For more than 40 years, I’ve been selling office furniture. To be honest with you, most of it has been wood or in neutral colors. Desks in mahogany, cherry or oak are as much variety as you’ll find in law offices. Grays and beiges are popular in professional workspaces. But for the last couple of years, a new trend has emerged: adding a pop of color in the office.
As children, you probably learned about the three primary colors of red, blue and yellow. As we blend primary colors and secondary colors, hundreds and thousands of new shades emerge. In fact, I read somewhere the human eye can see ten million different colors. So why is it in our offices and workspaces we tend to paint our walls white or neutral tones and choose the same colors in office furniture?
The trend, in more colorful office space and furniture, started on the West Coast with tech companies like Google. It’s young and hip owners wanting to brighten their office spaces. Many did so by adding bold colors on the walls. Some went further than that and purchased office furniture in a variety of colors.
Nowadays, more traditional offices are adding colorful pieces to their blank canvas. In 2015, color trends will include light and deep purple, rich blues, greens and different shades of pink for a pop of color. But before you go crazy with the color wheel, there are some things to think about when considering adding color to your workspace:
- TYPE OF BUSINESS – Not all offices are created equal. What type of business you own may delegate you to a neutral palette. For example, who would trust a lawyer with an orange reception area or a financial planner with a pink desk? Lawyers, bankers and more serious types of businesses may need to keep their overall color scheme neutral. But you may want to consider adding wood finishes or a hint of color to breathe life into a dull space. Think about adding a colorful ottoman in a common area or bright stools in your break room to energize a space.
- LOCATION – The White House may be white on the outside, but within it, there are a number of rooms in different colors. There’s the blue room, the red room, the green room and even a vermeil room, where a large collection of gilded silver, gifted by different governments to various Presidents and First Ladies, sits on display. So even in the most important office in the world, color is important. The key is making sure your color scheme works in the right location. If you have a more serious type business, think about adding color in area rugs, pillows or window dressing. If your office is techy or on the creative side, like a marketing firm or ad agency, color can be added just about anywhere. Think about a prominent place like a conference room, a bright colored sofa in a collaborative workspace or even at your reception station.
- HINT OF COLOR – There’s no need to paint your entire office green or to buy every chair in the same color. Recently I saw an office where the partners choose a neutral colored conference table and bought swivel chairs in a variety of colors. In another office, they kept the palette neutral, but painted the ceilings a different color and added a chair or ottoman to match. Adding a hint of color could turn any drab office into a breath of fresh air.
- TEMPORARY COLOR – If you really want to make a splash, but aren’t sure about it, why not try some temporary color? Room dividers or partition walls in a large area or in between cubicles can serve to add color to a space, but if used to pin up material can become temporary. And always remember, painting a wall a certain color, doesn’t mean it has to stay that way until you renovate the space in another 10 years.
MOOD SWING – Did you know color has an effect on your mood? So before you choose a color, make sure you know how it could change attitudes in your office. You’ve heard the saying singing the blues? Blue is said to have a calming effect and stands for honesty. Green represents wealth and could work well in a wealth management office. Red or burgundy is associated with energy and is known to increase physical energy and even blood pressure, but its intensity may be too much for certain offices. Yellow stands for joy or happiness, but it’s also considered childish.