Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2025 is both 
delicious and comforting.

chocolate brown décor
Etta floral wallpaper from wallblush.com.
trending colours

Each year the experts at the Pantone Color Institute select a hue they feel perfectly captures the essence of the times. For 2025, that colour is PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse, which they describe as “a warming, brown hue imbued with richness,” adding: “It nurtures us with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee, answering our desire for comfort.”

Brown has been edging its way into fashion and décor for some time, whether it’s the earthy tones of biophilia, the chocolate tints we saw all over fall’s fashion runways or the plummy hues that have drenched interior design. 

Hot Mocha paint from Graham & Brown.
Maisa organic cotton slub Coco Brown duvet cover and pillow shams from CB2.

Indeed, brown overtook black as the go-to neutral in many designers’ Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 collections. Brands including Coach, Bottega Veneta, Miu Miu, Chloé, Gucci, Saint Laurent and Prada have embraced the hue on the runway. And, just before the holidays, the shopping platform LTK noted a 1,000-per-cent increase in searches for brown.

Unlike chocolate brown, Mocha Mousse is softer, lighter and mellower, a versatile hue that goes anywhere you want to. Look for it everywhere this spring, especially in soft, wearable suede and leather fashion and home-décor pieces. 

OPI “Made it to the Seventh Hill” nail lacquer.
Hobo Lauren clutch from Cardino Shoes.