When a brief to design a new office space asks for something fresh, energetic, and modern – a space where employees enjoy being and, crucially, enjoy working in, which helps them to focus on individual tasks but also to relax, collaborate, and create – there are few better places to begin than a color wheel. As the world of work and the varied environments it takes place in become less formal and restricted in their design, architects, designers, and, more importantly, their clients are handing the boring, monotone office its redundancy papers and looking outside the establishment at more expressive colorful options.
While blue’s ability to improve concentration, stimulate thinking, and provide mental clarity helps to increase productivity, the human body needs regular periods of rest and relaxation, too. For this, warm colors like yellows provide relaxation through warmth and comfort – perfect for break-out areas. Meanwhile, reds and oranges promote creativity and expression, meaning they can be useful for areas designated for social collaboration, whilst green encourages a calmer, more balanced approach, for a different kind of meeting.
When asked for a "new vision for an office that fosters collaborative encounters and provides a feeling of openness and creativity," for example, architects KOGAA selected red tones for the more "active workspaces meant for the exchange of ideas" at the JIC HQ office, as the firm explains, while the choice of blue was applied to other areas where "maximum concentration and silence are required." Alternatively, in providing each of the Shopify Berlin office’s meeting spaces with a neighboring lounge section to provide a "more comfortable environment for free-flowing discussion" explain architects MVRDV, the designers chose to use the comforting and calming tones of yellow and pink.
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How Color-Tunable Lighting Affects Mood and ProductivityProjects That Use Primary Colors Blue, Red, and Yellow to Improve Office Productivity, Creativity, and Relaxation
JIC HQ / KOGAA
Shopify Offices Berlin / MVRDV
Pocket Gems / Min | Day
Colorful Design Studio / LZArchitects
It’s not all about the psychological impact of each color on the wheel, however. Simply by varying the palette’s range, designers can make an impact on how employees navigate and relate to their space. As we continue to remove the physical partitions of the workplace to encourage more communication and transparency within, designers are more often turning to color as a way to visually segregate the typical office’s spatial functions. At the combined Office and Set of TV Ponyo en el Garage, for example, architects Fast&Furious Office matched a palette of 18 color variations with 18 specific spatial situations, while at the Mad Creative Agency offices in Brazil, a subtle and natural color palette of blue, green, and pink played "a fundamental role in the division of spaces and in the personality of the environment," explain Moca Arquitetura of the project.
Projects that Utilize Their Color Palettes to Segregate the Varied Spatial Functions of the Office
Office and Set of TV Ponyo el Garage / Fast and Furious Production Office
Mad Creative Agency / Moca Arquitetura
RW-Office / FORM | Kouichi Kimura Architects
BOHO Décor Head Office / BOHO Décor
While the design of office space must follow strict rules so as not to disrupt the overall productivity of the environment, for many workplaces, the ability to inspire creativity and innovation is far more crucial to the success of the business. The Chromatic Indulgence Office, for example, in Kolkata, India, identifies color as a "significant catalyst for creative exploration" explains the project’s architect Abin Design Studio. Meanwhile, in Amsterdam, the office of tech company CVMaker was provided with an "abstract funky space that oozes a maximalist bold abstract and modernistic feel," explains Studio Noun, who wanted to "move away from the general perception of how office spaces should look, and to get all employees out of their tech world and into a new experience."
Projects With Abstract and Artistic Color Combinations Designed to Inspire Innovation and Creativity
Chromatic Indulgence Office / Abin Design Studio
AN Amsterdam Office / Studio Noun
Sauvage TV Offices / Cosy Barcelona
Record Company Office / Two Interior Design Studio
For some, the idea of a full kaleidoscope of color in their workplace seems like a ready-made migraine, and while an attraction to colorful environments is very much in our human nature, which colors and combinations of colors agree with us and which do not can change dramatically from person to person. That being said, by selecting more natural colors and toning down the contrast, the soothing verdant greens, warm woody browns, and autumnal reds and pinks selected by Galant I.D. Lda for the RB Pharma Office in Lisbon, Portugal – where the color scheme echoes a nearby park – set a comfortable, yet still playful, atmosphere at the workplace.
Projects With Softer, More Natural and Toned-Down Color Palettes
RB Pharma Office / Galant I.D. Lda
Black Kite Offices / Bureau de Change Architects
Apartmentary Dosan Offices and Showroom / studio fragment
Oneday Dentistry Share Office / Design m4
Find these and other multi-colored office projects in this ArchDaily folder created by the author.
This article is part of an ArchDaily series that explores features of interior architecture, from our own database of projects. Every month, we will highlight how architects and designers are utilizing new elements, new characteristics, and new signatures in interior spaces around the world. As always, at ArchDaily, we highly appreciate the input of our readers. If you think we should mention specific ideas, please submit your suggestions.
