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For anyone who has spent a long time renting, confronted by the same landlord-approved beige walls and dreaming of injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's 2026 Colour of the Year might seem like a direct affront.

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

To be precise, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white described as "lofty" and "airy" which "acts as a symbol of tranquility in a society re-evaluating the importance of quiet reflection".

It marks the initial instance a pure white has been picked as the Colour of the Year, and it has sparked considerable debate.

Per Pantone, Cloud Dancer "transcends mere pigment, it's a state of being" and embodies a widespread urge to slow down, recalibrate and achieve serenity after years of visual overload.

But some critics have dubbed the decision as "Pantonedeaf", arguing that elevating sparse and immaculate white spaces can feel distant from the more compact, messier homes the majority call home.

Additional critics argue that framing white as an ideal introduces racial undertones, creating unease amid current societal discussions about inclusion and diversity.

Soothing or Stark?

Designer One design critic says the criticism transcends surface appeal, noting that white bears deeper meanings and is rarely a neutral choice.

"White is a signal," he says, shaped by a decade of sparse star homes – most famously Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to epitomize "affluence, order and distance from chaos".

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 idea that neutrality equals goodness".

The designer references the global health crisis as a defining period in how people interact with their homes.

"Almost instantly they became our workspaces, sanctuaries and sources of stability," he says, noting that in this context, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "more visual emptiness feels rather tone-deaf".

Rather than providing calm, he contends white now threatens to amplifying "a sense of bleakness", especially when combined with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Hospital Vibes'

An interior designer, a UK-based interior designer, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "is not perceived as a colour" and is "firmly in the bin for me".

Although it may work in highly minimal or architectural spaces, she says bright whites seldom foster calm in everyday living spaces.

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

"The color white may seem harsh and demanding and you wouldn't wish your home to give clinical feelings."

She continues that "living spaces should spark joy and feel inviting and lived-in, and this hue seems quite distant from that."

Beaumont expresses a desire that homeowners will reject 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 "integrates perfectly with everything around it, providing a refined neutrality that feels intentional and versatile".

Since its launch in 2000, Pantone's Colour of the Year has evolved into a powerful trend indicator.

Previous selections have included the hopefulness of a vibrant pink-orange, the calm confidence of a deep blue, the vibrancy of Viva Magenta, and most recently softer, feeling-based tones like a soft peach.

These hues extend beyond trend forecasts - they show up in fashion collections, cosmetic products, home decor, packaging and even technology, influencing how products are sold 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 specific hue seems soft and elegant rather than stark".

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

"Should you don't want to redecorate, you can incorporate 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 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 merits, noting that white can work particularly well as a background for design features like wall molding and arched doorways which is a "rising style in modern homes".

In apparel, white has long been a basic rather than a statement and as a Colour of the Year it poses a different challenge to designers more accustomed to vibrant colors.

Luxury stylist Oriona Robb says championing white feels "not focused on newness and more concerned with purpose", reflecting a shift towards sophistication after years of fad saturation.

"White forces designers and wearers alike to concentrate on shape, proportion and quality, there's really nowhere to hide," she explains.

But she adds that it also carries assumptions around body confidence, way of life and privilege, saying: "When white is treated as something only a limited subset of people can pull off, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the fashion world is already aware of the uncomfortable undertones tied to lauding white as an aspirational standard, particularly during continuing conversations about inclusion and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "companies engage with that nuance honestly, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

Style consultant Katie Malik concedes the choice initially surprised her, given Pantone's history of vibrant hues, but says it reflects a authentic change and fits within a broader sentiment of "quiet luxury