 living areas where you want a peaceful, restful ambiance".

"Even if you don't want to redecorate, you can incorporate the colour into a room with pillows, throws and curtains."

Design expert James Mellan-Matulewicz 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 "everyone likes it but it's not a top choice".

He can see its benefits, noting that white can work especially effectively as a background for design features like panelling and arched doorways which is a "growing trend in modern homes".

In apparel, white has long been a basic rather than a bold declaration 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 trend overloads.

"White forces designers and wearers 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, way of life and advantage, saying: "If white is treated as something only a narrow group of people can pull off, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the fashion world is already aware of the problematic connotations associated with celebrating white as an ideal, especially amid ongoing discussions about representation and approachability, and the true challenge will be whether "companies engage with that nuance authentically, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Cultural Mood, Not a Trend

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