Pantone embraces nature and nurture with colour of the year

Many home-owners and interior designers are already introducing Peach Fuzz, the Pantone Colour of 2024, into their decor schemes, and finding that it's an easy and restful shade to incorporate into several different spaces. It combines well with neutrals as well as pale pastels and greens and is supposed to evoke a feeling of comfort and togetherness,.

And for those not sure how to proceed, there are scores of ideas on the internet for how to feature the colour in kitchens and living rooms as well as bedrooms and bathrooms. But what is equally interesting to learn is how and why Peach Fuzz came to be the chosen shade of 2024, especially since this is the 25th anniversary of the Pantone Colour of the Year.

"Ever since Cerulean Blue was introduced as the first Colour of the Year back in 1999, the company has been setting the scene for designers, brands, manufacturers and consumers around the world. Indeed, it has become a globally iconic cultural touchstone, revealing the fundamental role that colour plays in our shared human experience.

"It now influences product development and purchasing decisions in almost every industry and country," says Laurie Pressman, Vice President of the Pantone Colour Institute," and as we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we are grateful to have provided an avenue for designers everywhere to tell their own stories and showcase their creativity through colour in a huge variety of fields, including fashion, cosmetics, home furnishings, interior design, packaging and multimedia."

But why Peach Fuzz, or rather, how did Pantone choose this colour at a time when a more sombre hue might seem to reflect the state of the world more accurately. The company describes Peach Fuzz as gentle, velvety, contemporary and nurturing and, says Pressman, it was selected by a team of experts who constantly comb the world looking for new colour trends emerging through a wide variety of events and experiences, including new films and art shows, major sporting events, computer gaming, fashion, aspirational travel destinations, all forms of design, changing lifestyles, social media platforms and new technologies and materials.

"Selection follows thoughtful consideration, ongoing conversations and the research that our experts conduct year-round, and what is especially interesting is that although they all live in different parts of the world and are engaged in different design fields, they always reach a consensus."

And that consensus this year would seem to be that we are all longing for more closeness and connection, especially with the natural world, where the warm, orangey-pink of Peach Fuzz can be found everywhere, from sunrises and feathers to corals, fruit and flowers.

"After years of conflicts, crises and economic struggles, there definitely does seem to be a yearning in the air for something soothing and warm and hopeful," says colour marketing expert Lauren Labreque, "and I think Peach Fuzz is spot-on in capturing the collective intention to move forward and focus on more on positivity this year."