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For those who has spent years living in rental properties, staring at the same landlord-approved beige walls and dreaming of injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's 2026 Colour of the Year might be perceived as a direct affront.

This time around, the influential color company has designated white as its annual hue.

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

It signifies the first time a pure white has been picked as the Colour of the Year, and it has raised more than a few eyebrows.

Per Pantone, Cloud Dancer "is not just a colour, it's a state of being" and reflects a widespread desire to slow down, recalibrate and find calm after years of sensory saturation.

But some critics have dubbed the decision as "out of touch", suggesting that elevating minimalist and pristine white spaces can seem disconnected from the smaller, messier homes most people occupy.

Additional critics contend that framing white as aspirational carries subtext related to race, causing discomfort during continuing political and cultural conversations about race and representation.

Clinical or Calm?

Interior expert One design critic says the counter-reaction goes beyond surface appeal, stating that white carries cultural undertones and is rarely a innocuous choice.

"White is a signal," he says, influenced by a ten-year period of sparse star homes – most famously Kim Kardashian's stripped-back home – that came to represent "wealth, order and distance from disorder".

He elaborates that white is "not intended to inspire but taking care not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer embodying "restraint, virtuous simplicity and the notion that neutrality equals virtue".

Beaumont cites the pandemic as a defining period in how people perceive their homes.

"Overnight they transformed into our offices, refuges and emotional anchors," he says, stating that against this backdrop, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "more visual emptiness feels rather disconnected".

Instead of offering calm, he contends white now threatens to intensifying "a sense of desolation", especially when paired with cool, clinical lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

An interior designer, a Surrey based design expert, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "doesn't really read as a colour" and is "completely rejected for me".

Although it may suit extremely sparse or structural spaces, she says pure white shades rarely create calm in everyday living spaces.

"An image of tranquility in a styled shoot can easily feel clinical at home," she explains.

"White can feel harsh and unforgiving and you don't want your home to emit clinical feelings."

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

Beaumont hopes that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in favour of "full-scale joyful interior design", using vibrant hues to showcase individuality.

A representative of the Pantone Colour Institute commented that people "bring different feelings" to the meaning of the colour, but it was chosen as it "integrates perfectly with everything around it, providing a refined neutrality that seems deliberate and versatile".

Since its launch in 2000, Pantone's Colour of the Year has become a powerful industry signal.

Previous selections have featured the optimism of a vibrant pink-orange, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the energy of a bold pink-red, and most recently softer, feeling-based tones like a soft peach.

These hues extend beyond style predictions - they appear in clothing lines, cosmetic products, interiors, packaging and even consumer electronics, influencing how products are marketed and how consumers envision the year ahead.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "elegant choice" and while it may seem simple, "this particular shade seems gentle and elegant rather than severe".

Contrary 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 serene, restful atmosphere".

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

Interior designer James Mellan-Matulewicz says although he was taken aback 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 particularly well as a background for architectural details like panelling and arched doorways which is a "rising style in contemporary houses".

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

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

"The color white compels designers and wearers alike to concentrate on form, proportion and quality, there's really nowhere to hide," she clarifies.

But she continues that it also holds assumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and advantage, stating: "When 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 celebrating white as an ideal, particularly during ongoing conversations about representation and approachability, and the real test will be whether "brands address that complexity honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Cultural Mood, Not a Trend

Stylist Another expert admits 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