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For those who has spent a long time living in rental properties, staring at the same standard-issue beige walls and longing for adding some actual personality to their home, Pantone's 2026 Colour of the Year might seem like a direct affront.

This year, the renowned color company has chosen a shade of white as its flagship hue.

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "elevated" and "billowy" which "serves as a emblem of calming influence in a society rediscovering the worth of introspection".

It marks the initial instance a pure 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 state of being" and embodies a widespread urge to decelerate, recalibrate and achieve serenity after years of visual overload.

But some critics have dubbed the decision as "Pantonedeaf", arguing that promoting sparse and immaculate white spaces can feel disconnected from the smaller, lived-in homes the majority inhabit.

Others propose that positioning white as an ideal introduces racial undertones, creating unease amid continuing societal dialogues about race and representation.

Sterile or Serene?

Interior expert Chris Beaumont says the criticism transcends surface appeal, arguing that white carries cultural undertones and is seldom a neutral choice.

"The color white sends a message," he says, influenced by a decade of minimalist celebrity interiors – most famously Kim Kardashian's stripped-back home – that came to represent "wealth, order and removal from chaos".

He clarifies that white is "not intended to inspire but being careful not to offend", with Cloud Dancer representing "austerity, virtuous simplicity and the notion that impartiality signifies virtue".

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

"Overnight they became our offices, refuges and emotional anchors," he says, adding that against this backdrop, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more visual emptiness feels rather tone-deaf".

Rather than offering calm, he contends white now threatens to heightening "a feeling of emptiness", particularly when combined with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Hospital Vibes'

Lara Clark, 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".

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

"An image of tranquility in a styled shoot can readily feel sterile at home," she clarifies.

"The color white may seem harsh and unforgiving and you don't want your home to give hospital vibes."

She continues that "homes should spark joy and be warm and lived-in, and this hue feels quite distant from that."

Beaumont hopes that homeowners will reject the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "unabashed dopamine décor", using colour to express individuality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute commented that people "bring different feelings" to the meaning of the colour, but it was chosen as it "works seamlessly with everything around it, offering a refined neutrality that seems intentional and versatile".

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

Past choices have featured the hopefulness of a vibrant pink-orange, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the energy of Viva Magenta, and most recently softer, feeling-based tones like Peach Fuzz.

These hues don't just live on style predictions - they appear in clothing lines, beauty launches, home decor, product wrapping and even consumer electronics, shaping 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 seem simple, "this particular shade feels soft and refined rather than severe".

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

"Even if you prefer not to redecorate, you can introduce the colour into a room with pillows, throws and drapes."

Interior designer James Mellan-Matulewicz says although he was taken aback that Pantone's selection this year was "essentially the absence of colour", it is a bit like vanilla ice cream, in that "everyone likes it but it's nobody's favourite".

He can see its benefits, explaining that white can work particularly well as a backdrop for design features like panelling and arched doorways 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.

Fashion consultant A styling expert says elevating white feels "not focused on newness and more concerned with purpose", reflecting a movement towards refinement after years of fad saturation.

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

But she adds that it also holds presumptions around self-image, way of life and privilege, saying: "If white is treated as something only a narrow group of people can wear well, it becomes divisive."

She says the fashion world is already aware of the uncomfortable undertones tied to lauding white as an aspirational standard, especially during continuing discussions about inclusion and approachability, and the true challenge will be whether "companies engage with that complexity authentically, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Cultural Mood, Not a Trend

Style consultant Katie Malik concedes the choice at first shocked her, considering Pantone's history of bold colours, but says it mirrors a genuine shift and aligns with a wider mood of "quiet luxury