As you probably know if you spend any time on the internet, Pantone released its Color of the Year this past December. Mocha Mousse, a rich, cocoa powdery shade, wasn’t the only soft, brown-driven color to be touted as a brand’s annual pick: that same quarter, the paint company Benjamin Moore unveiled Cinnamon Slate, a velvety brown with warm, plum undertones. Dunn-Edwards went with Caramelized. And Behr, diverging from the edible theme, chose Rumors, a similar, coquettishly named hue that swings sort of dusty merlot.
Look at how similar these four colors are! Warm versus cool. Muted, not saturated. Rooted in brown. Almost analogous. And, maybe most notably, all inspired – explicitly or otherwise – by our most precious creature comfort: food.
Today, Le Creuset is joining the fun. Not with a “color of the year” release, but a resurrection: the 100-year-old French-Belgian cookware brand is re-launching a colorway that, unbeknownst to me, a heck of a lot of you wanted back after it disappeared in 2019.
Yes, indeed. Berry’s back, baby! And better than ever.
If the internet is any indication, Berry is a clear fan favorite: a few months ago, one U.S.-based Redditer recounted using an overseas personal shopper to snag a pot with this juicy pink-purple paint job in Hong Kong, where the color was still stocked. A commenter on the same post remarked they had no idea it was ever even available in the States, assuming it was an exclusive colorway for the Japan market.
Berry is not muted. It’s not particularly soft. And in that way, it’s certainly not “safe”, meaning it won’t blend into the backsplash. Berry is distinctly warm, with a chintzy gold backbone and tannic juiciness that, if I stare at it long enough, makes my mouth water just like that raspberry Mr. Sketch pen I probably huffed too much in second grade. Halfway up the pot, the violet-magenta gradient fades briefly to Pepto pink before resolving in a pale blush, a progression reminiscent of a satisfying key change. If the gradient kept going I could even see it encroaching upon Shallot territory.
So why Berry, Le Creuset? Yes, Valentine’s Day is approaching, but there also seem to be a fair number of diehards out there rallying around a resurrection of Cassis or Coastal Blue. Those beautiful colors are just as hushed and calming as the ones that color trends are predicting we need right now. But with this re-release, Le Creuset is saying “bring on the juice!”
If Mocha Mousse “nurtures us with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee, answering our desire for comfort”, Berry is the wine stain on the carpet that happened in a moment, however fleeting, of unbridled fun. It’s not a new color, which is perhaps why its revival breaks the mold of comfort that these other colors claim we’re after. Berry is a reminder to let your hair down. It’s a beloved old sweater pulled from the archives that may not be haute now but makes you smile regardless. It’s the wacky art teacher who gesticulated a lot. It’s the chocolate-dipped strawberry from the Godiva store at the mall that you ate as a little treat in 2010. It’s the lipstick stain that grandma left on your cheek, the one that you bemoaned but came to miss once she was gone.
To the reader rolling your eyes at this deep-dive psychoanalysis of a color in the kitchen, please go easy and remember that it’s my job. (Or part of it, anyway.) And to everyone else: if Berry strikes you as the missing piece to your kitchen ensemble, as of today it is available for a limited time across the U.S., and can be found glazing the curves of three popular Le Creuset styles: the 4.5-quart Signature Round Dutch Oven, 6.75-quart Signature Oval Dutch Oven, and 3.5-quart Signature Braiser.
Make yourself some mac and cheese, or a pot of spicy chocolate fondue, pull out the Crayola 24-pack and a sketch pad, and reach for the color that makes your mouth water most.
