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For those who has spent a long time renting, staring at the same standard-issue beige walls and longing for adding some actual personality to their home, Pantone's new Colour of the Year might seem like a personal attack.

This year, the influential color company has chosen white as its annual hue.

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "lofty" and "airy" which "acts as a emblem of tranquility in a society re-evaluating the worth 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 "transcends mere pigment, it's a state of being" and signifies a collective yearning to decelerate, recalibrate and achieve serenity after years of visual overload.

But some critics have branded the decision as "Pantonedeaf", suggesting that elevating sparse and pristine white spaces can seem far removed from the smaller, messier homes everyday individuals occupy.

Some observers argue that presenting white as aspirational carries subtext related to race, causing discomfort during current societal dialogues about inclusion and diversity.

Soothing or Stark?

Interior expert Chris Beaumont says the backlash transcends surface appeal, stating that white holds deeper meanings and is seldom a innocuous choice.

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

He clarifies that white is "not about inspiration but taking care not to offend", with Cloud Dancer embodying "austerity, moral minimalism and the notion that impartiality denotes virtue".

Beaumont references the global health crisis as a pivotal moment in how people relate to their homes.

"Almost instantly they transformed into our offices, refuges and emotional anchors," he says, stating that against this backdrop, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "more aesthetic barrenness feels rather tone-deaf".

Rather than providing calm, he argues white now threatens to amplifying "a feeling of emptiness", particularly when combined 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 "firmly in the bin for me".

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

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

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

She continues that "homes should elicit happiness and feel inviting and lived-in, and this shade seems quite distant from that."

Beaumont expresses a desire that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "full-scale joyful interior design", using vibrant hues to showcase personality.

A representative 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 refined neutrality that seems deliberate and versatile".

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

Previous selections 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 more gentle, feeling-based tones like a soft peach.

These colours don't just live on style predictions - they appear in clothing lines, cosmetic products, home decor, 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 "elegant choice" and while it may appear basic, "this particular shade feels gentle and refined rather than severe".

Contrary to those who say the colour is boring, the expert sees it as "adaptable" and says it's best used in "sleeping quarters and living areas where you want a serene, restful ambiance".

"Should you prefer not to redecorate, you can incorporate the colour into a room with cushions, blankets and curtains."

Design expert James Mellan-Matulewicz says although he was surprised that Pantone's pick this year was "fundamentally the lack of pigment", it is a bit like a basic flavor, in that "it is universally accepted but it's not a top choice".

He can see its merits, explaining that white can work especially effectively as a backdrop for design features like wall molding and curved entries which is a "growing trend in modern homes".

In fashion, white has long been a staple rather than a statement and as a Colour of the Year it poses a different challenge to designers more familiar with vibrant colors.

Fashion consultant A styling expert says championing white seems "not focused on newness and more concerned with purpose", indicating a shift towards refinement after years of trend overloads.

"White forces designers and those who wear it alike to focus on shape, proportion and craftsmanship, there's really no room for error," she explains.

But she continues that it also holds assumptions around body confidence, way of life and privilege, stating: "When white is viewed as something only a limited subset of people can wear well, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the industry is already aware of the problematic connotations associated with celebrating white as an ideal, especially amid continuing conversations about representation and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "brands engage with that complexity authentically, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Style consultant Katie Malik concedes the choice at first shocked her, given Pantone's history of bold colours, but says it mirrors a genuine shift and fits within a broader sentiment of "quiet luxury