Sallyanne’s work-from-home solutions

01 Jun 2016

Interior designer Sallyanne Prudence asks what colours work best in personal creative spaces like a home office.

Working from home is increasingly popular but for good productivity, your workspace needs to be both comfortable and functional. High energy colours like orange, yellow and red might make us feel more creative and active but do you think you could you really work consistently surrounded by walls painted with such strong, dominating colours?

Ask yourself these questions:

What colour/s is the rest of your house?

You could choose a colour similar to the theme of the rest of your home for good colour flow. Or, you might like to use colour to define this room to create a clear delineation between home and office.

What is your favourite colour?

Favourite colours make us feel happy, inspired or peaceful. How does your favourite colour make you feel and is this appropriate in your workspace? Light or muted colours tend to be easier to live with, while dark or heavy hues may start to sap your energy, concentration and creative juices. It is more important that you choose the right tone of the colour, e.g. if you love grass green consider a muted or lighter green e.g. Resene Seagrass or Resene Serenity, that will be more conducive to industriousness. Resene First Light or Resene Triple Pearl Lusta may be gentler than bright sunshiny yellow. A calming aqua like Resene Half Kumutoto may be more peaceful than cobalt blue.

If toning down your favourite colour is not an option, consider painting just one wall, so it is not all-enclosing. Painting adjacent walls in a toned down or more muted version of your number one colour will balance the overall feel of the room. Paint a piece of furniture in the room or add accessories in your favourite colour.

Then again, some people like to avoid an association between their favourite colour and work!

Will clients visit you at home?

If so, clients will also need to feel comfortable with your choice of colours. If you go out to visit clients or contact them online, then the world is your oyster in personalising your space!

Colour provides a wonderful backdrop or foundation to your business space, but don’t forget functionality, furniture choice and layout, lighting, storage and organisation to promote an exciting workspace.

Pinboards are set against Resene Reservoir walls.

Neutral colour in the form of Resene Half Pearl Lusta creates a calming feel.

Resene First Light adds a zingy backdrop without being overpowering.

Sallyanne Prudence is principal colour consultant and interior designer at Professional Colour and Design. www.professionalcolouranddesign.com.

Published: 01 Jun 2016