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For anyone who has spent a long time living in rental properties, staring at the same standard-issue beige walls and yearning for adding some actual personality to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might feel like a personal attack.

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

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white characterized as "lofty" and "airy" which "serves as a emblem of calming influence in a society re-learning the worth of quiet reflection".

It signifies the first time a pure white has been chosen as the Colour of the Year, and it has sparked considerable debate.

Per Pantone, Cloud Dancer "is not just a colour, it's a state of being" and reflects a shared yearning to decelerate, recalibrate and find calm after years of visual overload.

But some detractors have dubbed the decision as "insensitive", contending that promoting minimalist and pristine white spaces can feel far removed from the smaller, messier homes most people inhabit.

Additional critics argue that presenting white as an ideal introduces subtext related to race, landing uncomfortably during ongoing societal conversations about race and representation.

Soothing or Stark?

Designer One design critic says the backlash goes beyond aesthetics, stating that white bears societal connotations and is rarely a innocuous choice.

"The color white sends a message," he says, influenced by a decade of minimalist celebrity interiors – most notably Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to epitomize "affluence, order and removal from chaos".

He explains that white is "not intended to inspire but being careful not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer personifying "restraint, moral minimalism and the idea that neutrality equals goodness".

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

"Overnight they became our offices, refuges and emotional anchors," he says, adding that in this context, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness feels rather tone-deaf".

Instead of offering calm, he contends white now threatens to intensifying "a feeling of emptiness", particularly when combined with cool, clinical lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

An interior designer, a Surrey based design expert, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "doesn't really read as a colour" and is "firmly in the bin for me".

While it may suit extremely sparse or architectural spaces, she says pure white shades rarely foster calm in everyday living spaces.

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

"White can feel harsh and unforgiving and you wouldn't wish your home to give clinical feelings."

She continues that "living spaces should elicit happiness and feel warm and welcoming, and this hue seems quite removed from that."

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

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute stated that people "bring different feelings" to the meaning of the colour, but it was selected as it "works seamlessly with everything around it, offering a sophisticated impartiality that seems deliberate and versatile".

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

Previous selections have included the optimism of Living Coral, the serene assurance of Classic Blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and most recently more gentle, emotionally driven tones like Peach Fuzz.

These hues extend beyond style predictions - they show up in clothing lines, beauty launches, home decor, product wrapping and even technology, shaping how products are sold and how consumers envision the year ahead.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "elegant choice" and while it may appear basic, "this particular shade seems soft and elegant rather than severe".

Contrary to those who say the colour is boring, Robinson sees it as "flexible" and says it's best used in "bedrooms and living areas where you want a peaceful, restful atmosphere".

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

Interior designer Another professional 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 "it is universally accepted but it's not a top choice".

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

In apparel, white has long been a basic rather than a bold declaration and as a Colour of the Year it presents a different challenge to designers more familiar with vibrant colors.

Luxury stylist Oriona Robb says championing white feels "not focused on newness and more about intention", reflecting a movement towards sophistication after years of trend overloads.

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

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

She says the industry is already cognizant of the uncomfortable undertones associated with lauding white as an aspirational standard, especially amid continuing conversations about representation and accessibility, and the real test will be whether "companies address that nuance authentically, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Stylist Another expert admits the choice at first shocked her, considering Pantone's track record of vibrant hues, but says it mirrors a genuine shift and aligns with a broader sentiment of "quiet luxury