The color you surround yourself with has a direct impact on your mood, productivity, and focus. Desktop setups and psychology of color are especially important while working from home.
Many workers have gone from a daily office commute to working from home permanently. It’s no surprise that people need a proper home office space to work. That’s where the psychology of color comes into play.
It might seem easy to throw a desk and a chair into a room and call it a day. However, the room’s color palette should be well thought out for your home office space to be a productive environment.
The psychology of color in the office is more important now than ever. We use the same space for both work and leisure. Our spaces should promote positivity and encourage concentration and focus. The colors you surround yourself with will help to create the mood for work. Certain color palettes are good for concentration and focus. Consider the psychology of color while setting up your work from home environment.
Designing a room is fun! So, take your time with it. Don’t just grab whatever paint is on sale at the store. Make sure it’s a color that will help you focus and stay calm. We’ll take a look at how the room color palette is important for concentration and focus. You’re going to be spending a lot of time in this home office; you might as well enjoy it!
Why Is Color So Important For Work From Home?
You are probably wondering why we are emphasizing color palettes for your office instead of design. Well, a good office design will be of no use to you if the color of the room is distracting or evokes a negative feeling. If you don’t like the color, you won’t want to spend time there either. You will be spending a lot of time in your home office, and even if you aren’t crazy about your job, you should be able to work in a space that keeps you calm and focused.
Colors can have a substantial effect on mood and behavior. Especially if that color is painted onto all four walls of the room and you are spending the day in. Your home office should be a sanctuary as well as a productive place for you to work. The last thing you want is your home office to be a hub of stress and anxiety. So, let’s look at some colors and why they evoke the response they do.
Warm Colors And Impact On Productivity
Warm colors are reds, oranges, and yellows. They sit next to each other on the color wheel and are associated with happiness, optimism, and energy. Warm colors can also be attention-grabbing when they are bright, which can be distracting. Think about stop signs, caution tape, and hazard warnings. All characters you see out on the road to notify you of danger and caution. They can signal danger or convince you to want to take action. Red can also make you hungry, which could be distracting when you’re working and don’t have a snack.
Red can also promote feelings of anger or passion, which are both intense color responses. A bright red, yellow, or orange may not be the best idea for an office, but perhaps muted tones could work.
Cool Colors For Creativity
Use the psychology of color for your desktop setups to your advantage. The cool color family includes blues, greens, and purples. Cool colors typically evoke a calming and soothing feeling in people. Shades of blue are also used to express sadness in artwork, as well. Purple is a mix of red and blue, so the combination of the intensity of red and the calmness of blue can spark creativity. Cool colors are an option to consider for a work-from-home environment.
Think of doctor’s office signs or a therapy agency. They usually use blues and greens on signs to express calmness. Blue is also associated with health. So, if you want a calming effect in your office, perhaps you can try a light shade of blue for your walls or greens and purples.
Bright Colors And Stimulation
Different bright colors can evoke different responses. For instance, a bright yellow can fill a room with joy and focus, but it can be overstimulating, especially for a work environment. A bright color palette should not be used in excess because it can be overwhelming for a home office.
If used in moderation, bright colors can enhance alertness and creativity. Try using bright colors as an accent as opposed to the main color of the home office.
Pastel Colors And Mood
Pastel colors are in a league of their own. They are lighter hues that can encourage an uplifting mood. These colors can include yellows, purples, and peaches, to name a few. Pastels are bright and neutral colors simultaneously but softer and muted than their more brilliant siblings.
If you have your heart set on using an intense color like a bright red in your home office, consider offsetting it with a pastel color like pink, so all four walls are not red.
Black, Grey, and White
Don’t underestimate the power of black, grey, and white in your color palette. Black is commonly associated with seriousness, class, and power. Grey is often seen as a sad color but is a good neutral for an office color palette as an accent or used for a more serious environment. White goes with everything, can evoke joy and calmness, and is a good balance between dark colors for contrast.
Desktop Setups and Color Palettes
Now that we know a little bit about the psychology of colors and how they evoke emotions, let’s look at some of the best color palettes for a home office. Of course, the color choices still depend on a person’s preference and personality type. Colors affect everyone differently, so it’s important to know yourself and what’s right for you and your office needs.
Earth Tones
The Earth tones are a great place to start for a home office. Within the Earth tone color palettes are many choices and variations. The Earth tones include greens, browns, oranges, reds, yellows, and neutrals like beige. Earthy tones typically provide a warm and inviting environment. Usually, you will see muted or matte versions of the earth tones and colors. You have a lot of wiggle room to mix and match and still come out with a calming palette that will help you focus while keeping you calm during the day. Not to mention they are very aesthetically pleasing.
Try out an olive-green tone with brown and gold accents for a focused Earth tone home office. These colors have been known to promote a focused, calm, and inviting environment. Adding gold accents even in your office supplies will help brighten up the room.
Psycology Of Light Blue Colors
There’s nothing more calming than light or pastel blue. Try a light blue shade out with white or brown accents for a peaceful room. If your job is high stress, keeping your color palette neutral with a calming blue backdrop on the walls will keep you from distractions and in a calm state of mind during the workday. Not to mention, it will look very nice.
Grey, Black, and White Colors
Grey and black are a perfect combination for a professional and minimalist environment. If you hold appointments in your home office or deal with very serious business and don’t like clutter, grey and black could be a good color option for you.
Black promotes seriousness and luxury. It is an easy way to feel classy and minimalist without doing so much as a good paint job. Using the grey can offset the intensity of the black for contrast. You can also do this with white. It will give you a modern look without being too busy.
Neutral Colors And Impact On Focus
You can’t go wrong with a good neutral color palette. If you’re unsure how to react to bright or pastel colors, a neutral palette could be good for your home office. Try using beige as your base and adding gold and brown accents to keep anything from being too distracting.
Using neutrals will promote a joyous atmosphere and brighten up the room. This type of color palette is great for a smaller space. The light colors will help it feel larger and embrace the natural light.
Time To Bring Some Color To Your Home Office
To sum it up, the color palette you choose for a home office can make or break your workflow. Using different colors can evoke different emotional responses, so looking into the color of psychology should help you choose the right color palette for you. Using these suggestions as a guide can help you go in the right direction for a color scheme that will bring you joy and help you focus.
Everyone is different, so try a few swatches to see what helps bring calm and focus. Browse our curation of desktop setups for home offices for ideas. Looking at colors online won’t be as helpful as actually seeing them in person on the wall. Have fun with it!