
Choosing the best paint color for your home is easy. You already have a general idea of the colors you like and those that will make a personal statement. Paint will transform your house into something out of a magazine. The right color will relax you or brighten up a room. It’s all based on your tastes.
But choosing colours for office painting is completely different. You may like the colour lavender but that doesn’t mean it should be on the walls of your accounting firm, does it? Or should it?
In this article, we’ll review how to choose the best paint colors for your office, so you get the aesthetics you want and the employee productivity you expect.
How to Choose the Best Paint Colors for the Office
A study conducted in 2012 focused on the effects of hospital paint colors that were found to give a «clinical appearance. It makes people feel intimidated and unwelcome. Instead, the color of your office should be subtle.
But what exactly does that mean?
Most people grow up associating bright colors with energy, but it turns out they may not represent the right energy. For example, a psychological study from the University of Rochester found that red increases the speed and intensity of emotions. Red makes us feel like everything is urgent, which leads to anxiety and worry.
Not very ideal for a productive office environment, is it? But it’s ideal for sales, so outlets use the color red on their sales and liquidation signs. People see the signs and think, «I must have this now!»
Intense shades like gemstone greens and blues are great for energy, but that doesn’t help if you work in an office where there’s a lot of thought or collaboration involved. For example, emerald green might help you lose your focus.
It’s not just the color itself that affects your mood and behavior, the intensity (saturation) of the color affects you as well.
The different effects of colors on mood
Famed color psychologist Angela Wright developed the Color Effects System. Ms. Wright set out to prove that there was a correlation between colors and human behavior. In 1984, she wrote the Wright Theory after years of studying colors and their effect on human mood and behavior.
To this day, psychologists use her theory and the System of Color Effects as the benchmark for color psychology. Using the four primary colors, Ms. Wright concluded:
Blue: Mind
The color blue stimulates the mind, which leads to greater productivity. The shades of the blue palette are ideal for staying focused in repetitive industries. Accounting offices often use blue paint colors to increase productivity and keep their employees focused.
Red: Body
As mentioned, red evokes a sense of urgency, so for physical work such as construction, red will stimulate your energy levels.
Yellow: Emotion
Yellow stimulates emotion, making it an ideal color for the creative industries. It also evokes feelings of happiness and can cheer up the spirits.
Green: Balance
We may think that green is the color of money, and in a way it is. Green is balance, calm and tranquility. So if you work in the financial industry, green works well in your office color.
Secondary Colors
When two primary colours are mixed, the effects of those colours are mixed with the secondary colour.
For example, orange combines the happiness of yellow with the passionate energy of red. Orange is said to increase the supply of oxygen to your brain.
Purple combines the energy of red and the productivity of blue. It’s associated with royalty and power. Light purple, like lavender, works in spas and in women’s designs.
Colors that work best for your office
Now that you can get an idea of what works before for your particular industry, we have 10 suggestions for the best colors for your office.
While we give you the general color shade, we also give you a list of particular paint colors and brands. Many paint manufacturers have «similar» colors, so these ideas are by no means a recommendation. They are only given as a tangible color suggestion.
Broken white
White may look clinical, but a soft white, such as Pointing by Farrow & Ball in an eggshell finish will soften the appearance of real white. It is easy to decorate and design, given its warmth and clean appearance.
If you like the clean look of pure white and know what you want, try a shade like Simply White by Benjamin Moore. This is a good shade if you add a bright, intense accent color.
Teal/Light Blue
Because teal is a combination of blue and green, it can turn any workspace into a productivity machine. It is important to be careful not to have too much of one on the color. Brightness and intensity are also important for the desired effect.
Benjamin Moore’s St. John’s Blue goes well in a professional environment such as a lawyer’s office. It is a soft teal with a touch of grey
Grey
The grey is between black and white, which produces a neutral mood. There are different shades and tones of grey that evoke different psyches.
Light blue
A soft light blue like Ralph Lauren’s Salisbury Point will calm your surroundings and give a sense of peace. It is a good choice for a private physician’s office, especially for a specialist, who deals with nervous patients on a daily basis.
Blue-Gray
In the corporate world, blue grays can feel clean and give a boost to a background. Benjamin Moore’s Silver Mist will give a professional vibe and at the same time not be too grumpy.
Brown
Brown works very well in a space that needs to feel powerful and strong. Along with wooden office furniture, Wainscot by Farrow & Ball will also give a nice warmth. Benjamin Moore’s Tudor Brown in eggshell is also a masculine but warm brown.
Pastel yellow
If you’re in a creative industry, a pastel yellow like Benjamin Moore’s Butter Regal Matte will get your creativity flowing. This yellow is soft with a hint of gold that makes it easy to accent with white or brown.
Purple
Purple has many shades in its palette but going with something like Benjamin Moore’s Enchanted Violet is a great choice for a feminine space like a living room.
If you want to make your space a little louder, try Delicious Berry by Behr. If you want a softer purple, Behr’s Zephyr is perfect for a soothing yet regal feel.
Green
A rich, dark, velvety green like Farrow & Ball’s Mere Green is perfect for the health and financial industries. If you light or darken it, it will alter the atmosphere of the room.
Whenever you’re looking at the greens, keep in mind how the light will illuminate you. A lime green can be a little too blinding if your space has a lot of windows.
Orange
Painting all four walls orange may be a little too intense, but accentuating a wall with an orange like Ralph Lauren Paints’ Baja Orange may be the perfect remedy for low energy afternoons.
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