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For anyone who has spent years renting, staring at the same standard-issue beige walls and dreaming of injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's 2026 Colour of the Year might be perceived as a disappointing choice.

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

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white described as "elevated" and "billowy" which "functions as a emblem of calming influence in a society re-learning the worth of quiet reflection".

It signifies the initial instance white has been picked as the Colour of the Year, and it has generated significant controversy.

According to Pantone, Cloud Dancer "transcends mere pigment, it's a mindset" and reflects a collective desire to slow down, reset and seek peace after years of aesthetic chaos.

But some detractors have labelled the decision as "out of touch", arguing that promoting minimalist and pristine white spaces can feel distant from the more compact, lived-in homes the majority occupy.

Additional critics propose that framing white as an ideal introduces subtext related to race, landing uncomfortably within current political and cultural conversations about race and representation.

Soothing or Stark?

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

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

He elaborates that white is "not intended to inspire but being careful not to offend", with Cloud Dancer embodying "austerity, virtuous simplicity and the idea that neutrality denotes goodness".

The designer references the pandemic as a defining period in how people perceive their homes.

"Almost instantly they became our offices, sanctuaries and emotional anchors," he says, stating that against this backdrop, directing the Colour of the Year towards "further visual emptiness feels rather tone-deaf".

Rather than providing calm, he believes white now risks heightening "a sense of emptiness", especially when combined with harsh, sterile lighting.

'A Clinical Atmosphere

An interior designer, a UK-based interior designer, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "doesn't really read as a colour" and is "firmly in the bin for me".

While it may suit highly minimal or structural spaces, she says bright whites rarely foster calm in real homes.

"What looks serene in a professional photo can readily feel sterile at home," she clarifies.

"White can feel harsh and demanding and you wouldn't wish your home to give clinical feelings."

She continues that "homes should elicit happiness and feel inviting and lived-in, and this shade seems quite distant from that."

The critic hopes 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 "have varied interpretations" to the significance of the colour, but it was selected as it "integrates perfectly with everything around it, providing a sophisticated impartiality that feels intentional and versatile".

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

Previous selections have included the optimism of a vibrant pink-orange, the calm confidence of Classic Blue, the energy of a bold pink-red, and most recently more gentle, emotionally driven tones like a soft peach.

These colours don't just live on style predictions - they appear in clothing lines, beauty launches, interiors, product wrapping and even technology, shaping how products are sold and how consumers imagine the coming year.

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

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

"Should you don't want to repaint, you can introduce the colour into a room with cushions, throws and curtains."

Interior designer James Mellan-Matulewicz says although he was surprised 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, explaining 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 staple rather than a bold declaration and as a Colour of the Year it presents a different challenge to designers more accustomed to vibrant colors.

Luxury stylist Oriona Robb says championing white feels "less about novelty and more about intention", indicating a movement towards sophistication after years of trend overloads.

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

But she adds that it also carries presumptions around self-image, lifestyle and advantage, saying: "When white is viewed as something only a narrow group of people can wear well, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the industry is already aware of the problematic connotations associated with celebrating white as an aspirational standard, particularly during ongoing conversations about representation and accessibility, and the real test will be whether "companies address that complexity honestly, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Reflection of the Times

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