9 Home Office Paint Colors That’ll Upgrade Your Space—AND Help You Stay Focused

Your home office needs to be a place where you can be productive—whether you’re working from home or putting the final touches on your latest creative project. And choosing the perfect paint color for your office may encourage you to linger and help you get the job done.

Want a little professional help selecting a shade? We turned to the color experts for tips on choosing an office paint color—and some suggested shades to consider if you’re ready for a refresh.

Tips for Choosing Home Office Paint Colors

Before you start looking at swatches—and settle on a shade—consider these expert tips that can help you avoid a less-than-stellar selection.

Consider how you’re using your home office space

Different colors may suit different types of activities, Marceny says. “It all depends on what you are doing in your office. If you are on the computer all the time, I prefer a darker color because it’s more restful on your eyes. If you do a lot of Zoom meetings, its nice to have a beautiful colorful accent wall behind you and keep the rest of your walls a nice neutral color. If you use your office as a craft room, pick a white for the walls so that you can see what you are doing.”

Opt for soothing paint shades

A calming or more neutral shade may make it easier to focus on the task at hand. Both Krane and Marceny point to soft blues and greens as shades that give you that chill vibe. Marceny often uses shades like beige and gray in offices. “I like to keep the colors in an office fairly neutral so that the color won’t be distracting. Many people need more restful colors so that they can think more clearly.”

Be mindful about saturated paint colors

Saturated hues have been in vogue for home design over the past few years, but you’ll want to tread lightly there, Krane says. “A color palette which is overstimulating with too many colors and patterns in the work space will overwhelm most people, and therefore wouldn’t help concentration. Highly saturated and chromatic colors also would affect the focus needed for work.”

However, if you use your home office for more creative work, a jewel tone might work in the space. Krane recommends purple as a hue that’ll spur creativity.

Keep your furnishings in mind

If you’re building your home office from the ground up, you can choose your furnishings and flooring to match your paint color. But if you already have the rest of that set, you’ll need to consider what goes best with them. “Pick colors that match their surroundings,” Marceny says. “Remember, there is no such thing as an ugly color, just a color that doesn’t harmonize with its surroundings.”

Consider your own personal favorites

While color experts can recommend specific shades, if your heart is set on a favorite color—a bold coral or a vibrant yellow—that may be the perfect hue for you. “Like any question related to what colors work best in this or that scenario, the answer is ultimately very individual and differs amongst people,” Krane says. In fact, Krane’s own workspace features a mid-toned yellow-green on the walls. “I find working in a stimulating space as opposed to a restful one works best for me, but we’re all a little bit different.”