🔗 Share this article

For those who has spent years living in rental properties, staring at the same standard-issue magnolia walls and longing for adding some actual personality to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might be perceived as a personal attack.

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

To be precise, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "elevated" and "airy" which "acts as a emblem of tranquility in a society rediscovering the worth of introspection".

It represents the first time white has been chosen 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 philosophy" and reflects a collective urge to decelerate, reset and seek peace after years of aesthetic chaos.

But some commentators have labelled the decision as "Pantonedeaf", suggesting that championing sparse and immaculate white spaces can feel disconnected from the smaller, lived-in homes most people call home.

Others contend that framing white as an ideal risks subtext related to race, creating unease during ongoing societal discussions about race and representation.

Clinical or Calm?

Designer Chris Beaumont says the backlash goes beyond aesthetics, stating that white holds cultural undertones and is seldom a neutral choice.

"White is a signal," he says, influenced by a ten-year period of sparse star homes – most famously Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to represent "wealth, control and removal from chaos".

He clarifies that white is "not about inspiration but being careful not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer embodying "austerity, virtuous simplicity and the concept that neutrality denotes virtue".

Beaumont cites the global health crisis as a defining period in how people perceive their homes.

"Suddenly they transformed into our offices, sanctuaries and sources of stability," he says, adding that in this context, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more visual emptiness seems rather out of step".

Rather than providing calm, he contends white now risks intensifying "a sense of desolation", especially when paired with cool, clinical lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

Lara Clark, a UK-based design expert, agrees and says Cloud Dancer "is not perceived as a colour" and is "completely rejected for me".

While it may suit extremely sparse or structural spaces, she says bright whites seldom foster calm in everyday living spaces.

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

"White can feel stark and demanding and you don't want your home to emit hospital vibes."

She continues that "living spaces should spark joy and be inviting and welcoming, and this shade feels quite removed from that."

Beaumont expresses a desire that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "unabashed dopamine décor", using vibrant hues 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 "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 powerful industry signal.

Previous selections have featured the hopefulness of Living Coral, the serene assurance of Classic Blue, the vibrancy of Viva Magenta, and more recently softer, feeling-based tones like Peach Fuzz.

These colours extend beyond trend forecasts - they appear in fashion collections, beauty launches, home decor, packaging and even technology, 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 elegant rather than severe".

Contrary to those who say the colour is dull, the expert sees it as "flexible" and says it's best used in "bedrooms and living areas where you want a peaceful, calming ambiance".

"Should you prefer not to redecorate, you can introduce the colour into a room with pillows, blankets and drapes."

Interior designer James Mellan-Matulewicz says although he was taken aback that Pantone's selection 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 benefits, noting that white can work especially effectively as a background for architectural details like panelling and curved entries which is a "rising style in contemporary houses".

In fashion, white has long been a basic rather than a bold declaration and as a Colour of the Year it poses a unique test to designers more familiar with vibrant colors.

Luxury stylist Oriona Robb says elevating white feels "less about novelty and more about intention", reflecting a shift towards sophistication after years of fad saturation.

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

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

She says the fashion world is already aware of the problematic connotations associated with celebrating white as an aspirational standard, particularly during continuing conversations about inclusion and accessibility, and the real test will be whether "companies engage with that complexity honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Stylist Another expert admits the choice initially surprised her, considering Pantone's history of bold colours, but says it mirrors a genuine shift and fits within a broader sentiment of "quiet luxury