Working at home means you get to customize everything for your needs. You get your ideal desk, computer, filing system, and sound system. Every item in your office fits a purpose that’s meant for your work only.
You can customize it for when and how you work. Some people like to work in the morning, and others are night owls. Some like to work with the TV on in the background, and others need complete silence.
Before you begin planning your home office, make sure you also think about how color of your walls and your lighting can optimize your home office. These choices can have a bigger impact on your productivity than you might think.
NJ professional painters at Pizzazz! Painting says: “Significant studies have shown that workplace colors can have a subliminal psychological effect on employees which encompasses calmness, energy, creativity, and productivity.”
Mixing the right light with the right colors will help you be as productive as possible in your home office. When making these decisions, you should start with colors.
How Your Home Office’s Colors Affect You
Blue
Blue is a great color for your home office if your work requires a lot of focus. Writers, accountants, and data entry workers will benefit from blue in the room.
Many people choose blue because they think it is best for productivity. However, different positions have different needs. Some positions require more creativity or more physical energy.
Blue also creates a sense of calm. If you’re surrounded by nothing but blue, you may end up too relaxed!
Focus is good, but in most positions, there is more to work than sitting down and grinding out results. The following colors make great accent colors to go along with blue, depending on your needs.
Red
Red is best for physical labor. It can get your blood pumping and give you a boost of adrenaline. If your business involves a lot of running around the house, red will give you some extra psychological energy.
If you are a personal trainer who operates out of their home, this could be a great color for your home gym. Bright red walls will give your clients an extra boost to push through.
However, red is also associated with hunger. Make sure that hunger is being satiated with healthy choices. If you have issues with eating out, painting your kitchen red can help you eat at home more often.
Green
Green boosts creativity and relaxation. If you are a home-based creator, green is a great color for you. Artists, video creators, writers, and photographers will benefit from a green workspace.
This color can also create a sense of balance and reduce anxiety. Creative people can be a bit anxious, so adding green to your environment can help with that.
This doesn’t just apply to paint. Adding bright green plants to your room will help both psychologically and physically. They will provide you with oxygen and help to reduce your anxiety.
Yellow
Yellow is the color of optimism. If you struggle with seasonal depression or loneliness from working at home, adding a pop of yellow to your workspace could help.
However, yellow can also be a very distracting color if it’s overused. It’s best as an accent color to go with one of the other colors on this list.
How Light in Your Home Office Affects You
Cool
Cool light is bluer – blue light makes you more alert, awake, and focused. Natural light contains more blue light, which is why blue light makes us more alert.
It’s great for waking up in the morning and staying active throughout the day. Try to work in a room that has a lot of natural light.
Electronic screens also create blue light. This is why it’s best to shut down your devices for an hour or so before you go to bed.
Make sure you don’t work on the computer well into the evening. If you do, spend some time relaxing under dim lighting before you go to sleep.
Warm
Warm light contains more red and yellow. It helps you to relax. As the sun sets, the light becomes warmer. Our bodies naturally start to get ready for the day to end.
Your lighting should follow this pattern for optimal health. As the day draws to an end, make the light in your workspace warmer. Smart lighting can do this for you.
You can set certain bulbs on schedules to switch from cool to warm light. Your lighting can follow your working patterns.
Putting it All Together
Lighting and paint should be paired to complement each other. Blue walls might benefit from warm lighting if you want to feel more relaxed, and red walls can benefit from blue lighting if you need to sharpen your mind while doing physical work.
What’s most important is finding what works best for you. What kind of work are you doing? When do you do your best work? Pick the best pairing of color and light for your needs.
Are you putting together or redesigning a home office? Tell us about your plans in the comments below! And for more tips about your home office, check out this post about designing your home office.
If you’re looking to sell your home this fall, checkout out our blog on tips to sell your home this season.