It’s the most colorful time of the year. The Pantone Color Institute, a global leader in color trends, has announced Mocha Mousse as its 2025 Color of the Year.
The Pantone Color of the Year reflects global trends and influences in design, art, fashion, entertainment and other creative areas. This year’s winner is a “flavorful brown shade” imbued with “subtle elegance and earthy refinement,” as described in a statement by Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.
“Sophisticated and lush, yet at the same time an unpretentious classic, PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse extends our perceptions of the browns from being humble and grounded to embrace the aspirational and luxe,” Eiseman said.
We asked several interior designers for recommendations for incorporating Mocha Mousse into home design. Spoiler alert: It pairs well with last year’s Pantone winner, Peach Fuzz.
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Gena M. Kirk, vice president of Corporate Studio at KB Home, is a fan of Mocha Mousse, but says this year’s Color of the Year is about something bigger. “I also think that, for the world, it’s a good color. It is truly a grounding color,” she says. It’s also a color that’s been around for quite some time; Mocha Mousse and similar shades are among some of the oldest colors found in caves, she says.
Kirk likes this warm shade because it offers a blank canvas. She has paired it with jewel tones and pastels — it happens to go well with last year’s Peach Fuzz, for example. She has seen shades of Mocha Mousse in cabinet colors, flooring, furnishings and even fashion.
Ashley Yeates, founder of AYI & Associates, an interior design firm, and Ashley Yeates, her eponymous furniture company, loves the subtlety of Mocha Mousse compared with a chocolate brown or darker tone.
“It gives this kind of break in its simplicity,” she says, noting that it is “a perfect color” for those looking to bring outside tones inside. She likes it for a den or family room, but it will work in any part of the home where you want to infuse a warm, calming effect.
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A Blank Canvas
Mocha Mousse mixes well with other neutrals, as well as tans and deeper chocolate browns, says Yeates. Although this color certainly can work as a paint color, Yeates likes it more for furnishings and fabrics within a room.
“This is a perfect sofa color,” she says of Mocha Mousse. In fact, it’s one of her “absolute favorite” colors of mohair fabric for a sofa because “nothing shows on it.” It also goes well with just about any other color, including red, yellow and orange. “This color doesn’t fight other colors,” she says of Pantone’s Color of the Year.
Kirk likes combining this color with greens, especially muted greens. While Mocha Mousse will look great in a kitchen backsplash and an accent wall, Kirk says accent furniture and decor is the faster, easier and less expensive way to pull this color into any room.
Other designers agree. In a press release shared with US News & World Report, Greg Voorhis, executive design director at Sunbrella, said, “Introducing Mocha Mousse into the home establishes a cozy and welcoming tone, ideal for anchoring larger pieces like sofas or adding warmth through pillows and curtains.” The color renders especially well in textured accents, like a chenille throw blanket or a boucle throw pillow, he adds.
Mocha Mousse works well with beiges, other browns and earthy tones, but Voorhis also recommends pairing it with deeper tones of olive and eggplant. For a bolder palette, it also goes with crimson red, he says.
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Tapping Into Nature
While Mocha Mousse can work as a neutral color, Portland, Oregon-based home stylist Allisa Jacobs says the tricky part is to be mindful of its undertones. “The red undertones I think are going to be challenging because next to a cooler color or a color that’s not a true neutral, it’s going to look more orange,” she says. As such, she suggests combining Mocha Mousse with true neutral whites with even undertones.
Jacobs says, “I would treat it as if it was like a wood element,” noting it could work especially for beams, cabinets and doors. White trim around a door painted in Mocha Mousse could evoke a wood look that’s slightly elevated by the whipped, muted tone of the color, she explains.
Christine Marvin, chief marketing and experience officer at window and door manufacturer Marvin, shared in a press release that there’s been a growing interest in natural wood accents in the home over the past few years, from the return of wood paneling to wood-framed windows made from unique species.
“Mocha Mousse is a clear nod to our craving for comfort and warmth,” said Marvin, adding that the color can be introduced into the home with accents such as wood vases and leather accent pillows. For those eager to incorporate the color in a bolder fashion, Marvin suggests cabinetry, flooring and millwork, complemented by green and blue earth tones.
Some have remarked that Mocha Mousse is quite the departure from the bold Viva Magenta that Pantone chose just two years ago. “I think that back then, we needed energy,” says Kirk, noting that we were still coming out of pandemic isolation and wanted a color that could revive us after spending so much time in our homes. But stressful times endure, and many will crave a familiar color that’s soothing and grounding.
“I think it’s exactly what we need right now,” says Kirk.
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How to Decorate Your Home With Mocha Mousse originally appeared on usnews.com
