Using Color Theory To Improve Your Home Office
By Andrew Patricio
June 25, 2018
Workspace Optimization
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One of the great things about having a home office is that you get to design it any way you want. You want to work on a pirate boat? You can make that happen. You want to make your Pinterest dreams come true? Done!
Beyond your fantasies, you likely also want to create a space you enjoy spending time in, spurs your imagination, and helps you accomplish great work. Sounds like an ideal office environment and using color strategically can help. So let’s look at how to use color theory to improve your home office.
What is Color Theory?
Let’s level set on what color theory is. There are many definitions, but it’s essentially the idea that color, and color in certain combinations, elicits specific, predictable emotions, subconsciously and therefore can impact your mood, your health, your productivity, even your behavior. Japan, for example, found that installing blue lights at train stations reduced the rate of people jumping in front of trains to commit suicide. Color saves!
The impact of a particular color is contextual, and often varies significantly by culture, and even within a culture. But with globalization, these differences are shrinking and, over time, scientists have found enough evidence to come up with some rules of thumb. So why not play around with color and see which colors elicit which reactions from you.
Using Color Theory to Improve Your Home Office
If you’re working long hours, green is an excellent color to use in your home office. It’s easy on the eyes and has been shown to make people calm and efficient. Painting your walls avocado may not be for everyone so find ways to bring green into your home office for those marathon working sessions. Screensavers, plants, throw blankets can all help you stick to the task at hand.
If you need your home office to be the center of creativity, then you want to use a lot of yellow. Yellow in western culture elicits optimism and joy, freeing up your mind to the world of possibilities. For this reason, yellow is also a good color for creating an energizing space as well. Orange works in this way but it’s much more difficult to decorate with orange than yellow.
If you want to make your home office a sanctuary of calm, focused work, turn to the color blue. Blue is soothing, pairs well with most other colors you may want to decorate with, and can help you make your home office more productive.
Using red isn’t just a bold design choice, it can be a bold move on your emotions. Red gets your heart racing, which is why we like red sports cars. It makes you alert, which is why stop signs are red. Red also makes you pay attention and carefully assess your environment.
Color theory is used in everything from logo to packaging design to great effect. Why not take what we know and make it work for you in your home office?
Beyond your fantasies, you likely also want to create a space you enjoy spending time in, spurs your imagination, and helps you accomplish great work. Sounds like an ideal office environment and using color strategically can help. So let’s look at how to use color theory to improve your home office.
What is Color Theory?
Let’s level set on what color theory is. There are many definitions, but it’s essentially the idea that color, and color in certain combinations, elicits specific, predictable emotions, subconsciously and therefore can impact your mood, your health, your productivity, even your behavior. Japan, for example, found that installing blue lights at train stations reduced the rate of people jumping in front of trains to commit suicide. Color saves!
The impact of a particular color is contextual, and often varies significantly by culture, and even within a culture. But with globalization, these differences are shrinking and, over time, scientists have found enough evidence to come up with some rules of thumb. So why not play around with color and see which colors elicit which reactions from you.
Using Color Theory to Improve Your Home Office
If you’re working long hours, green is an excellent color to use in your home office. It’s easy on the eyes and has been shown to make people calm and efficient. Painting your walls avocado may not be for everyone so find ways to bring green into your home office for those marathon working sessions. Screensavers, plants, throw blankets can all help you stick to the task at hand.
If you need your home office to be the center of creativity, then you want to use a lot of yellow. Yellow in western culture elicits optimism and joy, freeing up your mind to the world of possibilities. For this reason, yellow is also a good color for creating an energizing space as well. Orange works in this way but it’s much more difficult to decorate with orange than yellow.
If you want to make your home office a sanctuary of calm, focused work, turn to the color blue. Blue is soothing, pairs well with most other colors you may want to decorate with, and can help you make your home office more productive.
Using red isn’t just a bold design choice, it can be a bold move on your emotions. Red gets your heart racing, which is why we like red sports cars. It makes you alert, which is why stop signs are red. Red also makes you pay attention and carefully assess your environment.
Color theory is used in everything from logo to packaging design to great effect. Why not take what we know and make it work for you in your home office?