For many people who has spent a long time renting, staring at the same standard-issue beige walls and yearning for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might seem like a disappointing choice.
This year, the renowned color company has selected white as its premier hue.
In detail, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "elevated" and "airy" which "acts as a symbol of calming influence in a society re-evaluating the worth of introspection".
It marks the first time a pure white has been honored as the Colour of the Year, and it has generated significant controversy.
According to Pantone, Cloud Dancer "is not just a colour, it's a philosophy" and embodies a widespread urge to slow down, recalibrate and achieve serenity after years of sensory saturation.
But some commentators have branded the decision as "insensitive", arguing that elevating sparse and pristine white spaces can feel distant from the more compact, messier homes most people occupy.
Additional critics contend that framing white as an ideal carries racial undertones, landing uncomfortably during ongoing political and cultural dialogues about inclusion and diversity.
Designer Chris Beaumont says the criticism transcends aesthetics, noting that white carries cultural undertones and is rarely a innocuous choice.
"The color white sends a message," he says, shaped by a ten-year period of minimalist celebrity interiors – most famously Kim Kardashian's stripped-back home – that came to symbolize "wealth, order and distance from chaos".
He explains that white is "not about inspiration but taking care not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer personifying "austerity, moral minimalism and the idea that neutrality denotes virtue".
Beaumont points to the pandemic as a pivotal moment in how people interact with their homes.
"Almost instantly they transformed into our offices, sanctuaries and emotional anchors," he says, adding that against this backdrop, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness feels rather out of step".
Rather than offering calm, he believes white now threatens to intensifying "a feeling of emptiness", especially when paired with cool, clinical lighting.
An interior designer, a UK-based interior designer, agrees and says Cloud Dancer "doesn't really read as a colour" and is "completely rejected for me".
Although it may work in extremely sparse or structural spaces, she says pure white shades seldom foster calm in real homes.
"What looks serene in a professional photo can easily seem sterile at home," she explains.
"White can feel harsh and demanding and you wouldn't wish your home to emit a medical atmosphere."
She adds that "living spaces should elicit happiness and feel warm and lived-in, and this hue feels quite distant from that."
The critic expresses a desire that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "unabashed joyful interior design", using colour to express 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 "integrates perfectly with everything around it, offering a sophisticated impartiality that feels deliberate and versatile".
Since its launch in 2000, Pantone's Colour of the Year has evolved into a significant industry signal.
Previous selections have included the hopefulness of a vibrant pink-orange, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and most recently more gentle, feeling-based tones like a soft peach.
These hues don't just live on style predictions - they appear in fashion collections, beauty launches, interiors, product wrapping and even consumer electronics, influencing how products are marketed and how consumers envision the coming year.
A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "beautiful choice" and while it may appear basic, "this particular shade seems soft and refined rather than severe".
Contrary to those who say the colour is boring, the expert sees it as "flexible" and says it's best used in "sleeping quarters and communal spaces where you want a peaceful, calming atmosphere".
"Even if you prefer not to repaint, you can incorporate the colour into a room with cushions, blankets and drapes."
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 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 backdrop for architectural details like wall molding and curved entries which is a "rising style 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.
Fashion consultant A styling expert says elevating white seems "not focused on newness and more about intention", reflecting a movement towards refinement after years of fad saturation.
"White forces designers and wearers alike to focus on form, scale and quality, there's really no room for error," she clarifies.
But she adds that it also carries presumptions around self-image, lifestyle and advantage, stating: "When white is treated as something only a limited subset of people can pull off, it becomes divisive."
She says the industry is already cognizant of the problematic connotations associated with lauding white as an ideal, particularly amid ongoing conversations about representation and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "brands engage with that complexity honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".
Stylist Katie Malik admits the choice initially shocked her, given Pantone's history of vibrant hues, but says it mirrors a authentic change and fits within a wider mood of "quiet luxury
