Invite a sense of calm into your space with the 2025 Pantone colour palette

How is it that the colour of a carpet, wall paint, or décor can impact one’s mood or evoke a sensation?

When Pantone announced Mocha Mousse as its 2025 Colour of the Year, design blogs and publications were rife with think pieces about its warm, comforting, even sumptuous effects when used in interior design.

Research has found that, for better or for worse, the colours we surround ourselves with can impact on our biophysical functions. Studies have determined that seeing red can actually elevate your heart rate, while Baker Miller pink – a.k.a. “Drunk Tank Pink” can lower cardiac activity to produce a placating effect. It’s not entirely clear how colour impacts mood or even work performance, but there are some theories.

When it comes to consumer goods and interiors, it’s thought that our brains use colour as a visual signal to compensate for touch. Lighter colours may help décor elements come off as inviting, soft and plush, while daker shades are interpreted as being hard, more concrete, unyielding.

Colour can also convey messages. For example, retail spaces will often employ color-coded segments and wayfinding strategies to draw customers’ eyes to a specific product or to navigate through a store, while offices may employ specific colour schemes throughout a layout to encourage productivity.

The significance of a velvety rich colour of the year

When selecting its Colour of the Year, the Pantone Colour Institute works with a global team of experts to explore colour influences. Inspiration can come from the entertainment industry, popular travel destinations, fashion runways, even from socio-economic conditions.

As the 2025 Colour of the Year, Mocha Mousse is described by Pantone as “an evocative soft brown that transports our senses into the pleasure and deliciousness it inspires.” While the tone is rich and earthy, it is still light, creamy and comforting, a la its namesake dessert.

Inflation rates are high, and so is the current cost of living. As a result, many Canadian individuals and businesses are watching their finances closely. Under these circumstances, investing in Mocha Mousse interior elements can feel like adding a rich taste of indulgence to everyday interiors without breaking the budget.

So, how do we use this luxurious shade in interior design, and is there a resulting benefit in colour psychology?

The versatility of brown interior design and colour psychology

Brown is considered a neutral colour, and its versatility means it can be used in both commercial and residential contexts. Darker shades – like the deep leather tints often used in offices – can create an anchoring sense of security and safety. Meanwhile, lighter shades like taupes and sand can evoke relaxation, which is why they are often used in spas.

As a deeper shade, Mocha Mousse provides the perfect base for a monochromatic design scheme when incorporated throughout a space via broadloom or bold framing elements like curtains. To add depth to a single-coloured room, select furniture, architectural features and artworks featuring multiple, complementary hues of brown. Using a variety of textures and patterns in wallpaper, sofas, pillows and carpet will have a similar effect.

Stick to rugs and carets with complementary earth tones

Mocha Mousse is an earth tone, an organically occurring hue that establishes a sense of connection to nature and grounding. Earthy palettes tend to include rich, yet soft, shades of browns, blue, greens, and reds that verge or terracotta or clay.

As neutral earth tones, browns complement most other colours – the key here is to keep your accessories in the same colour family. If you’re adding to a mostly blue or purple room, stick to cooler shades of brown. Meanwhile, warmer tones naturally go with yellows, oranges and reds.

One of the best ways to tie a multi-toned room together is with a rug or carpet pattern that seamlessly combines colour components. To enhance a Zen, “natural” theme, consider a purchasing a custom piece featuring a biophilic design that mimics naturally-occurring shapes.

The next time you set out to design a space, start by considering the message you want it to send and how colour psychology conveys that message. For example, when we craft interiors with colour psychology in mind, we can intentionally infuse structure and serenity in our day to day lives with the Mocha Mousse or Periwinkle Blue – and really, who couldn’t benefit from that?