When white on white just isn’t working, using color to boost productivity
-Gone are the days when offices, employee lounges, and other workplaces were painted a plain, neutral, off-white. The range of acceptable colors in the workplace is now unlimited, including for home offices. George Borlodan, owner of Borlodan Painting Company, has been a commercial and house painter since 2005, founding his company in 2011. “There’s still a place for neutral colors,” says Borlodan. “But, every year it seems more and more clients ask about the mood-affecting benefits of color.”
The choices of colors and combinations of colors to paint walls and trim have grown significantly. While there’s no proof that there is a connection between more awareness about the psychology of color and buyers’ paint choices. For anyone who likes to eavesdrop in the paint section, it’s apparent that people spend a lot of time choosing colors for their bedrooms and living rooms that set a desired mood. Comments like “It’s too busy,” or “It’s kinda nice, but a little dark,” are indicators that choosing color to satisfy the senses has moved up in the world.
A June 2024 article on WebMD, reports that “Color psychology connects colors with emotions and behavior. It reveals how color plays a role in your moods and can even be incorporated into your wellness routines.”
A recent article in HR Future magazine claims that of all of the components that go into office design, “none is as psychologically potent as color.”
For decades, companies have chosen brand colors for their psychological impact. It’s refreshing to see more and more businesses of all sizes turn to using color to benefit their employees. Happy employees are more productive, and using color to contribute to a stress-free environment that is a foundation for creativity and productivity is good business.
Borlodan, the San Luis Obispo house and commercial painter, has prepared a list of the basic colors that can aid productivity both in home offices, studios, and workshops, and in workplaces. Choosing various shades of these basic colors and combining shades and colors can help create enjoyable and productive workplaces.
- Blue promotes calmness and focus.
- Green reduces eye strain and is restorative.
- Yellow boosts energy and creativity.
- Red simulates energy and optimism.
- Orange encourages concentration and organization.
- Neutral tones can be bland and depressing when overused, but can help modulate other colors when used as accents.
How would one use these colors (or shades of these colors) to achieve a desired effect?
- Employee break rooms/cafeterias are where employees go to relax. A combination of green and blue tones imparts the sense of rest, calmness, and concentration that comes from a quiet mind.
- Meeting rooms used for staff meetings and brainstorming sessions might use tones of yellow, with a touch of red.
- The bookkeeper might appreciate an office using shades of blue/green tones, while the graphic design team would thrive in an open, brightly painted work environment.
Using paint as a strategic tool applies to more than productivity. The right colors can help boost retail sales and customer loyalty. The right colors in the home office or studio can help overcome writer’s block and stimulate ideas for new paintings and designs. It’s not required to have a doctorate in psychology to leverage color for daily life. Just spend some time in the paint section, now armed with more information!
Borlodan Painting Company has been painting businesses, hotels, wineries, fences, barns, historical buildings, and houses in San Luis Obispo County and the Central Coast since 2005. The team brings a personal touch and the unbeatable value that only a local business can provide.
Painting both interiors, exteriors, and even furniture, the team understands the trust involved when their clients invite them into their homes and workplaces and is committed to honoring that trust. The company stresses a smoke-free work environment, uses top-quality products, negotiates a fair rate, and leaves a clean worksite when the job is done.
Borlodan Painting Company
6205 Via Huerto Ct,
Atascadero, CA 93422
(805) 295-0194
