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For anyone 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 2026 Colour of the Year might feel like a direct affront.

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 "elevated" and "airy" which "serves as a symbol of tranquility in a society re-evaluating the importance of introspection".

It signifies the initial instance a pure white has been honored as the Colour of the Year, and it has raised more than a few eyebrows.

According to Pantone, Cloud Dancer "is not just a colour, it's a philosophy" and reflects a collective urge to slow down, reset and find calm after years of sensory saturation.

But some detractors have dubbed the decision as "Pantonedeaf", suggesting that promoting sparse and pristine white spaces can seem distant from the more compact, lived-in homes the majority call home.

Additional critics argue that positioning white as an ideal introduces subtext related to race, causing discomfort within current societal discussions about race and representation.

Clinical or Calm?

Interior expert One design critic says the backlash goes beyond surface appeal, noting that white holds deeper meanings and is seldom a neutral choice.

"White is a signal," he says, shaped by a ten-year period of minimalist celebrity interiors – most famously Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to epitomize "wealth, control and distance from chaos".

He explains that white is "not about inspiration but taking care not to offend", with Cloud Dancer personifying "restraint, moral minimalism and the concept that impartiality denotes virtue".

Beaumont points to the pandemic as a defining period in how people relate to their homes.

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

Rather than offering calm, he contends white now risks intensifying "a sense of bleakness", especially when combined with harsh, sterile lighting.

'Hospital Vibes'

Lara Clark, a Surrey based interior designer, concurs 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 pure white shades seldom create calm in real homes.

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

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

She adds that "homes should spark joy and feel warm and welcoming, and this hue feels quite removed from that."

Beaumont expresses a desire that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "full-scale joyful interior design", using colour to express personality.

The vice president of the Pantone Colour Institute stated that people "have varied interpretations" 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 adaptable".

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

Past choices have featured the hopefulness of Living Coral, the calm confidence of a deep blue, the vibrancy of a bold pink-red, and more recently more gentle, feeling-based tones like Peach Fuzz.

These hues extend beyond style predictions - they show up in clothing lines, cosmetic products, home decor, product wrapping and even consumer electronics, shaping how products are marketed and how consumers imagine the coming year.

Victoria Robinson, says Cloud Dancer is a "elegant choice" and while it may appear basic, "this particular shade feels soft and refined rather than stark".

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

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

Interior designer Another professional says although he was surprised that Pantone's pick this year was "fundamentally the absence of colour", it is a bit like a basic flavor, in that "everyone likes it but it's not a top choice".

He can see its benefits, explaining that white can work particularly well as a background for design features like panelling and arched doorways which is a "growing trend in contemporary houses".

In apparel, white has long been a basic rather than a statement and as a Colour of the Year it poses a unique test to designers more accustomed to bold shades.

Fashion consultant Oriona Robb says elevating white feels "not focused on newness and more about intention", reflecting a shift towards sophistication after years of trend overloads.

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

But she adds that it also holds assumptions around body confidence, way of life and privilege, saying: "If white is viewed as something only a narrow group of people can wear well, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the industry is already cognizant of the problematic connotations associated with lauding white as an ideal, particularly during ongoing conversations about inclusion and approachability, and the real test will be whether "brands engage with that complexity honestly, or simply glamorize the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

Stylist Another expert admits the choice at first surprised her, given Pantone's history of vibrant hues, but says it reflects a genuine shift and fits within a wider mood of "quiet luxury