Pantone Is Down With Light Brown for Its 2025 Color of the Year

Meet Mocha Mousse, a soft and comforting milk chocolate hue, and see how to use it inside and outside of a home

Jennifer OttDecember 6, 2024

San Francisco-based architectural color specialist and design writer. Jennifer's work has been featured in many print and online publications. Her recently-published book, "1000 Ideas for Color Schemes," is a beautifully illustrated and easy-to-navigate guide that takes the guesswork out of selecting the perfect color palette for your home or special event. For more information on Jennifer Ott Design, visit http://jenottdesign.com/.

Warm colors have been making a comeback in home design in recent years. Previously popular pinks and peaches are now making way for more neutral shades of brown and mauve. Color management company Pantone Color Institute chose a perky peach for its 2024 Color of the Year and is now pivoting to Mocha Mousse for its 2025 selection. Mocha Mousse is a warm and earthy hue that also represents low-key luxury. Here’s how you might want to use it in your own home.

First a bit about Pantone. The company develops and manages color standards and tools for a variety of industries, including fashion, advertising, branding, product development and interior design. Every year the company puts out color trend forecasts, including a Color of the Year selection, in order to aid the various industries in the development and marketing of products.

Laurie Pressman, vice president of Pantone Color Institute, says the company chose Mocha Mousse for its 2025 Color of the Year because of how it “reaches into our desire for comfort and wellness, and the indulgence of simple pleasures that we can give and share with others.”

That sounds promising. Let’s take a look at how this comforting color can be used in home design and decor.

Dawn interiors

Arguably the room in which we seek the most comfort is our bedroom. If you’re a fan of Mocha Mousse, consider layering shades of it as seen here in this softly luxurious bedroom designed by Dawn Interiors.

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Wells and Maguire

You could opt for an entire accent wall of a Mocha Mousse-like shade, as shown in the previous photo, or go for a more subtle use of the color, such as a partial wall accent color to ground the headboard. In this example from design firm Wells and Maguire, a Mocha Mousse-like shade provides a soft backdrop in an elegant yet cozy bedroom.

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2id Interiors

Here’s a slightly more modern bedroom awash in the hue. I like the contrast between the tropical cool blues and greens seen outside the window and the warm light brown tones used in the interior by 2id Interiors.

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Ashley Campbell Interior Design

I remain a big fan of gray tones, so I like how this bedroom by Ashley Campbell Interior Design mixes warm light brown tones with soft silver hues. The colors are all light and neutral but the layering of them, along with the mix of materials and textures, creates a visually interesting yet restful space.

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popix designs

A main or guest bathroom is another space in which a sense of quiet comfort is desired. Typically I’m drawn to blue-hued and crisp, clean, green spa-like baths, but this beautiful space from Popix Designs has me rethinking my preferences. The wall tile is exquisite and provides a nice backdrop to the warm wood and metallic tones used in the space.

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True Home Builders

The feature wall in this bathroom by design-build firm True Home Builders is also clad in a warm Mocha Mousse-like color. It’s a comforting hue to surround oneself in and is also a smart choice if you live in a colder climate, as warmer colors tend to make us feel warmer.

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Divine Custom Homes

Divine Custom Homes selected a soft mocha for the millwork in this home office. By enveloping yourself in colors you find soothing, you just might be able to help ease any work-related stress you feel. At the very least, it makes it a bit more enticing to show up for work.

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Cedarland Homes

I’ve noticed that mocha-like colors are becoming more common in kitchens again, particularly in the stonework. Jazz up a white kitchen with a touch of this delicious hue on the vent hood, in the backsplash or via the countertops, as was done in this elegant kitchen from Cedarland Homes. It adds a nice dash of warmth to an otherwise cool space.

Hendrickson Construction Inc. | Aspen

This living room by Hendrickson Construction features layers of Mocha Mousse shades throughout in the form of the furniture, textiles, window treatments and even the wood tones. The result is a super soft, warm and inviting living room perfect for snuggling up in with a good book on a cold night.

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Studio Build

A well-regarded landscape designer once told me, “When in doubt about picking a color for the exterior of a home, look to nature as a guide.” This advice has served me well in my work assisting homeowners with selecting exterior color schemes.

Colors taken from the Earth are going to look great outside, whether the sun is shining or the sky is an overcast gray. The milk chocolate hues on this home by Studio Build serve to ground the contemporary architecture and its bright orange accents.

Ectypos Architecture

The light mocha hue on this home from Ectypos Architecture makes it appear as if it was formed from the very ground it’s built upon. For those who live in a dry, dusty climate, a light earthy color such as this wears well, as it will help camouflage dust and dirt. Warm brown hues also serve as a complementary backdrop to cooler and more vibrant greens in the landscaping, making them stand out more.

Your turn: What do you think of Pantone’s selection of Mocha Mousse as 2025 Color of the Year? Share your thoughts in the Comments.

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