What to consider when changing an office colour scheme

What to consider when changing an office colour scheme

So, it’s time for a complete office colour scheme overhaul? Well, you’ve stumbled upon the perfect place to help; we know all about what to consider before you change your office colour scheme. To help you get it right and to choose the perfect colours to suit your brand and office, Diamond Interiors has a brilliant guide for you to use. 

Best colours for an office

First off, let’s go through the best colours for an office in general. Of course, every brand is unique and will have its own guidelines, but there is always room to play around with different hues and shades. 

 

Neutral colours

You can’t go wrong with neutral tones. Not only are they easy on the eye, but they go with almost any other colour. Neutral colours are those that aren’t too bold or vibrant. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t be colourful. Reds, greens and yellows can be neutral, as long as the vibrancy is low and the tones are lighter and varied. But commonly, neutral colours are beiges, whites, greys, browns and creams. These work brilliantly for offices because of their ability to go with pretty much anything.

Grey neutral office colour scheme

Pastel colours

Pastel has been a growing trend over the years. From cakes to interior décor, pastel colours offer beautiful, minimalist design without dullness. Instead of a bright orange wall that may not match the lighting, a pastel orange wall can be easier on the eyes. It’s the same for office furniture. Office pods, chairs and sofas are also being designed in pastel shades, as they work perfectly for professional settings. 

Pastel colour scheme

Earthy colours

Natural, earthy tones are also impeccably suited for office interiors. Browns, tans, greens, greys, blacks, blues and yellows offer scenic and calming tones – which can be just what you need for a workplace. It’s all in how you mix the tones together and match furniture to go with the colour palette. If your office is one that takes a biophilic style, earthy colours are going to work amazingly. With wooden or oak furniture pieces, plant walls and biophilic ceiling features, natural hues can complete an office look easily, one that will impress and have people wanting to return. 

Earthy colour scheme

Lighting

An important element to consider when choosing a new office colour scheme is lighting. You don’t want to opt for too many dark and less reflective colours in a windowless office space, especially if the artificial lighting isn’t the best. 

You want to avoid glares too, so think about fixtures, screens and office equipment that may affect your staff in relation to health and safety. If you have plenty of natural lighting, you can afford to add some darker colours, but still remember to mix light and dark, especially if you have small windows or an office that doesn’t get too much light in.

Spacious office space with great lighting

Any upcoming brand changes

Before you get carried away with being selective in your colour choices, do make sure you’re up to date with any upcoming brand changes or company ones for that matter. If there’s going to be a new CEO or a big change coming up, that could potentially mean a rebranding is on the cards, maybe hold off until then. Something to think about. 

 

Relocation

When we decide on a fresh makeover or an office refurbishment, we may also think about relocation and finding a better place for our offices. It’s therefore important to consider your options here before deciding on a new colour scheme. You may research some locations to find an office that has a colour scheme that inspires you or changes your mind completely. This can also help with costs and your budget, as if you are set on moving and find a spot that has the perfect colour scheme, you can save some money in paint costs. 

 

Productivity and psychology

Colours can affect our moods and in turn our productivity levels, so this is definitely something you need to consider. It’s not just the colour itself that can affect us either, it’s also the intensity and saturation. Let’s go through some colours and their psychological effects

Blue: Blue is often associated with logic, trust and intelligence. It’s why you see many computer or social media firms using blue, as they want to exude trustworthiness and safety. This is especially true when it comes to the digital world, where you input and share personal information. PayPal, Twitter, Facebook, IBM, AOL, MySpace, Dell all use or used blues, and what do they all have in common? Well, they use the internet or are related to computers and want your data. This is a good one for offices as it can create a calm and trusting work area.

Blue and pink office pod

Red: Think alertness, passion, warning, urgency and desire. It’s why you often see red ‘clearance’ and ‘for sale’ signs to create that urgency and high energy. Red is often associated with feelings and desires, hence why love hearts and Valentine’s Day are splashed with it. If your offices are full of sales teams, red can help create that high-level energy and urgency of closing those sales and meeting targets weekly, whereas, if your office is more of a creative one or is full of collaborative teams, red may not be ideal.

Red office kitchen space

Yellow: Yellow is so synonymous with creativity, bright ideas, positivity and fun. It’s a very motivating colour and different shades can affect us in different ways. A vibrant, more saturated yellow can give use high energy whilst being more serious. A lighter, mellow yellow may not give us the same energy but can still motivate us and please our minds.

Green: Calm, tranquil and natural, green denotes health, wealth and overall good wellbeing. It’s why many chemists, outdoor companies and health businesses use the colour. It’s a fantastic colour for certain offices because of the safe and pleasant feelings it can evoke, as well as its association to health and wealth; it’s why many accountancy firms use the colour. It also works well with natural and biophilic design, reminding us of nature, which again creates positive moods and can improve productivity.

 

Purple: This secondary colour combines blue (productivity) and red (passion). Purple is associated with regality and power and it’s also the colour that mixes both the feminine and masculine because of the blue and red combination. There are so many shades for this secondary colour that can work for various offices and brands. From rich, dark indigo to light lavender – it’s all about understanding what would work with your brand and workplace lighting.

Purple office meeting room colour scheme

Orange: Combining the bright, happy and creative yellow with the urgent and passionate red, orange is classed as a hot colour. Fire, heat and energy are all associated with orange. It’s another incredibly motivating colour, that’s also related to health as the name itself is that of a fruit. 

Moveable furniture in an open-plan office

The mood you want to create

At the end of the day, the colours you opt for need to match your brand and take into account your staff, fixtures, lighting and the mood you want to create. When you can get this balance right by thinking of the intensity of certain shades, the amount of light the rooms actually get during the day and how fitting the colour is for your company and workplace, you can create the most motivating and productive setting for your teams. 

 

Need some help with how to go about this? Or maybe you don’t have the time. Fear not, we’ve got a wealth of experience in office design; get in touch with us today. 

 

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