The Pulse

How vital are hues to you?

Colour is said to have profound psychological effects on us.

I’ve certainly found it beneficial to my work space, and wonder if you have too.

Since many business owners spend so much time in their home/office/shop, the hues around us could be a good thing to

canvas.

Happy hues

When searching for colours to paint Empire House, there were two stand-outs:

• Empire Yellow.
• Barbara Blue.

The first was a rich, sunflower gold. Apart from the inescapable omen of the name, I’d read that yellow’s a great colour for creativity.

The second was a deep, marine blue which contained the name of my beloved mother.

As I had neither style nor home decorating experience, choosing these strong tones was a bold, rather scary move.

Combining them was even riskier.

Happily, it worked.

Mixing it up

My office is a 3 m x 3 m room with a view

of a grey, barred, two-storey warehouse.

Sitting all day in a small, off-white box was driving me crazy.

So I painted the walls before and beside me Empire Yellow.

And the one behind me Barbara Blue.

Now, when I work, I feel ‘held’ by a warm field of support.

And when I lean back, spin round and ponder, I pretend I’m gazing at sea and sky – which is relaxing.

Handyperson guides claim that painting one wall darker makes it appear to recede from three lighter walls – giving a sense of space.

This sure feels like the case in mine.

Full spectrum

My decision to write about colour at work came from following John Slaytor’s current photo project.

Penrith City Council has hired him to document the St Marys commercial precinct.

From white to pale brown to hospital green, these colour schemes would fry my brain.

Yet they seem to have no deleterious effect on their denizens.

This leads me to conclude that colour is a matter of

taste.

Your favourite

What do you think of these (and my) schemes?

What colours your working world?

Is it doing the trick?

Everyone’s a critic, so please give your impressions.

Even if you find the topic

unpalatable.

Paul Hassing | Founder & Senior Writer – The Feisty Empire