Nothing can bring a space to life like the strategic use of color. Offices across the country are beginning to experience a design shift from the traditional white and beige walls. Big changes can happen with the strategic addition of accent walls to enhance color pallets reflected in flooring, furniture, fabric, and art.
Introducing new wall colors, easily and inexpensively, change the tone of a space. What do you want visitors and staff to experience? The traditional white (Swiss Coffee is a name you may know) can be beautiful. The challenge is that unless significant focus is placed on art, ending up with an office which feels unfinished, bland, or worse – old and outdated, is a likely result. Art is often left out of the budget so what’s left are miles of uninterrupted bland walls.
Look around your office. Candidly assess what you see – and what your clients see. With a little time and attention, your space can be a dynamic extension of your brand. Your space is a valuable tool just like personnel, technology, and work process.
With a designer or color consultant, you can dramatically upgrade your space. Here are a few criteria you can establish to set the direction of your design:
1. Strategically choose the “tone” your office space should evoke?
a. Calm – choose warm neutral colors
b. Energy – Strategic use of vibrant colors
c. Healing – turn to colors found in nature
2. Choose colors that reflect your “brand”?
a. Be open to exploring colors your consultant recommends
b. Consider your target client audience. Would they be impressed if they took a tour today?
3. Engage your marketing team
a. Decide if your office space can be used as an extension to your strategic marketing plan
b. Consider if your entire interiors package needs to reflect your vision – flooring, furniture, art, signage, technology.
c. See your space through the eyes of your customers. Does your office have the look and feel consistent with the products and services you provide?
4. Check out your competition
a. Explore what is trending in your industry
b. Does the state of your space effect sales, recruiting, creative energy?
5. Have some fun! Changing elements of your space can have very positive effects on morale, employee satisfaction, and client engagements.
