Coloring Your Work-At-Home Space

It’s that time of year when we think about giving our walls a make-over; it’s not too hot yet and Mr. Cold Weather has finally left the building.

If you’re like the thousands who choose to bring new life and freshness to their indoor living spaces, it helps to choose colors, especially for that space you’ve chosen for your work-at-home office, with an awareness of how they can affect your physical and emotional state of mind.

Have you ever noticed that some rooms you walk into have a “feel” to them? That’s because every color has a unique vibrational ‘signature’ and it affects how you you both emotionally and mentally which translates to how you’ll also feel physically.

Below is a simple list to help you choose a room’s color so it’s in balance and harmony with whatever role that room plays in your life.

Planning to put a little fresh color into your family’s life this Spring is a great idea, so why not consider what the colors will be saying to you – especially in that work-at-home space?

RED … This color really “pops” and promotes activity and movement, which means sitting and focusing on servicing a Company Client in a room this color would be an exhausting ordeal … even stressful if you’re someone who has a bit of anxiety. If you’re totally sold on a signature color in this realm, try something in the pink line which is less demanding on your emotional and mental health. So many of us who now work-from-home have our work space in a corner of our bedroom and colors in the red zone are not restful, although many experience red as a power color.

If you’ve already bought the paint, put that choice of color in an exercise room to energize your work-out! If you’re into Feng Shui, which is the yin and yang of life’s balancing acts, the color red means “luck.”

ORANGE … a room painted in a hue of orange encourages happy, social gatherings – and we work-at-home folks don’t need or want any background noise while we’re servicing so … this color would be great in a dining room to help stimulate your appetite or a family room where you gather for movie and popcorn.

Pops of orange in a room will enhance your parties with positive feelings, great conversations, and a serving of happiness all the way around. But, like colors in the red zone, orange isn’t something you’ll want in your work space. In Feng Shui, orange signifies “exuberant creativity.”

YELLOW … Now THIS is a color that encourages you to “smile as you talk!” Yellow in a room builds your intellectual clarity, focus, and sharp thinking – you’ll even find yourself articulating better! Why? Because yellow is the color that lives in the logical left side of your brain. It’s a bright and uplifting color and having it as your color-of-choice for your work at home space is a super idea (see? We’re already having super ideas!!). Take care, though, for break time; while yellow give your intellect and focus a boost, it’s not exactly a restful color for your downtime which also means it’s a wall color choice to avoid if you’re an anxious or nervous person.

If you work and take a siesta in the same room, you might want to consider yellow accents in the room as opposed to painting the walls this color, or tone it down to a soft, “buttery” beige. In Feng Shui, yellow gives vibes of “happy and cheerful.”

GREEN … This is one of my favorite colors in all it’s many vibrant or muted hues. Growing up there was at least one room in our house with pale, green walls – usually a bedroom or the living room as I recall. Green is just plain “good”, representing balance and abundance. If you find that your thoughts wonder or you get “antcy” sitting for long periods of time when servicing a Client, a shade of green on the walls of your work space will help you remain calm and grounded during call-taking times.

This color has both a restful and an energizing component; it’s the color of the great outdoors – still yet very active. It’s also a harmony and balance-bringing vibe that can place both calm and rejuvenation into the room. It’s a great color choice – and there are SO MANY HUES to choose from – for the wall color of your home work space. Green means “ balance“ in Feng Shui.

BLUE … This WAS “my color” until I was fifty years old (then it changed to purple). Every dress, top, pair of pants, color of room walls, toss pillow – you name it – was a shade of blue. I’ve always believed this was my choice growing up because this color establishes a ‘calm’ into the atmosphere. Blue isn’t a very “social” color, so it’s a perfect choice for your work-at-home space because it will give you a sense of purposeful and calm focus needed when taking calls. Blue is a great color choice when excellent communication skills – a must-have in customer service work – are a priority. If you’re like me and your office space is in a corner of your bedroom, the color blue has been found to reduce blood pressure and it is useful for sleep and rest.

Word to the wise – if you have depression, blue is a bit TOO calming so it’s best to avoid and perhaps move more towards the teal end of the spectrum where you have that delicate blend of green balance added to the mix. In Feng Shui, blue signifies “truth and peace.”

INDIGO / PURPLE / VIOLET … Now we come to my most favorite color (since age 50, that is)! Purple is a very comforting, protective, calming color no matter it’s hue or intensity. Muted, bright, bold - you name it – this color is a rich blend of inspiration, intuition and reflection. While most folks choose a pale shade of purple (indigo / violet) especially when in a bedroom area, an entire room painted in a darker hue might be a bit over-powering to the senses.

Like the color blue, a pale shade will invite your emotions and mind to be both purposeful (focused) and calm – a super combination for those of us who work-from-home as customer service professionals. In Feng Shui, purple means “wise.” We could all use a dose of wisdom, right?

WHITE … I’m including white because, while not a true color on the traditional color wheel, (it’s actually the blending of all colors), many of us have lived with some shade of white on the walls somewhere in our home – even on ALL WALLS in the house! Landlords love shades of white because their theory is it goes with everything – and they’re not wrong! Because it’s a blending of all colors, white is a muted background that lends itself well to pops of all kinds of colors in a room. Even sunlight is white, because it’s composed of all the colors of the rainbow spectrum (do the prism science exercise with a child and you’ll prove this to yourself).

White is about innocence and new beginnings; it’s light, free of clutter, just cleansing. It’s also the color of the walls in a padded psych cell! I mention this because, in Feng Shui, this is a wall color to AVOID if you wish to avoid anxiousness. Yep, you got it; white walls can actually cause you to feel more nervous and anxious – and who needs that when taking phone calls that require you to be calm, focused, and articulate? **Hint: having white ceilings will reflect the light and brighten any room’s wall color.

This is a color to avoid if you don’t want to feel overwhelmed. I know; for all the folks who are renters with landlords that have your walls painted a shade of white … try pops of other colors here and there on the walls, maybe in paintings. I have my late-husband’s artwork hanging on some walls and It works wonders!

BROWN ... This is a color not in the ROY-G-BIV but I add this because so many folks have shades and hues of brown (beige / tan / ecru) on their walls and furnishings. I once saw a shade of brown I absolutely LOVED. My neighbor had painted her living room walls one Spring with a color she said was called “Oatmeal.” I’ve never forgotten that rich-looking color; it was very appealing to the senses. That “appeal” came from it’s nurturing, quiet vibrational energy.

With so many hues of brown to choose from, it’s also a good color choice for your work-at-home space, especially as a wall color.

Using color consciously can be a great benefit to your concentration, outlook, and emotional state when working from home as a customer care professional.

Have fun with your home’s Spring make-over! What colors will YOU choose, and why?

Let us know in the comments, below!

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