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! 

Lighting setups is one of the most important factors for focus and productivity while working from home. As most of the workforce continues to work remotely, one perk is getting to design your home office however you like. People often focus on the desk setups, but work from home lighting setups is just as important. Gone are the days of getting stuck in a cubicle under fluorescent lights or having a windowless office. Your home will still have some limitations, but you can have total control over the lighting.

When you’re setting up the lighting for your home office, it’s important to keep in mind the way lighting can affect your productivity and focus. Type of light bulbs, color temperature, and lighting placement are all factors that can increase productivity and focus while you’re working from home. So, let’s look at what you can do for your work from home lighting and how it impacts productivity and focus. 

Work From Home Lighting Basics

To start, the lighting in your home office can and will affect your focus and productivity. Setting your desk setup for productivity and focus would be incomplete without the right lighting setup. Lighting can magically affect your mood, physical health, and circadian rhythm. Lighting is everything! Not all lighting will work for the entire day, either. According to UNC the type and coHome Desktop Setup and the Psychology of Colorlor of lighting has a huge impact on productivity.

When you’re working from home, you spend a lot of time staring at a screen and probably spending your breaks staring at the smaller fun screen you keep in your pocket. All of this screen time can cause eye strain and potentially migraines, so choose your lighting carefully. Color temperature and the type of lightbulbs you use will make a huge difference in productivity and how you feel throughout the day.  

Home Office Lighting Color Temperature And Focus 

The color temperature of the lighting you choose can make or break your focus while you’re working. We’ve evolved as humans to the rise and setting of the sun. Daylight has a blueish hue, and Sunsets have a yellow hue, hence golden hour. Our bodies take a cue from the light and respond accordingly. 

Blue and Daylight Tones For Focus

As mentioned before, blue or cooler lighting is best for focus during the workday. Cooler temperatures and “daylight” help you to concentrate and are less distracting during the workday.

Warmer Light Tones For Relaxation

Warmer lighting such as orange or yellowish lights is better for calm and relaxation. Think of trendy Edison bulbs in a dim bar or fancy kitchen. That type of lighting will not make you want to work; it’ll make you want to sip a cocktail in a comfy lounge chair. 

Chose The Right Color For The Right Time

If you are going to be working long hours, you might want to adjust your lighting color temperatures as the day goes on. For example, you could start your morning with cool blue lighting and adapt to a warmer setting as you get closer to the end of the workday to help you wind down before it’s time to relax. There are plenty of options to buy adjustable lighting these days to help you achieve this lighting style if it sounds like it will work for you. 

Different Types of Home Office Lighting

LED Vs. Fluorescent Lighting 

Let’s talk about the different types of lightbulbs. The two main choices you will have when deciding are LED bulbs or fluorescent bulbs. LED lighting is the most popular choice because it is energy efficient and saves money. These bulbs can last years without being replaced, so they are a budget-friendly option. They are more expensive up front, but you get your money’s with them since they don’t need to be replaced as often. 

Fluorescent lighting is what was once traditionally used in offices. It can be bright, harsh and if you stay at work late, the lights could interfere with your sleep, keeping you awake longer. This serves its intended purpose while you’re in the office. If you choose LED lights, they will typically have a dimming feature or different settings so you don’t have to have them on full blast all day. 

Natural Lighting For Concentration and Focus

We’ve talked about different types of lights but there is no better lighting for focus than natural sunlight. If it’s possible, try to set up your home office in a room with plenty of natural light to get you through the day. Have you ever taken a walk during the workday and come back refreshed? That’s the Vitamin D from the sun talking! Being able to access that light all day is one of the best things you can do for yourself. 

If natural light is unavailable to you, try to take walks or go outside at least a few times a day to soak up some rays and get your mind going. 

Proper Lighting Brightness For A Home Office

There is such a thing as too bight when it comes to lighting. You’ll want to consider the light you’re getting from your computer, tablet, and phone screens when deciding on lighting options. Obviously, your computer screen isn’t going to be able to light the entire room, and you may have a dimmer on it to alleviate eye strain as it is. 

Think about the type of focused work you’re doing. Is everything on the computer? If you are printing out documents and handwriting notes, consider a dedicated desk lamp that focuses on that work to keep it well-lit. 

For other office lights, it’s all up to you. Indirect light is recommended to keep you from having too much light on you that can impact your circadian rhythm and potentially cause migraines. Natural light is going to be your best friend, so you may be able to get away with no artificial lighting during the day in the right room. 

Set Up The Perfect Work From Home Lighting for Focus

To sum it up, your home office lighting is essential to have a productive and focused day. There are many different options on the market for lighting, but with your home office, you have total control. 

Choosing LED lights will give you control over the lighting during the day and will save you money by being long-lasting and energy-efficient. When you can, it’s best to rely on natural light for Vitamin D and the optimum lighting without being too harsh. Avoid glares and shadows by strategically setting your office up. 

Having control over your home office is one of the many perks of working from home, so make sure you take the time to choose the right options for you!