Home Office Paint Colours
A home office or study has to work hard all day, so the colour should feel calm and easy to live with. Muted greens and composed blues are popular for focus, deep browns give a study library-like depth, and softer lighter shades suit desk-heavy days. Every shade below is available as a 60ml sample.
There's no single colour that makes everyone more productive, but colour experts agree on a few useful principles. Muted, softened colours are easier to live with all day than bright, saturated ones. Greens are often linked with a calm, creative mood and blues with a composed one. Deep browns and greens give a study a cocooning, library feel for evening work. Choose for the work you do, the light you have and the wall behind your desk on video calls.
At a glance
- Start here
- Choose for the work you do. Think about when you work and how. Long days at a desk suit softer, lighter colour; evening reading and writing suit deeper, more enclosing shades.
- North light
- Warm depth for steady light. North light is cool but even, which is good for screens. Warm browns and earthy greens stop the room feeling cold.
- South light
- Cool shades tame the glare. Bright, warm sun can be tiring to work in. Cooler greens and blues balance it and stay restful through the day.
- East light
- Bright mornings, cooler afternoons. A morning office gets warm, bright light, then cools. Mid-tone greens and blues stay comfortable as the light changes.
- West light
- Calm mornings, warm evenings. Morning light is cool and flat, then turns golden. Greens and soft browns look good at both ends of the working day.
- Avoid
- Loud colour in your eyeline. Bright, saturated colour can be distracting to work beside, and researchers have linked looking at red with poorer analytical work. Save strong colour for the wall behind you.
- On camera
- Blue behind you on calls. The wall behind your desk is your video-call backdrop. Blue has been linked with trustworthiness and competence, which makes it a popular choice there.
- Sample tip
- Check every change of light. Move your sample between walls. Check it in morning and afternoon daylight, then under the lights you use at night.
Tap any tile to read more.
Muted greens for calm focus
Softened greens for calm, concentrated work.
Best in north-, south-, east- and west-facing rooms
Green is the colour most often recommended for a workspace: it feels calm and natural and is easy on the eye during a long day. These are softened with grey, or ochre, so they stay grounded rather than bright.
Best in north-facing studies with Workhouse Green™ or Broadcloth™, south-facing studies with Woodsage™, and east- or west-facing studies with Abbey Glens™, Aviator™, Mushies™, Petrichor™, Forester™, Broadcloth™ or Woodsage™.
Composed blues
Steady blues for planning, writing and calls.
Best in south-, east- and west-facing rooms
Deep, softened blues feel steady and composed. They suit an office that is used for calls and planning, and look smart behind a desk on camera.
Best in south-, east- and west-facing rooms, where warmer daylight keeps blue from turning cold. Shinney™ is best kept to south-facing rooms.
Library browns and deep taupes
Grounding browns that give a study real depth.
Best in north-, south-, east- and west-facing rooms
Deep chocolate browns and earthy taupes give a study the feel of an old library: warm, enclosing and good for evening reading and writing. They look wonderful with books, timber and leather.
Best in north-facing studies with Arvicola™, Brahun™, Turney™, Navigation™, Riverbed™, Cobblers™ or Gruit™, south-facing studies with Turney™, Riverbed™ or Medlar™, and east- or west-facing studies with Medlar™, Cobblers™ or Gruit™.
Softer colour for desk-heavy days
Gentle, lighter colour for rooms you work in daily.
Best in north-, east- and west-facing rooms
If you spend all day at a desk, a softer, lighter colour can be easier to live with than a deep one. These warm stones and muted pinks keep the room bright without the glare of brilliant white.
Best in north-, east- and west-facing rooms, where warm undertones soften cooler light. Broxtowe™ suits every direction.
Sample it the way we would
Step 1
Paint your peel-and-sticks
Each £5.99 sample comes with three paintable peel-and-sticks. Give them two coats and let them dry fully.
Step 2
Stick them around the room
Put them on two or three walls, including the wall opposite the window, at eye level and lower down.
Step 3
Live with them for a day or two
Look in the morning, the afternoon and under your evening lamps. Move them around until you are sure.
Your questions, answered
What colour is best for concentration?
Research suggests muted, softened colours are easier to work beside than bright, saturated ones. Greens and blues are popular choices for focus, but how you respond to colour is personal, so sample a few in the room you work in.
Should a home office be painted dark?
It can be. Deep browns and greens make a study feel enclosing and focused, especially for evening work. If you work long days at a desk, keep the wall in front of you lighter and put the deep colour behind you.
What colour looks best behind me on video calls?
Blue is a good place to start, as it has been linked with trustworthiness and competence. A softened blue or muted green looks more considered on camera than stark white; avoid very bright or busy colour directly behind you.