🔗 Share this article

For anyone who has spent a long time renting, staring at the same standard-issue magnolia walls and dreaming of injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might feel like a disappointing choice.

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

To be precise, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white characterized as "elevated" and "airy" which "functions as a symbol of calming influence in a society re-evaluating the importance of stillness".

It represents the initial instance a pure white has been picked as the Colour of the Year, and it has generated significant controversy.

Per Pantone, Cloud Dancer "is not just a colour, it's a philosophy" and signifies a collective urge to decelerate, recalibrate and find calm after years of aesthetic chaos.

But some detractors have labelled the decision as "Pantonedeaf", arguing that elevating minimalist and pristine white spaces can seem distant from the smaller, lived-in homes most people inhabit.

Others propose that positioning white as an ideal introduces racial undertones, landing uncomfortably amid current societal dialogues about race and representation.

Clinical or Calm?

Interior expert One design critic says the backlash goes beyond surface appeal, stating that white holds societal connotations and is seldom a innocuous choice.

"The color white sends a message," he says, shaped by a ten-year period of sparse star homes – most notably Kim Kardashian's stripped-back home – that came to represent "affluence, control and distance from chaos".

He explains that white is "not intended to inspire but taking care not to offend", with Cloud Dancer representing "restraint, moral minimalism and the concept that neutrality denotes goodness".

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

"Almost instantly they became our workspaces, refuges and emotional anchors," he says, adding that against this backdrop, directing the Colour of the Year towards "further aesthetic barrenness feels rather disconnected".

Instead of offering calm, he believes white now risks heightening "a sense of desolation", especially when combined with cool, clinical lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

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

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

"An image of tranquility in a styled shoot can readily feel clinical at home," she clarifies.

"The color white may seem stark and demanding and you don't want your home to give clinical feelings."

She adds that "living spaces should elicit happiness and be inviting and welcoming, and this shade feels quite distant from that."

Beaumont expresses a desire that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "full-scale joyful interior design", using vibrant hues to express individuality.

The vice president 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 sophisticated impartiality that feels intentional and adaptable".

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 calm confidence of Classic Blue, the vibrancy of Viva Magenta, and more recently softer, feeling-based tones like Peach Fuzz.

These hues extend beyond trend forecasts - they appear in fashion collections, cosmetic products, 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 "elegant choice" and while it may seem basic, "this particular shade seems soft and elegant rather than stark".

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 peaceful, calming ambiance".

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

Design expert 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 "it is universally accepted but it's nobody's favourite".

He can see its benefits, explaining that white can work particularly well as a backdrop for architectural details like panelling and curved entries which is a "rising style 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.

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

"White forces designers and those who wear it alike to focus on form, scale and craftsmanship, there's really nowhere to hide," she clarifies.

But she continues that it also carries assumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and advantage, saying: "If white is viewed as something only a narrow group of people can wear well, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the fashion world is already aware of the problematic connotations associated with celebrating white as an ideal, especially during continuing discussions about inclusion and approachability, and the real test will be whether "brands address that complexity authentically, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

Stylist Katie Malik concedes the choice initially surprised her, considering Pantone's history of bold colours, but says it mirrors a authentic change and fits within a wider mood of "quiet luxury