When designing an outstanding office space, many different considerations go into the process, including space planning, lighting, acoustics, ergonomics, technology, sustainability, flexibility, branding and colour theory. With all these variables, it’s hard to pinpoint what decisions will have the biggest impact on your team’s performance and psychology.
Colour is more than decoration. It works with the other aspects of office design to subtly shape how your employees feel, think and perform. Throughout this blog we will be exploring the different and varied effects that colour can have in the workplace and how you can apply these principles in your next refurbishment.
Emotional & Psychological Effects of Colour in Office
A systematic study of over 40 papers discovered that colour in the workplace significantly influences mood, emotion, wellbeing and performance. The study concluded that cool tones such as blues and greens help promote calming and stabilising effects. The colour blue is constantly associated with concentration, trust and intelligence; hence, it’s often a common choice for working environments. Green, on the other hand, has strong links to the natural world with soothing and restful qualities. This is why it’s ideal for mitigating fatigue in high-screen environments.
Conversely, warm hues such as red, orange and yellow can help to energise, induce urgency and even provoke attention. However, this does carry the risk of overstimulation if used in strong excess. In one experimental study, participants who were working in a monochromatic red room made more errors when moved between coloured rooms than those who stayed in the same colour environment.
Furthermore, another study of colour and indoor lighting in a real-world setting concluded that mood is lowest when lighting is ‘too dark’. It improved when lighting was at a moderate level and again dipped when it was too light. This hints at the idea that both colour and lighting need to be balanced to achieve maximum performance (PubMed). It’s also worth mentioning that not everyone is the same; people aren’t monolithic. Different factors, including age, culture and personal preference, dictate how they may respond to a certain hue.
Applying Colour to Different Office Zones
Now we’ve looked at the effect certain colours have on psychology, let’s look at how you can implement this throughout your workspace.
Deep Focus: It’s ideal in areas of focus to lean into cooler, muted tones. These include soft blues, pale greens and warm neutrals. These tones help reduce distraction and encourage concentration. Accent walls, in these areas, should be minimal and only be used to subtly contrast behind a desk or in furniture rather than a full wall.
Meeting or Collaboration Zones: In these areas you can afford more vibrancy; for example, touches of yellow or other warm tones can help stimulate conversation and energy. These tones should be used sparingly; however, you should avoid painting whole walls this way to prevent overstimulation.
Breakout Areas: When it comes to breakout or rest areas, warmer, softer palettes are ideal. This could include earthy tones and muted greens. This helps shift the energy from work to mental rest. Alternatively, you may want to provide energy to your break spaces, so you may opt for brighter, more stimulating colour choices.
Circulation Zones: When it comes to corridors and other areas of travel, the best plan of action is to go for neutral base tones with occasional accent colours or directional cues. This makes wayfinding around a space clear and concise. A stripe along the wall to guide movement is an appropriate suggestion.
Balancing Aesthetics & Functionality
Your brand colours are brilliant; they match your identity perfectly. They’re one of your strongest assets, but don’t force them into your workspace. Plastering brand colours across every wall risks creating cognitive dissonance and can be the downfall of even the most robust design. The best approach would be to weave in your brand identity in subtle ways. This could be through overall mood, lighting, art, furniture and use of shapes and forms instead of just colour usage.
And don’t forget about your material and finish choices. Although it’s difficult to balance every aspect of the design, durability matters. High sheen or glossy paints reflect light and may distort perceived colour or even cause glare. Furthermore, the choices for flooring, ceilings and window treatments all contribute to light levels and the perceived colour palette.
In more open-plan spaces, desking can make up a large part of your ‘canvas’ and should harmonise with your desired colour strategy. Ensuring spaces have built-in flexibility by using modular partitions, sliding panels or easily repainted accent walls can allow you to adjust and update your colour palette without needing a full refurbishment.
Lighting & Colour Perception
As previously mentioned, lighting is a key part of any interior design project. It’s the lens through which all the colours of your design are perceived. Understanding the effect which lighting can have on colour perception is vital.
The most important technical factor to understand is lighting temperature. Measured in Kelvin, warmer light sources (around 2700-3000K) give colour a softer yellow-hued appearance. Cooler lights around (4000-5000K) have the effect of making shades appear crisper. However this can also feel harsh if used in excess. Along with this, it’s important to understand the Colour Rendering Index (CRI). The CRI measures exactly how accurately a light source reveals an object’s “true” colour. This is in comparison to natural daylight; the lower the CRI, the flatter or more distorted a colour can appear.
One of the biggest sources of lighting throughout your workplace is natural. The time of day and orientation of your space are other factors which must be considered when developing an office design. Morning sunlight streaming into an east-facing room will present colour differently to the afternoon glow of a west-facing counterpart.
The best way to avoid any colour-based surprises is to test in the actual conditions they’ll be experienced in. Swatches should be applied or sample boards used to check how the colours appear throughout the day. This should be under both natural and artificial light.
Conclusion:
Colour is far more than just a decorative choice. It shapes mood, productivity and even employee behaviour in subtle but meaningful ways. Understanding how colour affects psychology and how lighting affects colour is key to designing a space that meets your individual objectives. If you’re ready to discuss your office fit out or refurbishment, then get in touch today using our simple contact form.