Office Colour

Like any room, the colour can have an impact on your mood and how you work as well.  The colour of your office can have an overall effect of how efficient you work.  Certain colours can be optimal depending on the type of work that you do in your office.  Creative and artistic talent flourish under yellow tones, due to its bright, vibrant, positive effect, whereas the colour blue is said to make you the most productive, ideal if your work requires you to be focused and precise.  Red is a stimulating hue that draws a physical reaction and can actually make you more energetic, where green on the other hand is an overall balancing colour of the physical and emotional.  White or off-white, although lack of colour, can make a room feel fresh and clean, like a blank canvas ready to fill with ideas and inspiration of your own.

Not only is the colour that you’re surrounded with important, but also the view from your desk, or in many cases the lack thereof.  Whether it’s an inspiration board, a picture perfect view from your window or a beautiful piece of art that replicates one, a view can give you inspiration for your work, or simply be something beautiful to focus on when you need to reboot, rethink or rejuvenate!

Office Organization & Storage

Beyond décor and design, one of the more crucial aspects of a functioning work area is organization and efficiency.  The last thing you want, is being sidetracked from your work to look for something that you can’t find, or never having an item be in the same place.  All these things take away from being efficient at your job.  Good organization is key to a healthy work environment.  Organization and design go hand in hand; organization can be tucked away and neatly stored, or it can become a design element that you put on display (insert picture).  While many of us don’t have expansive spaces to sprawl out our work supplies, and with more and more of us bringing our work home, the idea is to take advantage of the space you have to work with.

Plan out what you really need, what you access regularly that needs to be readily accessible, and what can be tucked away for occasional uses.  If you’re tight on space or floor square footage, think vertically.  Use your ceiling height and wall space for storage.  Bookshelves and desks can be used in combination to create a cohesive unit.  Storage from floor to ceiling may be an alternative to a large desk, keeping in mind, the type of work you do may alter how you plan your space.  A large drafting table may be required for artists while a writer may need more storage for books and a smaller table surface.

Downsizing and compact living is becoming more prevalent in our society, which means multi-purpose rooms and condensing spaces.  Not every home has the space capacity for a dedicated work office, but the key to creating a functional work area within another room is to clearly define its parameters. Using a divider or some type of separation is one way to create a semi-private work area.  Alternatively, a storage solution which conceals the work space is a great option when the office equipment is not in use, and becomes a modest furniture piece that blends well with the existing space.  If you’re lucky enough to dedicate a room as office space, you may also be inclined to use it as a multi-purpose room.  An office can be condensed and combined with another functioning space, such as guest room, a gym, a craft room or to store a collection of books as a library.

Ferris Bueller may be a classic, but nothing about your office should to be as dull as his teacher.  With good design that doubles as efficient storage, your workspace can become the heart of your inspiration to come!

Check Out Creative Haus Designs At The Paint People For More Decor Ideas!

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Pattern, Proportion, Colour or Texture.

Unlike choosing a paint colour for your wall, there are more factors to consider when looking for wallpaper.  There are three main elements to focus on when choosing a wallpaper; pattern, proportion, and colour or texture.

Firstly it is much easier to choose a wallpaper first and then determine a secondary wall colour, if combining a wallpapered accent wall with a paint colour.  Just like if you were picking fabrics or materials; the paint colour should be one of the last components to decide.  With paint, there is solely the element of colour to consider, but with wallpaper, there is colour as well as the pattern style and proportion of the print.

1. Pattern

The pattern design should reflect the style you’re looking for.  Different wallpaper patterns can define a style or mood; for example there are geometrics that range from symmetrical and sophisticated to abstract and whimsical.  Some types of pattern styles include damasks, geometrics, florals and stripes & spots.  Defining the style of what you’re looking for will make the process of searching for the right paper less overwhelming.  With so many wallpaper designs available, it’s easy to get distracted, or fall in love with an unexpected wallpaper design that you weren’t planning on.  While it’s good to keep an open mind, narrowing in and sticking with one style will help you to follow through with your original vision of your space.

2. Proportion

While the pattern of a wallpaper may be suggestive of your design influences in that room or house, the proportion of a wallpaper is specifically significant to the room you’re working with.  The proportion of the pattern can change how the space feels.  Small prints are great for smaller spaces, such as a powder room.  A small to medium print is more manageable on the eye in small doses like a powder room rather than on a large wall where it may feel busy or cluttered.  A larger print in a small space could get lost, and the pattern itself may be replicated fully only once or twice.  Conversely, a large print on a large wall will feel much more proportionate than a small print on a large wall.  Remember

to keep proportion factors in mind when looking at wallpapers in a book.  On the page they may look great, however the proportion converted to a larger space may change the way you perceive it.  The same goes for larger wallpapers in a book where you cannot see the full print on one sheet.  You don’t want to overlook a print because it looks large on the page, when it might be an appropriate proportion for your wall.  To every rule there are exceptions, and a large print in a small space for instance, can create a sense of drama and unexpected proportion.

3. Colour or Texture

Colour and texture often go hand in hand.  Sometimes, substituting colour for texture or combining them, like an embossed or metallic wallpaper gives a different impact than a flat wallpaper.  A textured wallpaper provides a third dimension to the wall, where pattern and colour can only go so far.  The physical element of wallpaper materials, whether it be velvet, ribbed or a shiny wallpaper adds a unique quality.

Wallpaper Styles

Metallics

A great way to add a reflective material in an unexpected way.  From a flat metallic paper to a glitter material fixed to the wallpaper, wallpapers can differ in the degree of how much of a metallic sheen they have.  A metallic that’s comprised of a glitter material can also have a three-dimensional physical feel, similar to a velvet or embossed wallpaper.  Combining a texture and a metallic can have a high impact impression.

Graphic, and Geometric Prints

They are one of the most readily available types of wallpaper styles available on the market currently.  The great thing about a geometric is, they can provide a structured, linear and symmetrically balanced feel, while still offering many combinations of designs through shape and pattern.  A geometric can range from bold and colourful, to whimsical and elegant.  Combined with the size of the pattern, geometrics and graphic prints can be a very powerful visual element.

Damask & Grasscloth

Are also very popular currently, and while they may have a traditional origin in decorating history, designers have put a new spin on it, to revamp and modernize the damask to complement today’s styles.  Grasscloths are highly versatile as well, because it has minimal pattern, it doesn’t appear too busy.  Grasscloth papers add a sense of luxury and looks ideal in smaller doses such as foyer areas or bookcase backings.  The last wallpaper design worth mentioning are paintable wallpapers.  The paintable wallpapers come in a plethora of designs that can be used for ceilings, walls, furniture and more!  The paintable wallpapers eliminates the need to find a matching wallpaper colour to your existing materials.  This type of paper allows it to look more custom and tailored to your design style.

Of course there are always other factors to consider such as colour, shape etc. and while there are always exceptions to the rule, these simple guidelines of pattern proportion and texture will propel you to finding the perfect wallpaper for your space.

Stay tuned for my next entry, where I’ll show you how wallpaper can transform even the most unexpected places!

Check Out Creative Haus Designs At The Paint People For More Decor Ideas!

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