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For those who has spent years renting, confronted by the same landlord-approved beige walls and dreaming of injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might be perceived as a direct affront.

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

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

It signifies the initial instance a pure white has been picked 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 mindset" and signifies a collective yearning to decelerate, recalibrate and achieve serenity after years of visual overload.

But some commentators have branded the decision as "Pantonedeaf", suggesting that championing sparse and pristine white spaces can seem disconnected from the more compact, lived-in homes the majority inhabit.

Additional critics contend that presenting white as aspirational risks racial undertones, causing discomfort amid ongoing societal conversations about race and representation.

Soothing or Stark?

Designer One design critic says the criticism transcends surface appeal, noting that white carries deeper meanings and is rarely a neutral choice.

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

He clarifies that white is "not intended to inspire but taking care not to offend", with Cloud Dancer personifying "austerity, virtuous simplicity and the idea that impartiality denotes virtue".

The designer cites the global health crisis as a pivotal moment in how people relate to their homes.

"Suddenly they became our workspaces, refuges and emotional anchors," he says, noting that in this context, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "further aesthetic barrenness seems rather disconnected".

Instead of providing calm, he contends white now risks heightening "a feeling of emptiness", particularly when paired with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Sterile Sensations

An interior designer, a UK-based design expert, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "is not perceived as a colour" and is "completely rejected for me".

While it may work in highly minimal or structural spaces, she says pure white shades seldom create calm in everyday living spaces.

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

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

She adds that "homes should elicit happiness and be inviting and welcoming, and this hue seems quite distant from that."

The critic hopes that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "full-scale joyful interior design", using colour to showcase personality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute commented that people "bring different feelings" to the meaning 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 significant trend indicator.

Past choices have included the optimism of Living Coral, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and more recently more gentle, emotionally driven tones like a soft peach.

These colours extend beyond trend forecasts - they show up in clothing lines, cosmetic products, home decor, packaging and even consumer electronics, shaping how products are sold and how consumers envision the year ahead.

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

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 serene, calming ambiance".

"Should you don't want to redecorate, you can introduce the colour into a room with cushions, throws and curtains."

Design expert James Mellan-Matulewicz says although he was taken aback that Pantone's selection this year was "fundamentally the lack of pigment", it is a bit like a basic flavor, in that "it is universally accepted but it's not a top choice".

He can see its benefits, noting that white can work especially effectively 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 unique test to designers more familiar with vibrant colors.

Fashion consultant A styling expert says championing white seems "less about novelty and more concerned with purpose", 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 no room for error," she clarifies.

But she continues that it also holds assumptions around self-image, way of life and advantage, stating: "If white is viewed as something only a narrow group of people can pull off, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the industry is already cognizant of the uncomfortable undertones tied to lauding white as an ideal, especially amid continuing conversations about representation and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "companies engage with that nuance authentically, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Cultural Mood, Not a Trend

Stylist Katie Malik admits the choice initially surprised her, given Pantone's track record of vibrant hues, but says it reflects a authentic change and aligns with a wider mood of "quiet luxury