Luxury chocolate is in — the color, that is. The Pantone Color Institute has chosen PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse as its 2025 Color of the Year. Pantone describes the color as a “warming, brown hue imbued with richness” that conjures thoughts of chocolate, coffee and “a desire for comfort.
” Interior designer Ashley Hawthorne, based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is not surprised by the choice. “This reinforces the trend we have seen for a couple of years,” she said, “which would be the move away from cool neutrals, such as bright white and gray, to warm, richer neutrals like tan, taupe and brown.” For Cristin Kennedy of Blackbird Interiors, “the announcement of a luscious brown being selected as Pantone’s Color of the Year” isn’t a shock.
“I think that people today are after a more intimate setting in their homes,” she said. “Incorporating these richer hues lends itself to that feeling.” For the fashion-conscious, this choice also makes sense.
Hawthorne said that interior design usually follows fashion by one season, and there were many rich browns in 2024 fall collections. Hawthorne would love to use PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse as the feature hue in a color-drenching trend, which is using one color for the entire interior — ceiling, trim, walls and even some furniture. “I love the thought of a warm brown, cozy room to curl up in with a book and a cocktail (maybe a dark one like a Sazerac?) or watch the latest episode of ‘Yellowstone,’”.
