Global color authority Pantone picked a warm, rich brown hue, Mocha Mousse (PANTONE 17-1230), as its Color of the Year selection for 2025.
According to the Pantone Color Institute, Mocha Mousse “nurtures with its suggestion of the delectable quality of cacao, chocolate, and coffee, appealing to our desire for comfort.”
“Underpinned by our desire for everyday pleasures, Mocha Mousse expresses a level of thoughtful indulgence” says Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Sophisticated and lush, yet at the same time an unpretentious classic, Mocha Mousse extends our perceptions of the browns from being humble and grounded to embrace aspirational and luxe.”
In addition to bringing comfort, the shade is characterized by its organic nature and embraces the sustenance of the physical environment.
“Infused with subtle elegance and earthy refinement, Mocha Mousse presents a discrete and tasteful touch of glamour,” continues Eiseman. “A flavorful brown shade, Mocha Mousse envelopes us with its sensorial warmth.”
Although more neutral than 2024's Peach Fuzz (PANTONE 13-1023), Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, says Mocha Mousse continues a trend from last year.
“For Pantone Color of the Year 2025, we look to a color that progresses our embrace of the feeling of our Pantone Color of the Year Peach Fuzz into another dimension, extending further into our desire for comfort and the indulgence of simple pleasures that we can gift and share with others,” she says.
For interior design and home décor, the brown hue evokes that comforting feeling, whether appearing on flooring or a painted wall, within home décor, or in more natural materials, including wood and stone, rattan and wicker, leather and linen.
“Consumers are seeking comfort and simplicity in the home and are looking to neutral backdrops to create that feeling,” says Ashley Banbury, color marketing manager at HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams. “Rich, deep browns are really having a moment, which we’ve seen in street style this fall and that is translating to how consumers would like to design their homes.”
