Pantone Debuts Peach Fuzz as Their Cheery 2024 Color of the Year

Totally not what we were expecting!

After carefully monitoring the Pantone Color of the Year’s official countdown tracker this week, it was a thrill to learn their official pick for 2024 is Peach Fuzz 13-1023, a soothing and gentle (of course) peach shade—a warm and subtle middle ground between orange and pink.

In the days leading up to the announcement, the brand bathed its Instagram feed with previous winners.

With reminders of 2018’s Ultra Violet, 2021’s surprising combo pick of Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Yellow, and last year’s Viva Magenta, their feed was a helpful retrospective of the last few year’s most colorful trends, getting us excited for all to come in 2024.

Upon announcing their pick, Pantone took to Instagram once more with a soothing video and a caption calling the color “a velvety gentle peach whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and heart.”

It's a Warm and Welcoming Embrace

Each year, Pantone picks a color that we're likely to see everywhere, but also represents a call to action for what the world needs in the coming year. Peach Fuzz is no exception.

"The color is one whose warm and welcoming embrace conveys a message of compassion and whose cozy sensibility brings people together and enriches the soul,” Laurie Pressman, vice president of Pantone color institute, says.

Home Decor Experts Weigh In

But along with making a statement, the Pantone Color of the Year is also an announcement that makes waves across industries—the world of interior design and home decor included.

"As brands rooted in color and as a creative team, we are certainly interested in what Pantone has to say about the colors it forecasts will be on the rise in 2024,” Ashley McCollum, Glidden paint color expert, tells The Spruce.

Also announced today alongside Pantone’s pick was a collaboration between Pantone and the beloved brand Ruggable, launching a collection of their signature washable rugs in the Pantone hue.

In the announcement of their upcoming partnership, Pressman says it’s a natural collaboration thanks to the soft and cozy essence of PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz.

“The color provides a welcoming ambiance to any home,” says Pressman.

And it’s not just Ruggable who’s excited for the joy this shade will bring. We turned to a few of our other favorite brands to find out their gut reactions, too.

Peach Fuzz Has Throwback Appeal

Meghan Howell, North American creative director at Formica, says it’s all about blending the Gen Z color palette with a retro throwback appeal.

“Just like the '60s, Peach Fuzz has a bright, cheery energy that exudes rawness and earthiness given its natural element,” she says, before noting it’s sophisticated yet bright, and can bring a jolt of positivity and warmth to any space.

As Pantone notes in their announcement, Peach Fuzz is all about compassion—and Greg Voorhis, executive design director at Sunbrella, agrees.

“When brought into the home, Peach Fuzz sets a welcoming tone, whether through the subtle nod of a throw pillow or a more prominent accent chair,” he says. “With such a versatile color, there’s no shortage of ways to design with peach-colored fabrics.”

It’s Not Just for Soft Goods

While it’s easy to envision adding this color into our homes with soft touches like fabrics and throw pillows, Stephanie Pierce, director of design and trends at MasterBrand Cabinets, says the effects of using Peach Fuzz in kitchens and bathrooms shouldn’t be discounted either.

“It’s exciting to think we are on the verge of a color shift to the warmer side of the spectrum,” Pierce says. “Peach Fuzz is a perfect combination of where we see future trends for cabinetry sitting with those horizon sunrise colors like terra cotta, yellow, and deep orange and red.

Though Pantone is arguably the most renowned for selecting an annual color of the year, paint brands have followed suit with their annual picks. Looking at all the 2024 colors of the year, the warmth of Peach Fuzz stands out.

Read Next: Every 2024 Color of the Year We Know So Far

Read the original article on The Spruce.