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For anyone who has spent years renting, staring at the same standard-issue magnolia walls and longing for injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might be perceived as a personal attack.

This year, the renowned color company has selected white as its premier hue.

To be precise, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white characterized as "elevated" and "airy" which "acts as a emblem of calming influence in a society rediscovering the importance of stillness".

It signifies the first time a pure white has been honored as the Colour of the Year, and it has generated significant controversy.

Per Pantone, Cloud Dancer "transcends mere pigment, it's a state of being" and signifies a collective yearning to slow down, reset and achieve serenity after years of visual overload.

But some commentators have dubbed the decision as "insensitive", arguing that elevating minimalist and pristine white spaces can feel distant from the more compact, lived-in homes everyday individuals occupy.

Others contend that presenting white as an ideal introduces racial undertones, landing uncomfortably amid continuing societal conversations about inclusion and diversity.

Soothing or Stark?

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

"The color white sends a message," he says, influenced by a decade of sparse star homes – most famously Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to represent "affluence, order and removal from disorder".

He clarifies that white is "not intended to inspire but taking care not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer personifying "restraint, virtuous simplicity and the concept that impartiality denotes goodness".

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

"Almost instantly they transformed into our workspaces, refuges and emotional anchors," he says, stating that in this context, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness feels rather disconnected".

Rather than offering calm, he believes white now threatens to amplifying "a sense of bleakness", especially when combined with cool, clinical lighting.

'Hospital Vibes'

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 pure white shades rarely foster calm in everyday living spaces.

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

"White can feel stark and demanding and you wouldn't wish your home to emit clinical feelings."

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

Beaumont expresses a desire that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "full-scale dopamine décor", using vibrant hues to showcase individuality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute stated that people "have varied interpretations" to the meaning of the colour, but it was selected as it "integrates perfectly with everything around it, providing a refined neutrality that seems deliberate and adaptable".

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

Previous selections have included the hopefulness of Living Coral, the calm confidence of a deep blue, the energy of Viva Magenta, and more recently more gentle, feeling-based tones like a soft peach.

These hues don't just live on style predictions - they appear in clothing lines, beauty launches, home decor, packaging and even technology, shaping how products are sold and how consumers envision the coming year.

Victoria Robinson, says Cloud Dancer is a "beautiful choice" and while it may appear simple, "this particular shade feels soft and elegant rather than stark".

In contrast to those who say the colour is dull, Robinson sees it as "flexible" and says it's best used in "bedrooms and living areas where you want a serene, calming atmosphere".

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

Interior designer Another professional says although he was taken aback that Pantone's pick 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 nobody's favourite".

He can see its benefits, explaining that white can work especially effectively as a background for architectural details like panelling and curved entries which is a "growing trend in modern homes".

In apparel, white has long been a staple rather than a statement and as a Colour of the Year it presents a unique test to designers more accustomed to vibrant colors.

Luxury stylist A styling expert says elevating white feels "not focused on newness and more concerned with purpose", indicating a shift towards refinement after years of fad saturation.

"The color white compels designers and those who wear it alike to focus on shape, scale and craftsmanship, there's really no room for error," she explains.

But she adds that it also carries presumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and advantage, saying: "When white is treated as something only a narrow group of people can pull off, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the fashion world is already cognizant of the problematic connotations tied to lauding white as an ideal, especially during ongoing discussions about representation and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "companies engage with that complexity honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Cultural Mood, Not a Trend

Style consultant Another expert admits the choice at first surprised her, given Pantone's track record of vibrant hues, but says it mirrors a genuine shift and aligns with a wider mood of "quiet luxury