What Color Says by Darylene Dennon
Your mood and well-being is affected by your environment, and when you’re spending most of the day in your office, the colors you’re surrounded by on a daily basis may be affecting how you feel.
If you’re working on projects that require intense concentration and focus, you’ll need to be surrounded by non-stimulating, relaxing colors. If you need to be upbeat and energetic all day, you will be better off with strong, bold colors that raise your blood pressure and keep you feeling alert.
Here are just eight colors that work well for most office environments; these colors can enhance productivity and help create a semi-relaxing and comfortable ambiance:
1. Moss Green. Light green with a yellow or blue base is a refreshing but restful color that can add some warmth to your office and provide comfort if you’re working alone. It’s a soothing color that won’t make you sleepy; choose a medium green color or sage to stay in productive mode all day long.
2. Light Orange. Orange is an energizing color that evokes excitement, creativity and happiness. You’ll need to stick with a light orange palette to achieve the most benefits of this color, and it can be especially valuable for those who need to stay peppy and energetic throughout the day.
3. Beige or Off White. Beige or cream colored walls are a great neutral color for the office, and are easy to complement with furnishings and dcor. They’re simple and calm, and are great for office spaces of all sizes.
4. Gray. Gray may sound like a boring choice for your office space, but it’s a neutral color that can be enhanced with browns, black and white very easily. It’s one of the easiest colors to work with if you have a lot of colorful desk accessories, picture frames and other accents. And, it’s a soothing and calm color that won’t trigger any strong emotions.
5. Pale Blue. Pale blue has a very calming and soothing effect on the senses, and can help you stay focused and productive for long periods of time. Look for light blues such as eggshell or sky blue for your office walls, and accentuate it with navy, cream colored or dark blue dcor.
6. Light Brown. A light cocoa or chocolaty brown color can stir your senses and create an earthy, nature-inspired ambiance. This color also creates a feeling of being ‘grounded’, strong and resilient.
7. Magenta. If you’re working in the creative field, magenta can spark your creativity and keep you motivated. Magenta contains shades of purple, red and pink, and is a rich and powerful color that can enhance concentration and help you focus on creative projects for longer periods of time.
8. Olive. If you’re the studious type and need to concentrate for hours at a time, olive is a great color to support your energy level. This slightly dark and rich color is also a natural, earthy tone that can be complemented easily with black, brown and cocoa-colored decor.
Darylene Dennon, Solid Energy, Inc. 425-485-8210 www.solidenergyinc.com
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