Pantone's 2024 Colour of the Year: Peach Fuzz

Pantone’s Colour of the Year 2024, Peach Fuzz (PANTONE 13-1023), arrived with a softness that feels instantly warm, cosy, and a little bit girly in the best possible way. It’s gentle without being boring, comforting without feeling heavy, and it sits in that sweet spot between blush tones and soft coral.

On its own, it could easily have been treated as something delicate or even a bit insipid if used without intention. But what’s been really interesting is how designers have taken it and pushed it further.

Rather than keeping it in a safe, pastel-only world, Peach Fuzz has been paired with bolder, more unexpected colour palettes. Deep browns, acid greens, muted teals, dusty purples. Suddenly it stops feeling purely soft and starts feeling more expressive, even a bit playful. Almost retro in places, like a nod to 70s interiors or faded film tones, but with a modern edge.

That shift is what makes it so useful in real design work. It proves that a “soft” colour doesn’t have to mean “quiet” or “forgettable”. In fact, when it’s placed alongside stronger supporting tones, Peach Fuzz becomes a connector. It softens contrast, adds warmth, and stops palettes from feeling too harsh or clinical.

What makes Peach Fuzz interesting is not just the colour itself, but how flexible it becomes in the hands of designers who are willing to experiment. It’s moved beyond being a “safe pastel” and into something more layered, expressive, and a little bit nostalgic.

And that’s where it really comes alive.