2024 Pantone Color of the Year: Peach Fuzz

Subtly sensual, Peach Fuzz is a heartfelt peach hue bringing a feeling of kindness and tenderness, communicating a message of caring and sharing, community and collaboration. A warm and cozy shade highlighting our desire for togetherness with others or for enjoying a moment of stillness and the feeling of sanctuary this creates, Peach Fuzz presents a fresh approach to a new softness. An appealing peach hue softly nestled between pink and orange, Peach Fuzz inspires belonging, recalibration, and an opportunity for nurturing, conjuring up an air of calm, offering us a space to be, feel, and heal and to flourish from. Drawing comfort from Peach Fuzz, we can find peace from within, impacting our wellbeing. An idea as much as a feeling, Peach Fuzz awakens our senses to the comforting presence of tactility and cocooned warmth. Sensitive but sweet and airy, Peach Fuzz evokes a new modernity. While centered in the human experience of enriching and nurturing the mind, body, and soul, it is also a quietly sophisticated and contemporary peach with depth whose gentle lightness is understated but impactful, bringing beauty to the digital world.   Poetic and romantic, a clean peach tone with a vintage vibe, Peach Fuzz reflects the past yet has been refashioned with a contemporary ambiance. 

Diamond Sea Fizz, a mix of gin, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, edible flowers, and club soda from Constellation Culinary Group. Photo courtesy Frost Science

At a time of turmoil in many aspects of our lives, our need for nurturing, empathy and compassion grows ever stronger as does our imaginings of a more peaceful future. We are reminded that a vital part of living a full life is having the good health, stamina, and strength to enjoy it. That in a world which often emphasizes productivity and external achievements, it is critical we recognize the importance of fostering our inner selves and find moments of respite, creativity, and human connection amid the hustle and bustle of modern life. As we navigate the present and build toward a new world, we are reevaluating what is important. Reframing how we want to live, we are expressing ourselves with greater intentionality and consideration. Recalibrating our priorities to align with our internal values, we are focusing on health and wellbeing, both mental and physical, and cherishing what’s special — the warmth and comfort of spending time with friends and family, or simply taking a moment of time to ourselves. With that in mind, Pantone wanted to turn to a color that could focus on the importance of community and coming together with others. The color selected to be the Pantone Color of the Year 2024 needed to express a desire to want to be close to those we love and the joy we get when allowing ourselves to tune into who we are and just savor a moment of quiet time alone.  It needed to be a color whose warm and welcoming embrace conveyed a message of compassion and empathy. One that was nurturing and whose cozy sensibility brought people together and elicited a feeling of tactility. One that reflected our feeling for days that seemed simpler but at the same time has been rephrased to display a more contemporary ambiance. One whose gentle lightness and airy presence lifts us into the future. 

Peach Fuzz is a nurturing peach tone that inspires us to instinctively want to reach out and touch. Conveying a message of tactility that comes through in sueded, velvety, quilted, and furry textures, luxuriously soothing and soft to the touch, Peach Fuzz is an enveloping peach hue that awakens our senses to the comforting presence of tactility and cocooned warmth.

So, what does the industry think of the color? 

We rounded up some industry pros to share their initial thoughts on this influential shade announcement.

• “I really love the choice of Peach Fuzz for the Pantone Color of the Year 2024. In the past, the colors have been an ‘all or nothing’ type of choice to include–being bold colors. But this color is something that can be either the focal point or accent without polarizing.” – Amy Kolodziej, Amy Kolo Photography
   

• “The announcement of Pantone's Color of the Year is always an exciting one for the wedding industry, and it's something we look forward to in order to guide and inspire our next year's weddings. I believe some clients that want to be trendy will try to incorporate Pantone's Color of the Year, Peach Fuzz, but as per usual, I don't think it will be a majority of the 2024 clients wanting to use this color.” – Hellen Oliveira, Hellen CO. Photos + Films
   

• “I think this color choice could give people more confidence in incorporating this tone into their palette in addition to other colors of the rainbow verses sticking to white or ivory, which is a bit overdone.” – Michelle Vining, LOLA Event Productions
   

• “This color is perfect for the floral industry. Not only does peach fuzz complement all skin tones, but peach flowers are available year-round and fit seamlessly into spring, summer, and even autumn weddings, adapting to seasonal aesthetics. The peach symbolizes purity, innocence, gratitude, and harmony, all beautiful feelings to incorporate into a wedding celebration.” – Joan Wyndrum, Blooms By The Box
   

• “Unlike other trends that may be cringe-worthy years later, working with the Color of the Year allows couples and industry pros alike to both embrace the color trend and also make it completely their own. I think we’ll see some celebrations heavily influenced by the color and others that use it sparingly as an accent and a nod to their modern sensibilities.” – Lynne Reznick, Lynne Reznick Photography
   

• “I'm genuinely thrilled about this color! It has held a special place in my heart for years, although I wasn't aware of its precise name. I incorporate it into my home decor and have even observed its use in recent weddings. This color encapsulates a fusion of two emotions for me—joy and security—values that align with the essence my business aims to deliver to clients.” – Elena Gera, Focus on the Moment
   

• “My initial reaction is that Peach Fuzz is not generally a main character color for weddings. This is a supporting role color that has the versatility to work with and enhance just about any palette. This is Gunther at Central Perk, who slays regardless of which Friends are sitting on the couch. This is Jennifer Coolidge’s character in Legally Blonde–she brings sparkle to the screen but not deep enough to be the title role.” – Janice Carnevale, Bellwether Events
   

• “I am hoping that in 2024, the wedding industry will finally ditch the blush pink and be a bit more brave with incorporating different shades and tones of pinks and oranges to create a pop for a more interesting design and color palette.” – Jessica K. Feiden, Jessica K. Feiden Photography
   

• “It reminds us of a sunrise, a new beginning, and the perfect color to lead or accent with for any milestone occasion. It's not unusual to find this hue in years past because its influence is classic.” – Carin Hunt, Celebration Pros
   

• “I wouldn’t use it as a base for a design, but upon reflection, I realized that we often use it to create depth and balance in bolder color schemes. I’ve mixed it with fuchsias, magentas, and burgundies, used in sunset-toned designs with yellow, pink, and lavender, and modernized fall color schemes by pairing it with oranges and reds. Pulling in peach can liven up other colors, and we’re happy to incorporate it that way.” – Sara Bauleke, Bella Notte
   

• “I absolutely love it! It adds a level of depth to color palettes. It balances perfectly with either a neutral/natural look or a very colorful look. It can bounce between the saturated and the muted tones, so it's easily embraced by many aesthetic preferences when designing a wedding!” – Juls Sharpley, Juls Sharpley Events
   

• “The announcement moves the industry into a more casual and cozy direction. We'll see a shift away from the pink (Barbie) and magenta palette of 2023 and into something that's a bit calmer and more focused on connection. I can see deep conversations and long dinners, some more southern-themed pies and desserts going well with the theme.” – Vijay Goel, 440 Elm

Ceremony site. Photo courtesy Megan & Kenneth 

This year's Color of the Year also has the potential to excite many caterers since not only is it "edible" but it also has the potential to be easier to pair food creations with this color.

Whether you love it or hate it, Peach Fuzz is already making waves in the industry as the next big thing. Versatile, bright, and airy, peach is the perfect addition to ensure that your 2024 events are elevated and on-trend.

What more inspiration on how to incorporate Peach Fuzz into your events? Check out the spring issue of Catersource magazine.