Could color be your secret to professional productivity? Imagine recoloring your home office to accomplish greater efficiency, confidence, and style.
Decades of research have shown that the colors in workplaces and public buildings have a huge impact on the people who use them. Consider the results of a famous University of Texas study about the psychology of office colors.
- Bright white office interiors were associated with the worst worker productivity among all colors, including red, green, orange, yellow, blue, purple, gray, and beige.
- Bland tones of gray, beige, and white brought feelings of sadness, especially in women.
- Men reported feeling the most gloomy in workspaces with lots of orange or purple.
- Red rooms sparked feelings of mental stimulation.
- Cool greens and blues brought feelings of stability and calmness.
- Rooms with multiple very bright colors, like bold reds and blues together, made people feel uneasy and increased how many errors they made in cognitive tests.
- Saturation tests showed workers performed best overall in darker-colored offices as opposed to bright/white offices.
What does all this mean for your home office? Perhaps it’s time for a color change! Here are some ideas to consider as you infuse your workspace with new hues.
Start by Adding an Accent Wall
First, it’s important to acknowledge that you might be a little worried about adding more color to your home. That’s perfectly normal. Most people wouldn’t say beige is their favorite color. Yet many homes are dominated by plain beiges, tans, and grays. Why?
It might be fear. A TED talk by a woman who spent 10 years researching color revealed that people are afraid of adding color to their homes because it feels like too much of a risk. It’s hard to commit to a color. Somehow it’s easier to keep a white room white, even if it’s not very inspiring.
If this sounds familiar, ease into your color journey by adding an accent wall, which is a single brightly-colored wall in an otherwise neutral room. Your home office is the perfect spot for a colorfully painted or wallpapered wall with long open shelves for storage.
Before adding an accent wall, consider whether you hold meetings/video calls in your office and whether the backdrop matters. Do you want your accent wall to be visible? A cheerful accent wall shows off your style savvy as long as it’s well-organized with office storage solutions.
Set the Mood With Colored Lighting
Mood lighting isn’t just for bedrooms and nightclubs. Change the lighting in your home office and you might be surprised at how different you feel working every day.
Many people feel more relaxed and less stressed when they switch from blue-spectrum lighting to yellow-spectrum lighting. There’s even evidence from the Harvard Medical School that the blue light emitted from fluorescent bulbs and electronics can create significant health harm by disrupting your circadian rhythm.
Yellow and orange-tinged lights evoke candlelight and firelight, creating a relaxing effect. Instead of using bright white office lights, choose yellow lights below 3000 K on the color temperature to prevent eye strain. One note of caution: Some people find that dim yellow lights make them feel too sleepy, which is why the CDC recommends yellow light before bed.
Pink room lighting is popular with influencers, makeup artists, and interior designers. On camera, a pink hue looks flattering to all skin tones and reduces the appearance of wrinkles. This is why pink lights are recommended for social events in Dorothy Draper’s famous 1941 book, “Entertaining Is Fun!: How To Be A Popular Hostess.”
Recolor Your Built-In Furniture
If you have the heart to go bold, consider adding cheerfully colored furniture and built-ins to your home office. Anything from your desk to a stately built-in bookshelf looks fabulous in a gorgeous dose of your favorite color.
It could also improve how others view you in your professional life. People with bold colors in their offices – especially vibrant blue, green, red, and yellow – are often viewed as more creative and expressive than those with plain gray offices.
Not sure which color to pick? Go for the world’s favorite color. Studies have shown that blue has been the most popular color across cultures and countries since at least the year 1900. Navy blue is a time-tested version of this color that looks classy and calming in your home office.
How to Amp Up the Color in Your Home Office
When you’re ready to upgrade your home office and add some much-needed color, we’re here to help. Diplomat Closet Design offers a wide variety of design and style options to match any decor, lifestyle, and budget.
To learn more, request an appointment about adding inspirational color to your home office.
If you live in Chester County in towns such as Berwyn, Devon or Pottstown, contact us today.
