How to pick paint colors for your office space
Painting your office the right color is a big deal, and choosing the wrong color will affect not only your first impressions but your company's overall productivity. Other businesses know this and that helps contribute to a demand that is set to reach 1.4 billion.
So what office paint colors will you choose for your office? We have a few suggestions to help you get started.
1. Color Affects Productivity
It isn't enough to simply pick the right color. Different colors motivate different people. So you need to consider the type of work that is being done in your office. Then you can choose the right color or even color combination.
Blue
This is the universal color for increasing productivity. It inspires feelings of calmness and helps people stay focused on their task at hand.
Green
Do your employees work long hours at the office? Then consider painting your walls green. It is the color least likely to cause eye fatigue.
Yellow
If you have creative types or those who need to be inspired then use yellow in your decor. It has uplifting qualities and helps people be more creative.
Red
Do your employees need to be physically active? Then paint the walls red!
Looking at the color red naturally increases people's heart rates and overall blood flow. It can also invoke feelings of passion and strong emotion.
Be aware though, red might be too intense for some people. That is why a lot of restaurants choose to use it. They want you to come in, eat, and move out.
2. The Intensity Matters
Once you pick the color you want, you need to think about how intense you want the color to be. A bright color is going to be more stimulating. While a softer version of that color is going to be more soothing.
Offices choose to paint with lighter shades of blue and green. These colors can be soothing yet still bright and inviting for your office space. It is also easier to decorate the rest of the office. Using a dark shade of blue or green will make more of a statement and might be too intense for some workers.
3. Different Colors for Different Spaces
No color exists in a vacuum. So pick a combination of colors that work well together. Use the different colors in different areas of the office to inspire different energy.
You can also use the different colors to signify different zones within the property.
Reception
This is the first point of contract for everyone that comes into your office. You want to create a welcoming impression.
If your reception area also includes a waiting area then choose a color that is calming. But if it is the entrance to the office then pick a peach or even soft yellow shade.
If decisions need to be made in your reception area then choose a shade of blue or green. This will help people make tough choices.
Training, Lecture, and Meeting Rooms
A teal or turquoise is the best color for training rooms. It is a shade of the blue and greens so it a bit calming. It also is a color that inspires creativity and communication.
This makes it the perfect shade for the rooms where you want people to collaborate, communicate, and be creative. It will also work to calm the public speaker during their presentation.
General Office Areas
What do you want the energy to be in the general areas of the office? Do you want it to be calming? Then go with a blue or green. If you want it to be bright and cheery then a soft yellow is a smart choice.
Picking a red to use all over the office may be too intense. You will find your employees getting stressed out or angry more easily.
4. Consider Staying on Brand
For a lot of companies, it is important to stay on brand and communicate their brand message. If this is important then consider painting your office your brand's colors.
You may want to think about the impact your colors will have on your employees though. So maybe you should stick with neutral colors for the bulk of the walls. then use the brand colors as accents.
5. Choose Healthy Paint
When you go to choose paint, look for one that is low in VOCs. These are solvents that are in paint but get released as the paint dries. This release in chemicals causes headaches and dizziness.
6. Don't Go Overboard
While it is great to want to influence your employees by using one particular color, do it within reason. You don't want to commit to one color and then use it on everything.
Let's say you chose to use yellow. Well if you put shades of yellow for the flooring, the walls, the desks, and the furniture you will overwhelm people. It will be difficult for anyone to work in this space for an extended period of time.
So how do you use one color but not go overboard? Pair your statement color with neutrals. Such as yellow looks great with grey. Like a bright sunny yellow and charcoal grey look beautiful together. Or shades of blue can look lovely with shades of tan to brown.
Office Paint Colors
Painting your office can be a huge time and money investment that only gets larger with the size of your office. So this isn't a project you want to do more than once.
Don't just pick a color because you like it. Instead, think about the energy you want to create in your office. Don't be afraid to choose different office paint colors for each area of the office.
Still struggling? Let BRUSH HOUR find the right paint for your office today!
