A bedroom in Pantone’s Mocha Mousse (Photo via Getty Images)
Strategically chosen to embody social sentiment, the colors of the year encapsulate trends, moods and moments. The colors are the culmination of cultural insights and extensive research on consumer preferences. From home design and fashion to cosmetics and technology, the colors of the year inspire and set trends, connecting with consumers through carefully curated hues that resonate with contemporary culture.
The Pantone Color Institute pioneered the concept of the color of the year in 2000, enlisting collaboration from brands, the design community and color enthusiasts. This year’s color, Mocha Mousse, represents a global desire for comfort. Pantone recommends the warm chocolate and coffee brown hues for home design projects beyond painting, such as wallpaper, furniture and accent pieces.
Leaning into sensibility and familiarity, Benjamin Moore’s Cinnamon Slate is a nuanced mix of plum and brown. The paint brand invites us to “bring a smooth familiarity to any design” with this year’s soft, quiet color, full of rich undertones.
Encore from Valspar
Encore, Valspar’s pick for the year, is a feel-good, deep royal blue — a tonal twist on the trusty, familiar blue hue. Valspar envisions Encore creating joy, providing a break from everyday life by elegantly coloring any space as an anchoring shade.
Another take on a familiar and classic color is Behr’s Rumors, reinventing the jewel tone red hue with warmth, drama and elegance. The brand’s exhaustive research found that consumers are ready to embrace red tones when painting entire rooms and walls.
The color pick for C2 Paint, Raku is a mix of burnt red and brown tones inspired by the pottery used in ancient Japanese tea ceremonies, celebrating intentionality, beauty and imperfection. The burgundy hue with rich and sophisticated mahogany undertones creates drama and intimacy in a space.
Glidden also wants design enthusiasts to stop playing it safe with color, with dramatic purple for this year’s choice. Purple Basil is a bold, warm and energetic hue, representing self-discovery and self-expression. The paint brand hopes to entice “color chip daydreamers,” who typically revert to the safety of neutrals.
Sherwin-Williams’ inaugural Color Capsule of the Year
Sherwin-Williams is celebrating its 15th color-of-the-year anniversary with a twist. This year, the brand introduces its first-ever Color Capsule of the Year, expanding beyond a singular shade. The assortment includes hues curated from essential colors in the brand’s collection, including a colorful mauve, bright chartreuse, several brown hues, a blue-ish grey and neutral whites.
With 10 shades of earthy tones combined for warmth, HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams seeks to usher in a new era of quiet comfort and luxury through softened colors. The Naturally Refined Color Collection for 2025 combines light yellows, sage greens and creamy whites with browns and blues to combat gray minimalism.
Looking to inject serenity into what it describes as an often chaotic world, Etsy chose Lime Cream as its color of the year. The online marketplace of independent creators calls the color a “dreamy, delicate shade that’s equal parts calming and lifting” and invites us to “refresh our spaces with creativity and intention.”
