🔗 Share this article

For those who has spent years renting, staring at the same landlord-approved beige walls and longing for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might feel like a personal attack.

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

In detail, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white characterized as "elevated" and "airy" which "functions as a emblem of tranquility in a society re-evaluating the importance of stillness".

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

According to Pantone, Cloud Dancer "represents more than a hue, it's a state of being" and embodies a widespread yearning to slow down, recalibrate and achieve serenity after years of aesthetic chaos.

But some critics have dubbed the decision as "out of touch", contending that championing sparse and pristine white spaces can seem far removed from the more compact, messier homes everyday individuals occupy.

Some observers propose that presenting white as an ideal risks racial undertones, creating unease amid ongoing political and cultural discussions about inclusion and diversity.

Clinical or Calm?

Designer One design critic says the criticism transcends aesthetics, noting that white holds societal connotations and is seldom a neutral choice.

"The color white sends a message," he says, shaped by a decade of sparse star homes – most notably Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to represent "wealth, order and distance from chaos".

He elaborates that white is "not about inspiration but taking care not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer representing "restraint, moral minimalism and the idea that impartiality denotes goodness".

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

"Overnight they transformed into our workspaces, refuges and sources of stability," he says, noting that against this backdrop, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness feels rather tone-deaf".

Instead of providing calm, he argues white now threatens to heightening "a feeling of bleakness", particularly when combined with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Sterile Sensations

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

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

"An image of tranquility in a professional photo can readily feel clinical at home," she explains.

"The color white may seem stark and unforgiving and you wouldn't wish your home to give clinical feelings."

She adds that "living spaces should spark joy and feel warm and welcoming, and this shade seems quite distant from that."

Beaumont hopes that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "unabashed joyful interior design", using colour to showcase personality.

A representative 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, providing a refined neutrality that feels intentional and versatile".

Beginning in 2000, Pantone's Colour of the Year has become a significant industry signal.

Past choices have included the optimism of a vibrant pink-orange, the calm confidence of a deep blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and more recently softer, feeling-based tones like Peach Fuzz.

These colours don't just live on trend forecasts - they show up in fashion collections, beauty launches, interiors, product wrapping and even technology, shaping how products are sold and how consumers imagine the coming year.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "beautiful choice" and while it may seem basic, "this specific hue feels soft and refined rather than severe".

In contrast to those who say the colour is dull, Robinson sees it as "adaptable" and says it's best used in "sleeping quarters and communal spaces where you want a serene, calming ambiance".

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

Design expert James Mellan-Matulewicz says although he was surprised that Pantone's pick this year was "fundamentally the absence of colour", it is a bit like a basic flavor, in that "everyone likes it but it's nobody's favourite".

He can see its merits, noting that white can work especially effectively as a background for architectural details like wall molding and arched doorways which is a "rising style in contemporary houses".

In fashion, white has long been a basic rather than a statement and as a Colour of the Year it presents a different challenge to designers more accustomed to bold shades.

Luxury stylist A styling expert says elevating white seems "less about novelty and more about intention", reflecting a shift towards sophistication after years of trend overloads.

"White forces designers and wearers alike to concentrate on form, scale and quality, there's really nowhere to hide," she clarifies.

But she continues that it also carries assumptions around self-image, way of life and advantage, stating: "When white is treated as something only a narrow group of people can wear well, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the industry is already aware of the problematic connotations associated with lauding white as an aspirational standard, particularly during ongoing discussions about inclusion and approachability, and the true challenge will be whether "companies engage with that nuance authentically, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Stylist Another expert admits the choice initially shocked her, given Pantone's track record of bold colours, but says it reflects a authentic change and aligns with a broader sentiment of "quiet luxury