Imagine a monochrome world — a sterile, uninspired landscape where every task feels like you’re slogging through a grey, endless fog. Now, imagine shattering that world with a burst of cerulean, a stroke of emerald, a jolt of marigold. Suddenly, the air itself vibrates with color and possibility. Ideas flow like a shimmering rainbow. Focus sharpens to a laserlike ruby point.
This kaleidoscopic vision isn’t merely an aesthetic fancy. It’s a varicolored truth. The hues in our environment can subtly but powerfully stimulate our minds and productivity. A strategically colored workspace pleases the eye and gives companies a competitive advantage, infusing their employees’ work with a polychromatic spectrum of success.
The psychology of color
The influence of color on our psychology has implications for the business world. Colors aren’t just decorative; they impact human behavior and perception. While many companies have adopted a hybrid model, it makes sense to create an office environment reflective of their employees’ home environments, which tend to mirror their personalities. A contributing factor to creating environments that make us feel happy, secure, and productive? Color.
Color has many diverse practical applications:
- Certain colors can help direct attention and enhance concentration, both of which are important for workplace productivity.
- Colors can subtly influence alertness and intellectual performance, potentially boosting output in high-stakes environments.
- The colors used in branding, marketing, and physical spaces can shape how customers perceive products, services, and the company itself, influencing their judgments of dominance, attractiveness, or overall quality.
- Color choices can even impact fundamental behaviors like eating and drinking, or contribute to approach-avoidance motivations, which are necessary for understanding consumer psychology.
The colors you choose for an office environment can reinforce a company’s brand identity and culture. Consistently applying an organization’s color palette throughout the office design empowers businesses to enhance brand cohesion and offer a continuous visual reminder of the company’s core values and identity.
For example, tech companies often choose blues and greys to convey innovation, professionalism, and integrity. Creative agencies lean into bold colors like red, yellow, and purple to signify energy, creativity, and a playful spirit. Eco-friendly brands use greens, browns, and other earthy tones to emphasize their commitment to sustainability and a natural approach.
Emerging color trends
According to Kelly Jahn, a commercial architect and professor of interior design at Rochester Institute of Technology, “Office decor will increasingly be used to signal workplace ethos, such as trust, collaboration, tradition, or experimentation.”
Color saturation
Saturated colors can influence our respiration, blood pressure, and body temperature. One study found that students in rooms painted vivid yellow or blue showed improved reading comprehension compared to those in pale-colored rooms, who had lower heart rates and reported greater relaxation.
On social media, immersive color-drenched spaces — where floors, walls, and ceilings share similar hues — are gaining popularity. These environments excel at creating visual appeal and stimulating thought, which is helpful for brainstorming sessions. Color drenching can also lower inhibitions because it gives people permission to “color outside the lines” and embrace more creative freedom.
Another practical effect of color saturation? You can carry the theme to furnishings. Some designers are experimenting with monochromatic office chairs, where all components, from metal knobs to arm cushions and seating, are a uniform color. Simplifying visual complexity helps facilitate concentrated analytical reasoning.
Color for collaborative spaces
As companies continue to recall their employees to the office, the demand for adaptable spaces that serve individuals, small teams, and large groups is growing. These areas must be multipurpose, supporting everything from social gatherings and brainstorming sessions to quiet contemplation and focus. Each of these spaces can benefit from distinct color palettes.
Some designers envision using mobile, vertical partitions with color-coded sides to create flexible spaces. This strategy uses different color schemes to define various gatherings. In the future, technology may make it more affordable to incorporate color-changing walls into offices, utilizing photochromatic coatings, nanophotonics, interactive panels, or smart LED panels.
Another approach for creating flexible workspaces? Keeping permanent features like walls and floors neutral and introducing colors through movable elements, including furniture. This approach provides one or more vibrant focal points while keeping a neutral backdrop for easy rearranging.
The resurgence of hierarchy through color
After the pandemic disrupted traditional workplace structures, office design shifted toward calming, neutral tones, like creams and soft greens. But some executives are seeking to re-establish a sense of distinction and exclusivity in their workspaces. There’s been a growing demand for darker colors, shades, and even blacks in C-suite designs, creating an atmosphere that’s more private and delineates the company’s hierarchy.
Nuances of hierarchy design
Hierarchy in an office isn’t necessarily negative. It can help guide individuals to resources, convey stability, and clarify organizational values. Contrasting colors by using varying temperatures, values, saturation levels, and palettes can communicate hierarchy. Research shows that people viewed against a warm-colored background are perceived as having a warmer personality compared to those seen against cool or neutral backgrounds.
A caveat: Using color to define hierarchy sharply can affect employee sentiment. Using darker colors on ceilings can feel disorienting and unsettling, for example. Some designers recommend using neutrals and rich tones to convey a sense of confidence.
Grey, beige, and taupe cultivate an atmosphere of respect and elegance, which is perfect for high-level discussions and decision-making. Grey conveys professionalism and calm authority. Beige and taupe introduce warmth and a sense of understanding, creating a refined and welcoming room.
For a stronger statement, consider richer hues, like dark blue or deep green. These colors project stability and strength, amplifying a room’s authority and fostering an environment of respect and focus.
A color scheme for optimal productivity
There are several frameworks for color application in the workplace.
- Soothing colors, like sage green, are ideal for spaces dedicated to reflection and focus. Avoid red for individual focus areas, as this color can hinder analytical performance. Community spaces should incorporate a balance of warm and cool hues to foster diverse perspectives and approaches.
- Warm colors, such as oranges and yellows, work well in social or collaborative areas, like cafeterias or lounges. They evoke feelings of energy, warmth, and excitement.
- Cool tones, like blue, green, and purple, promote calmness, professionalism, and introspection. They work well in group meeting areas, where they can make time seem to pass more quickly, as well as in libraries, individual offices, and healthcare facilities that require focus and tranquility.
Harmony through color
While contrasting colors can highlight specific areas quite effectively, a cohesive design requires harmony. A well-balanced color scheme will unify a space, making it more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. An interior designer can provide guidance on how different colors interact and complement each other across various rooms and zones.
Monochromatic color schemes use various shades and tints of a single color to create a visually appealing, harmonious environment. Many minimalist designs favor this approach. An office building might use subtle shades of purple throughout, with slight tonal shifts differentiating working areas, conference rooms, and shared spaces.
Analogous color schemes, which feature colors adjacent to each other on the color wheel, can also establish a sense of harmony while providing a bit of contrast. Incorporating shades of blue and green can create a tranquil, unified atmosphere in a wellness center, for example, with the slight variations in hue maintaining interest without disrupting the overall calming effect.
Looking to refresh your office with a splash of color? Reach out to CREA United member Debra Hoffman, president of System Office Design. If you’re a commercial real estate investor or looking for a specific property to meet your company’s needs, we invite you to speak with the professionals at CREA United. This organization includes CRE professionals from over 90 firms representing all disciplines within the CRE industry, including brokers, subcontractors, financial services, security systems, interior designers, architects, movers, IT specialists, and more.
