Pantone’s 2025 Color of the Year

By: Annalise Corso, Creative Services Manager

New year, new you? More like: new year, new hue! Oh yes, friends, the time has come for Pantone to reveal their color for 2025. We hope the holidays haven’t fully satisfied your sweet tooth because this year’s color is a delectable nod to indulgence. Welcome to the year of Mocha Mousse! We’re serving up a spoonful of color magic, inspiration, and celebration in this article that will surely have you coming back for seconds (or thirds, we won’t judge!).

Celebrating Life’s Simple Comforts

2024’s color, Peach Fuzz, was a study in softness. Its tagline, “Embrace the Warmth,” urged us to prioritize self-care, nurturing, and togetherness. A gentle hue, it beckoned in a sense of peace and serenity while appealing to our inner humanity.

Mocha Mousse’s tagline is “Capturing a Global Mood of Connection, Comfort, and Harmony,” but it might as well be, “Treat Yourself and Everybody Else!” Pantone’s choice embodies an ongoing quest for harmony, building on Peach Fuzz’s sweet nature with a decadent take. While fostering a sense of warmth and connection, it also deliciously elevates the perception of brown from modest to luxurious. While still grounded in natural, organic beauty, this inviting color takes a traditionally neutral staple and makes it glamorous enough for the spotlight. 2025’s signature tone reflects a growing desire to reconnect with nature while embracing life’s richness.

Our Senses Go Loco for Cocoa

If you’re hungry to give your attendees a taste of 2025’s color that will have them licking their bowls clean, we’ve got you covered. One of the reasons we love Mocha Mousse so much is its seemingly endless applications. This color delights all your senses, from the pads of your fingers to the tip of your tongue. Here’s a sensory guide to quenching your event’s thirst for contentment.

Touch & Sight: Let’s Talk Texture

When focusing on decor, the decadence of Mocha Mousse can be seen and felt in more ways than one. It invites the use of soft-touch weaves, buttery leathers, and soothing suedes that encourage relaxation. For furniture, choose textiles that provide a luxurious and comforting feel. Think plush velvets, boucle, angora, and shaggy knits that will envelop and embrace, creating a sense of warmth and coziness. If you’re designing a beachy or laid-back event, incorporate natural materials like wood, stone, rattan, wicker, grasses, earthenware, leather, and linen.

Mocha Mousse also pairs beautifully with chiffons, silky textures, satins, and jersey fabrics, creating an atmosphere that feels as light as air. These materials add fluidity and elegance, allowing for graceful draping and movement. All beg to be touched while imparting a calming and comforting intention at first glance. When it comes to Mocha Mousse’s magic, seeing is the first step to believing.

Taste & Smell: A Flavor That’s Heavenly Scented

Of course, it wouldn’t be Mocha Mousse if it didn’t spark a craving for chocolate and coffee’s most delectable attributes. Give your cocktail hour a kick with a Mocha Midnight Martini—a deeper take on a classic espresso martini that captures the rich, velvety flavors of this year’s hue. But chocolatey goodness isn’t just for dessert! Bring a little spice to the table with a Mexican classic, Chicken Mole, where chicken is lovingly smothered in chilies, nuts, seeds, spices, dried fruit, and—yep, you guessed it—chocolate. 

Lastly, we’ll reveal a perfumier’s best-kept secret: the scent of coffee beans. For generations, olfactory experts have sniffed coffee beans to reset their sense of smell. But we think this trick deserves to be shared and savored; after all, who doesn’t love the smell of coffee? Encourage attendees to try the sniff test for themselves between courses or incorporate it into a teambuilding activity, paired with a coffee or espresso-making class. Let the delightful aroma of coffee beans enhance your event, fostering organic connections among participants as they bond over the shared experiences of savoring coffee’s rich scent.  

In a Mocha Mood

Since this year’s color is all about indulgence, we couldn’t resist giving it a 360DG signature spin! Be sure to check out Pantone’s official color of the year website for their elegant palettes. But first, since we’re sweet on Mocha Mousse, we wanted to give you a taste. We hope this moodboard inspires you to dive into life’s sugary smorgasbord for your next event.

We don’t know about you, but we could really go for a cup of hot cocoa with a shot of espresso right now. There’s no combination more classic than coffee and chocolate, except maybe 360 Destination Group and your next event. So, get in touch to share your Mocha Mousse daydreams with us. We’re always hungry for more!