Pantone Colour of the Year for 2025

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A new year has finally arrived! While we may not know what 2025 has to bring yet, we hope this year brings a sense of connection, comfort and harmony.

At least, that’s what Pantone is hoping for with their colour of the year for 2025! Hoping to fully ground themselves this year, Pantone has gone chocolate brown with their latest colour choice, Mocha Mousse.

Interior Designer at La-Z-Boy Kingston, Mary Lee Smyth, is a tried-and-true Pantone lover and finds the Pantone Colour of the Year 2025 as “a delicious chocolaty colour that can go well with a lot of different spaces.” 

So, you might be wondering, what goes well with this colour? How does Mocha Mousse fit in your home? This article will cover everything you need to know about Pantone’s colour of the year for 2025 and how you can incorporate it into your home today.

In This Article…

1. What is Pantone?
2. Which Colours & Styles Pair Best with Pantone’s Colour of the Year?
3. Who Would Love Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2025?
4. Other 2025 Colours of the Year

What is Pantone?

Before we discuss the colour of the year, you may need clarification on Pantone itself. The company Pantone is known as the leading colour expert worldwide. 

With a wide array of colour selections to choose from, Pantone surpasses far beyond any other colour company. They provide various services to various companies, such as picking the right colour for brands, consultations for perfect colour combinations, and educating those interested in emerging colour trends.

Pantone's Colour of the Year Selection Process

Every year, Pantone, along with other notable colour companies, chooses a colour that will set the tone for the upcoming year. They do this by looking at trends from the past year across different industries like home design, advertising, social media, technology, fashion, and everyday life. 

After carefully considering different tones for different meanings, they release a colour that shows what they hope to see in the upcoming year. 

If we were to take a look at 2024’s Colour of the Year, Pantone introduced a light orange tone that subtly captured your attention. Peach Fuzz represented joy and warmth and embraced a positive outlook on the future ahead. 

Pantone has picked colours of the year for over 25 years now, and their process is very thorough, according to Pantone associate, Laurie Pressman.

“The Pantone Color Institute created the Pantone Color of the Year educational program in 1999 to engage the design community and colour enthusiasts around the world in a conversation around colour. We wanted to draw attention to the relationship between culture and colour–to highlight to our audience how what is taking place in our global culture is expressed and reflected through the language of colour.”

Following their 25th anniversary, Pantone decided to choose a colour that once again brings naturalistic elements inside. Rather than choosing a colour that was soft to the eye, Pantone decided to go for a darker colour that can impact any room it touches.

And so, Mocha Mousse was chosen! Mocha Mousse represents a deep sense of comfort, warmth and staying grounded.

As we approach the midway point of the decade, we have consistently seen bold colours entering our colour trends, and, in turn, people`s homes. However, with Mocha Mousse, this type of rich colour stays on trend by not just being a rich and bold colour, but also creating a relaxing environment that silences the outside noise of everyday life.

Just like last year`s colour, Peach Fuzz, Mocha Mousse encourages natural colours in your room, but this time with a more earthy vibe to them, instead of rays of sunshine.

How to Incorporate Pantone's Colour of the Year 2025 in Your Home

As mentioned before, Mary Lee has been a Pantone fan for a long time and is always up to date on all the colour trends and design trends for 2025. “I always have my Pantone colour picker with me whenever someone needs a better visual of what I’m describing,” she says.

Mary Lee interprets this year’s colour as “a versatile brown colour that may not always be the star of the show, but certainly a backdrop for anything you want to create in your room.”

She also notes that this colour also has a hint of gold to it, which may be the reason behind its richness. “It’s unique because a lot of the time, you don’t necessarily see gold undertones with browns this dark. Chestnut brown, for example, is almost the same tone but arguably not as rich as Mocha Mousse”

That being said, this shade of brown is a great example of complimenting rooms with a natural colour that would compliment a backdrop well, or even certain furniture frames as well.

Colour Palettes that Compliment Mocha Mousse

So, how can Mocha Mousse complement your colour palette? How does this colour work well in your home?

Well, reflecting on Pantone’s main inspiration behind Mocha Mousse, Mary Lee states that this colour could do well within a room that incorporates a lot of natural tones. “Because of the gold undertone, I'm seeing this colour working well with pale blues, an all-natural gold metal, and even soft greens.”

She also notes that subtle references to this colour in your room can go a long way. If you want to add leather barstools in this colour, for example, it can make a lasting impact and create depth in your room.

Even other brown tones can really make this colour stand out in a room. Mary Lee says, “if you pair this gold brown with a darker brown, you’ll certainly create more intrigue for the eye.”

Pantone also has some interesting colour palettes from their website!

Design Styles & Furniture that Call for Mocha Mousse

Pantone’s colour of the year for 2025 is more than just a harmonious chocolate colour–it can change the mood of a room with some subtlety.

This colour would work well with other natural colours, like green tones, and other browns. But, Mary Lee also says that it could also work well with pale blues and some light purples as well. “Don’t think purple like amethyst purple,” she says, “think more floral.”

Because of this, most pastels could work with this colour, if they are paired with a flower in nature. Mary Lee also says that a red wine colour could also work well with Mocha Mousse, if this colour was in the form of a window curtain or a throw pillow.

If you’re trying to go into a more contemporary route, Mary Lee recommends using this colour in a neutral space to create depth. “If you already have lots of textured things in your living room, like an area rug, or blankets and pillows, something like a mocha mousse leather sofa could do wonders.”

She also notes to not put too much of this colour in a room if there are large windows around, as the lightness could create too much contrast with such a dark colour.

In terms of furniture pieces, Mary Lee says a tan leather sofa could complement this colour very well, especially when going for a light-themed room. “Leather can also help bring in new textures and add more depth to a room.” 

La-Z-Boy has many leather sofas available that can come in a light tan cover. To learn more about our selections, take a look at our Top Leather Sofas, article.

More specifically, she notes the Draper Sofa being a good fit for this type of colour, since its selected leather already has a cover resembling this colour. To learn more about the Draper Furniture Family, take a look at this article.

Lastly, Mary Lee also states that a dark green accent chair, like the Reegan, could do well in a room with Mocha Mousse decor. To learn more about the Reegan Swivel Accent Chair, take a look at this article.

Who Would Love Pantone's Colour of the Year 2025?

Now that you know the inspiration behind Mocha Mousse and what it can bring into your home, do you think you would enjoy this colour of the year?

As with any colour, Mocha Mousse may not be right for everyone. Mary Lee believes that a lot of people can enjoy this colour, if used properly. 

For example, darker colours may not do the best with natural lighting, as it can create a sense of tiredness in a room, according to Mary Lee. “If you're in a room with a lot of natural light but the colours inside are darker, a lot of the time, people tend to feel more tired because their irises are working double time to adjust to such a contrast.” 

So, if you have large windows in your living room, it might be best to add Mocha Mousse in small amounts.

If you’re looking to add Mocha Mousse in your home, Mary Lee also says to compliment this colour with other textures, for example, because this colour is rich in nature, it could go well with velvet pillows, a shag rug or even brass gold accents for an extra pop of colour. 

Mary Lee also encourages people to use this colour if they’re looking for something different and new in their space. “This colour can work well for people that are starting a new chapter in their lives and are looking to invigorate their home life to the fullest.”

2025 Colour Trends Other Than Peach Fuzz

Pantone might be the most anticipated colour each year, but they are not the only colour company that shares predictions. Other companies have released their 2025 top colours, reflecting a different perspective on what they expect in the coming year. 

Because of their 15th anniversary, Sherwin-Williams chose to have not just one colour of the year, but a colour capsule of the year. These nine complimentary hues represent essential colours that are meant to help keep your home looking authentic and timeless.

Some of these colours include lighter hues like Sunbleached white or Chartreuse yellow, but others are darker like Rain Cloud gray and Grounded brown.

There is also Behr's 2025 Colour of the Year, Rumors, which is a deep and dynamic ruby red colour that also has a similar rich and decadent feeling to Mocha Mousse. In fact, as explained by Mary Lee, this darker red could compliment Pantone’s colour of the year quite nicely if used correctly.

Whether employed as a focal point in a classic setting or as an anchor in a modern space, Rumors deserves its Colour of the Year status.

Lastly, Benjamin Moore's 2025 Colour of the Year, Cinnamon Slate, is another interesting brown colour, with a velvety plum look that looks delicate and regal. 

Using almost a similar reasoning for Pantone’s brown colour of the year, Benjamin Moore believes that this colour creates a sense of familiarity and comfort within their spaces, and is sure to turn heads when this colour is noticed. 

As you may have noticed, there seems to be a dark shift in colour tones this year, with a lot of these colours overtaking rooms. This is an ongoing colour trend that will continue throughout 2025, which you can learn more about with this article.

What's Next?

Mocha Mousse is not for the faint of heart. It is a colour meant to make a statement in your home and hopefully revive the lost excitement you once had for your room.

With that being said, do you have the personality of Mocha Mousse?

You can start by checking out our complimentary design services to see how Mocha Mousse can work in your home. Working with an interior designer like Mary Lee can help relieve the stress of doing it yourself and make the process seem effortless. 

Visit us at any of our furniture stores in Ottawa, Gatineau or Kingston or book an online appointment to talk to a sales consultant if you have any questions or concerns. To learn more about La-Z-Boy’s home decor and how it could potentially pair well with this colour, take a look at our home decor buyer’s guide.

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