By Tamara Romeo
Numerous studies have shown that the right paint color choices in the workplace can dramatically improve employee attitudes, increase productivity, and create brand awareness for your clientele…and may even reduce the number of sick days employees take.
Start by considering the mood you want to create in your space. If you have a retail space, you might want to consider color as a background to display your products against. A soft dove gray, pale yellow, sage green or pale blue can create a soothing palette for the eye, and not distract from the items you’re selling. Intensity of color and color combinations can create interesting and stimulating effects, and also mask scuff marks, fingerprints, and dirt in heavy traffic areas. Deep blues, violets, and purples are said to be the colors of royalty, and tend to create feelings of opulence and wealth.
Color can be used as a unifying element of a company’s brand identity. This is great for bringing employees together and good for reinforcing the brand to clients and others who visit your offices. White walls can feel very sterile, and actually cause eyestrain for employees. Dark colors like deep purples, dark grays and chocolate brown shades can feel oppressive to some, and make your space feel smaller, but for others these tones can be an interesting choice in spaces like a swanky wine bar or very modern office space. Choosing a color based on the function of your space is a key component to your overall aesthetic design.
Color can define specific spaces in your office. It instantly sets the tone for fun, creativity, focus and concentration, and even welcome guests.
Make sure your color choices work with your furnishings. Just because you see a great color in your favorite restaurant, at a hip downtown hotel or in a magazine doesn’t mean it will work in your office. Hold color swatches up against your furnishings and next to your carpeting to make sure they don’t compete or clash with what you already have in place, or call a color consultant or designer to assist in the choice. (There are thousands of colors, and it can be intimidating!)
Best of all, color can do all of the above for little more cost than just slathering on the old off-white paint that studies say makes employees “feel tired and directionless.” When structural changes aren’t in the budget, you can’t afford to invest in new furnishings or your landlord won’t let you rearrange the floor plan, color is a great (and inexpensive) way to improve your office space, liven up your brand, and keep your employees happy and engaged.
Tamara Romeo is the owner of two San Diego-based design businesses. San Diego Office Design creates smart, creative, motivating and innovative office designs, while Southcoast Feng Shui Design utilizes the ancient science of traditional compass Feng Shui design for commercial and residential settings. Learn more at www.sdofficedesign.com or www.southcoastfengshui.com.
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