Each year the Pantone Institute engages the design community and color enthusiasts with its choice for the Pantone Color of the Year – a shade that “captures the global zeitgeist and expresses a mood and attitude, reflecting collective desire in the form of a single distinct hue,” according to the Pantone Institute. This year, Pantone 17-1230 Mocha Mousse is the favored color.

“An evocative soft brown that transports our senses into the pleasure and deliciousness, it inspires as the Pantone Color of the Year selection for 2025,” stated the Pantone Institute. “A warming rich brown hue, Pantone 17-1230 Mocha Mousse nurtures with its suggestion of the delectable quality of cacao, chocolate and coffee, appealing to our desire for comfort.”

“Underpinned by our desire for every day pleasures, Pantone 17-1230 Mocha Mousse expresses a levelof thoughtful indulgence,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director 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 aspirational and luxe. Infused with subtle elegance and earthy refinement, Pantone 17-1230 Mocha Mousse presents a discrete and tasteful touch of glamour. A flavorful brown shade, Pantone 17-1230 Mocha Mousse envelopes us with its sensorial warmth.”

As warm earth tones are seeping back into today’s designs, Pantone 17-1230 Mocha Mousse is an appropriate choice. It is a color that connects to nature. The shade is ideal for flooring, countertops and even accent walls.

“The everlasting search for harmony filters through into every aspect of our lives, including our relationships, the work we do, our social connections and the natural environment that surrounds us,” said Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute. “Harmony brings feelings of contentment, inspiring a positive state of inner peace, calm and balance, as well as being tuned in with the world around us. Harmony embraces a culture of connection and unity, as well as the synthesis of our mental, spiritual and physical well-being. With that in mind, for Pantone Color of the Year 2025, we look to a color that reaches into our desire for comfort and wellness, and the indulgence of simple pleasures that we can gift and share with others.”

Whether for residential or commercial design, there are a plethora of stone and tile options offering the look and feel of Pantone 17-1230 Mocha Mousse. “Brèche Fantastique Beige marble, Brown Chocolate Quarzite quartzite and Cristallo Glacé natural quartz are the natural stones that best represent the design mood,” stated Antolini. “Each of them is defined by the same delicate, comfy and relaxed hues of the Mocha Mousse color and can become the best choice for designers and architects in order to create sophisticated yet cozy interiors.”

Designer Jennifer Farrell of Jennifer Farrell Design in Los Angeles, CA, shared similar sentiments. "Welcome back, warmth,” she said. “Mocha Mousse is everything that is happening on the forefront of design right now: earthy tranquility, cozy tones, tactile softness and a heritage reference to the palette of our youth — when mocha was all the rage. Taj Mahal quartzite, cognac leather, terracotta tile – they are the must-haves for the tastemakers in the design community, and Mocha Mousse is in perfect harmony with the warm earthy materials that are leading tomorrow's design trends."

"Having spent years in the tile industry, I tend to approach color trends with a different lens,” said Ryan Fasan, technical consultant for Tile of Spain USA. “When I first saw 2024’s Color of the Year, ‘Peach Fuzz,’ I didn’t just see a pastel accent -- I saw a spectrum of light flesh tones that would evolve into a new earthy neutral palette. And, sure enough, that prediction came to life. I had a sense that this would set the stage for a deeper, more expansive design language, and 2025’s ‘Mocha Mousse’ proves it.

“Mocha Mousse is a rich indulgent neutral brown that begs to be explored with texture and layered tones,” Fasan went on to say. “The warmth in its base can easily shift toward iron-rich earth tones, introducing rusty umber shades that create a perfect backdrop for contrasting cooler hues like verdigris and deep ocean blues. It’s the kind of color that invites a dialogue between warmth and coolness, depth and light.”

Fasan explained how the hue sparks the imagination about all the design possibilities. “What excites me most about this year's color story is its potential to influence design, particularly in tile,” he said. “As naturalist neutrals continue to take center stage, I’m eager to see how this rich grounded palette shapes the spaces of tomorrow." 

Working for a stone and tile distributor, Kiara Perdomo, director of product development at Nemo Tile + Stone, also sees the potential. “We expect that earthy palettes will continue to be on the rise in 2025, and Pantone's Mocha Mousse echoes this,” she said. “Calm muted tones, like Mocha Mousse, help create a serene atmosphere. With an increased focus on biophilic design, homeowners are gravitating toward nature-inspired patterns or colors that mimic organic elements. This beautiful brown aligns perfectly with what we are seeing!”