The Pantone ‘Color Of The Year 2017’ has been named as 15-0343 or more interestingly; Greenery.  Here’s why using Greenery in the office is such a good idea and how it can help the morale, productivity and wellbeing of your workforce. And it goes deeper than a simple coat of paint.

The Importance Of Colour

There’s real science behind deciding on colour schemes and it isn’t just a matter of artistic flair and judgement. Especially where a workspace is concerned. Colour has been proven to play a part in improving productivity, which is why it plays such an important part in office design.

The role that colour plays on the mindset of an individual cannot be underestimated. Our surroundings – and the colours they include – push our emotional receptors in certain ways and can have calming or stimulating effects, in equal measure.

The colour of our surroundings can heighten feelings we are already experiencing, for better or worse, and can also be a cause of subconscious annoyance, should they clash with how our mind, activities and mood wants us to feel.

There is a lot to consider when it comes to choosing particular colours and you can read more about them in this blog post with Tips For Choosing The Perfect Office Paint Colours.

But back to Greenery, the Pantone colour of the year.

 

Why Pantone’s Colour Of The Year Is So Important

The ‘Pantone Color Institute’ is an authority figure that anyone who has ever visited a DIY retailer will recognise. And is invaluable for architects, printers, fashion and interior designers alike.

Their voice is so respected due to their 40+ year history or comment, research and development on all things colour. And the fact that they create a centralised colour matching and reference service, for all types of designers and manufacturers to use, which means that anyone can control the finished colour on a product they design once it is sent into manufacture.

So when they announce their annual ‘Color Of The Year’, they help to shape trends in everything from catwalks to the colour a person can choose for their new car.

 

Why Greenery?

“We know what kind of world we are living in: one that is very stressful and very tense,” Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute, told the New York Times newspaper. “This is the colour of hopefulness, and of our connection to nature. It speaks to what we call the ‘re’ words: regenerate, refresh, revitalize, renew. Every spring we enter a new cycle… It is something life affirming to look forward to.”

And it’s this connection to nature and fresh starts which should kick-start your office design inspiration.

Using a palette centred on or based around Pantone 15-0343 will help promote calming feelings. Greens and life-filled colours are used in balanced and calming environments – health & beauty treatment centres, design offices and spaces  – but they can be incorporated into other types of spaces too.

And choosing a calming colour scheme can help to lower tension and aggression in your office, leaving employees in a more relaxed and productive mindset.

Without conducting an overhaul of your entire office’s design scheme, however, you can still work towards achieving the same aim, by bringing some of the “renewed” and life-filled greenery inside the workspace.

Psychologists at Exeter University worked with professors from across the UK, Australia and the Netherlands to look at the effect of plants in the workspace.

They conducted a 10 year study which found that even just a few simple houseplants can boost productivity in office workers by 15%.

The study looked into how plants with “no formal work related function” can affect workers. And the results were positive in terms of air quality, concentration and workplace satisfaction. With the end result being a boost in productivity.

Plants stimulate the mind emotionally and creatively, which helps increase productivity.

Plants can also form part of a wider furniture order – if you are looking into buying new office furniture, use our free checklist. For more plant inspiration, keep reading.

 

What You Can Do To Start Using Greenery In The Office

The aforementioned study was conducted in three previously bare offices. Improvements were made by placing plants in view of all employees when sat at their regular working position. Not every staff member needs their own dedicated rose garden, but the more, the better.

Start by giving each bank of desks a low maintenance house plant. Classics, such as, Jade Plants and English Ivy both need manageable  amounts of water and trimming. Plus, their sprawl can be controlled to how much space your own workspace actually has. Whereas, the Peace Lily thrives with moist soil but low light – perfect for those away from the external windows.

And there are ultra low maintenance options, such as the Snake Plant and Peperomia.

For something more visually engaging, there are some truly striking options, that just need a little more sunlight.  Mini Lemon or Mini Orange Trees grow to  between 1-1.5m in height and will be a big office mood lifter. Especially during their early Autumn harvest season.

And something like an Hawaiian Palm Plant is super low maintenance but still delivers vivid yellow plants against plenty of Greenery leaves.

 

Get Some Fresh Life Into Your Office

Plants and paintwork are one way of putting a little life into your office. And furniture is another way of going about it. We have put together a free checklist guide to sourcing and ordering furniture, and it is completely free. Take a look by pressing the blue button or picture of the checklist here: