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For those who has spent years living in rental properties, 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 feel like a personal attack.

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

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

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

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

But some critics have branded the decision as "insensitive", suggesting that promoting sparse and pristine white spaces can seem disconnected from the smaller, lived-in homes everyday individuals occupy.

Some observers contend that presenting white as aspirational carries subtext related to race, causing discomfort during ongoing political and cultural conversations about race and representation.

Soothing or Stark?

Designer Chris Beaumont says the counter-reaction goes beyond surface appeal, stating that white carries societal connotations and is seldom a neutral 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 epitomize "affluence, control and distance from disorder".

He elaborates that white is "not intended to inspire but taking care not to offend", with Cloud Dancer embodying "austerity, moral minimalism and the idea that impartiality denotes goodness".

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

"Almost instantly they became our offices, refuges and emotional anchors," he says, stating that in this context, directing the Colour of the Year towards "more visual emptiness seems rather disconnected".

Rather than providing calm, he argues white now threatens to heightening "a feeling of emptiness", especially when paired with harsh, sterile lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

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

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

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

"White can feel harsh and unforgiving and you don't want your home to give hospital vibes."

She adds that "homes should elicit happiness and feel warm and welcoming, and this shade seems 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 colour to express individuality.

A representative of the Pantone Colour Institute commented that people "have varied interpretations" to the meaning of the colour, but it was chosen as it "works seamlessly with everything around it, offering a sophisticated impartiality that feels deliberate and versatile".

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

Past choices have featured the hopefulness of Living Coral, the serene assurance of a deep blue, the energy of Viva Magenta, and more recently softer, emotionally driven tones like a soft peach.

These hues extend beyond trend forecasts - they appear in clothing lines, cosmetic products, home decor, product wrapping and even consumer electronics, influencing how products are marketed and how consumers imagine the year ahead.

A style and trend expert, says Cloud Dancer is a "beautiful choice" and while it may appear basic, "this specific hue feels soft and elegant rather than severe".

In contrast to those who say the colour is dull, Robinson sees it as "flexible" and says it's best used in "bedrooms and communal spaces where you want a serene, calming atmosphere".

"Even if you don't want to redecorate, you can incorporate 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 "essentially the lack of pigment", 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 especially effectively as a backdrop for architectural details like panelling and arched doorways which is a "growing trend in contemporary houses".

In fashion, 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 accustomed to bold shades.

Luxury stylist A styling expert says elevating white feels "less about novelty and more concerned with purpose", reflecting a shift towards refinement after years of fad saturation.

"The color white compels designers and those who wear it alike to focus on form, proportion and craftsmanship, there's really nowhere to hide," she clarifies.

But she adds that it also holds presumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and privilege, saying: "When white is treated as something only a narrow group of people can pull off, it becomes divisive."

She says the industry is already aware of the uncomfortable undertones associated with celebrating white as an ideal, particularly during ongoing discussions about representation and accessibility, and the true challenge will be whether "brands address that complexity authentically, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

Stylist Katie Malik concedes the choice at first shocked her, considering Pantone's track record of bold colours, but says it mirrors a genuine shift and fits within a wider mood of "quiet luxury