The work from home order has now been lifted by the UK government as part of the easing of coronavirus restrictions. While this means some of us will be heading back into the office full-time, many businesses have adopted a formal hybrid working model, meaning we can work from home part-time.

This is welcome news for employees who have reported a better work-life balance as a result of home-working over the past 18 months. Many of us feel more productive at home due to the ability to concentrate better.

We may have been working from home for a year and a half now, but it’s never too late to upgrade your home office decoration. The colour of your space can have a big impact on your productivity, mood, and mindset throughout the workday. Here, we discuss the best colours for your home office.

Blue for productivity and focus

Blue has so many connotations. Many of us think of rolling sea waves or a bright blue sky. Overwhelmingly, we perceive blue as calming. It’s a grounding colour, which means it works well as a base hue in our home office.

The colour has also been found to be mentally stimulating, leading to productivity benefits. A University of Texas study found that blue-green rooms were the best for productivity gains. This combination of calming and stimulating makes it the perfect colour for a home-working environment.

While we need to remain focused and productive during our workday, a calming influence is also helpful. With 79% of UK employees experiencing stress at work, anything that creates a feeling of serenity is welcomed.

Yellow accents for creativity

Is there anything more positive than a bright burst of yellow? The colour is associated with joy, sunny days, and creativity. However, because it’s so attention-grabbing, it can be overwhelming.

Yellow offers many benefits, including stimulating creativity and boosting our mood. It shouldn’t be discounted as a colour in our home office, but we recommend making it an accent colour instead of the main colour of your walls.

If you’re looking to benefit from the mood and creativity-boosting effects of yellow, use it in your decorations or accessories. You could have a sunny yellow notebook on your desk for your creative ideas. Yellow flowers – whether real or fake – on your desk will allow you to take advantage of the colour’s properties as well as the stress-busting benefits of plants in your office.

Golds and silvers for a successful mindset

It’s no surprise that we associate gold and silver with wealth and success, because we most often see these colours in jewellery and decorations. While it might seem a bit decedent to kit your office out in these colours, their associations with success might just give you the boost you’re looking for.

Gold in particular can remind you of your successes. Think about it; what comes to mind when you hear “gold medal”? Exactly.

If opulent gold isn’t your usual style, you can incorporate this colour into your home office in subtle ways, like a gold vase for your flowers or gold photo frames.

Things to consider

Now that you know some of the most productive colours to include in your home office, it’s good to know how to incorporate them. Blue or green are great as a base colour but stick to muted shades. Pale blues and greens, like Cumulus Y354 from Tikkurila, suit everyone.

When it comes to colours to avoid, red isn’t a good colour for your home office. While it’s well-established as a power colour, it’s not necessarily a good colour for a working environment. Not only does it inspire feelings of frustration and anger but it can also increase your heart rate and induce feelings of stress. Some see this as a benefit, especially if your job is high-energy, but in the day to day, it can have a negative effect.

Many of us have spent a sizeable chunk of time in our home offices over the past 18 months. While many will be heading back into the office full time, some of us will be able to continue our home-working either in a full-time or part-time capacity. It’s never too late to redecorate your home office, so why not incorporate some of these productivity and mood-boosting colours?