The time has come for you to repaint the office, and you have no idea on where to start. You know you don’t just want to go with stark white walls, but you also want to choose a color palette that will last a while AND that will make your employees happy with your choice. So, where do you start?
We recommend beginning with a lot of research around the psychology of color. Color has the amazing ability to completely change the feelings and emotions of the viewer. So, what do you want someone to feel when they come to work? Below, we share the top emotions attached to the main colors of the rainbow, along with a few helpful links to continue your research.
Red
Red is the color of excitement, intensity, energy and action. Basically, energy = red. While it can be a great color to excite your team and your clients, if you use too much of it, it can cause anxiety and stress. We recommend using red more as accents in your office. Maybe choose an accent wall in your foyer to paint an inviting shade of cherry to excite your clients to work with you, or choose some accent vases or flowers for your main bullpen for mini spurts of energy.
Orange
Orange is the color of creativity, enthusiasm, success and balance. Because of the camaraderie that orange can cause, we recommend utilizing this color in your collaboration zones: conference rooms, bullpens and breakout rooms are a great place to include splashes of orange. You might also try playing with orange in your break room. While someone is grabbing a snack, it may cause a boost of creativity!
Yellow
Yellow is the color of positivity, happiness, optimism and sunshine. If you can incorporate yellow into areas of your office that may normally cause stress, we highly recommend it. For example, maybe you can paint the boss’ office or human resources a soft buttery yellow, or add some vibrant sunshine yellow to high traffic hallways. Similar to red, we recommend using yellow sparingly. Too much yellow can be overwhelming for the senses in the long run.
Green
Green is the color of nature, growth, health and generosity. Focusing heavily on the natural feeling of green, this is a great color to incorporate in a big way for most offices. If there is a way to incorporate green on the outside of your building, it can help stifle the feelings of “another day in the office”. You can also incorporate green through plants in as many rooms of your office as you would like. If you have cubicles in your bullpen, green leafy plants may be an easy way to break up the “corporate” feel.
Blue
Blue is the color of stability, harmony, peace and trust. Have you ever noticed an overwhelming amount of banks and credit card companies have incorporated blue into their branding? There’s a reason: trust. Similar to green, if you can incorporate blue on the outside of your building, you will help build your reputation with clients before they even walk in the door. Blue is also a great color for entryways and conference rooms: areas that can normally be pretty overwhelming and sometimes stressful.
Purple
Purple is the color of power, luxury, wisdom and nobility. But when overused in an office setting, purple can come across as out of touch, depressing and dingy. We recommend using purple sparingly – maybe as an accent wall in a high-traffic area, through key pieces of furniture, or by accent pieces like desk lamps or vases. When used in the correct amount and in the right shade, purple can be used to your company’s advantage
More Resources
Want to continue your color research for your office? Check out these articles:
