Decorating, Interior

Best Color for Your Home Office

file0002010383623Did you know colors affect productivity?  It’s well known that certain colors illicit certain reactions, but the way those colors affect our moods also affect productivity levels. When painting your home office, color choices can be the key to keeping yourself on task.

What color is best?

Some might consider bright, vibrant, jewel-toned colors as good colors to stay alert and awake while working at home. While these colors would definitely be cheerful and eye-opening, they can also become very distracting. Vibrant red can make people feel hungry rather than focused, as red usually encourages appetite. Yellow energizes, but can also irritate after a while and cause headaches or uneasiness. Orange stimulates people and makes them feel enthusiastic, but that enthusiasm can lend itself to distraction and lack of concentration. Green brings a sense of well being and healthfulness to a space, but may also incur some unnecessary snacking because it reminds people of being healthy and eating well.

So, what’s the best color option?

Blue is the most common color used in home offices. It calms people and allows for optimum concentration.  Because blue is known for being a serene color associated with water, tranquility, and peacefulness, it poses the threat of too much relaxation! To avoid this issue, pair your blue walls with bright bursts of complimentary colors throughout your accessories. A bright orange frame hanging above your desk or a vase of bright flowers can open the space and bring it to life, maintaining that high energy necessary to be productive.

Which shade?

The shade of color is just as important as the color itself.  Pale yellow energizes and refreshes a space, but bright yellow could cause migraines. Dark shades of colors tend to have a cocooning effect, which may cause laziness or lethargy due to lack of stimulation. In a dark room, eyes tend to wander towards lighters spaces, such as windows or other rooms where the lighting is brighter and more invigorating. By the same token, a completely white or bright room may feel too clinical and cause one to feel pressure and uneasiness.

There is rarely any space in life where one color dominates, and as such, that should apply to your home office as well. Easley Painters suggest incorporating a mix of colors to ensure your home office will calm and stimulate the mind without allowing it to stray from concentrating for too long. Vibrant accent colors such as orange and red bring variety to a bold blue backdrop and jolt the mind when it needs a mental pick-me-up without being too overbearing.

Because color choices are always personal, the best color choice for a home office will always be the one that you associate with happiness and include an element of calm. No matter what your color choice, make sure it’s a shade that won’t feel irritating, and pair it with colors that will keep you alert and focused in your home office!