How can paint impact on profit?

If you manage a business, have you considered painting yourself into profit? It might sound a little silly and you’d be forgiven for being a little sceptical but there are many studies that suggest a relationship between the decor of an office and a team’s productivity.

So what colours should you choose to achieve the perfect working atmosphere?

Perhaps the first thing you will consider is your brand colours. If you run a company where customers frequent the building, then perhaps you might choose to decorate according to the colours of your brand.

Depending on the interior structure of the building –and the theme of your brand – you may decide to just decorate the entrance room in these tones rather than each office. Particularly if your reception area is frequented by clients or potential clients decorating in your brand theme is a positive way to introduce brand consistency across your company.

In terms of the offices where your employees work, there are a few tips that are widely recommended to ensuring that you have a mentally alert and active team:

• Avoid red: while red is a warm colour that can look striking in a bedroom or lounge area, it is generally recommended that you avoid it in the office. Connotations of rage associated with this colour suggest that it could have a negative impact on staff relationships; however, it is thought to be a good colour in socially interactive rooms such as eating areas or areas where ideas are supposed to generate.

• Go green for a calm atmosphere: particularly if you have an office full of stressed lawyers or accountants, you might opt for a shade of green to inject some tranquillity into the room. A calm mind tends to be more productive, hence why many office owners choose to decorate in these shades. At Kent Blaxill, we have many tones of green from subtle shades like Cooking Apple Green (above left) and stronger colours such as 214 Arsenic (above right).

• Black & White: simple and smart, black and white is often used in corporate offices to symbolise a business environment where high standards of professionalism are expected at all times. You can go for a complete white, or  shade such as James White (above) which looks particularly smart in an office environment.

For more colour inspiration for your offices, visit our website to explore our Farrow and Ball collection.