Professional Interiors Part One: another opportunity for branding your company

I’ve written before about the importance of your business’ exterior appearance to its overall success. While this will help get people in the door, you know that the product or service you provide is what will keep them coming back—and their overall experience with your company is key.

Whether you are decorating an office, a clinic, a restaurant, or a store, your color choices communicate something about you to your clients or customers before you’ve even said a word. Our professionals are here to help make your interior conducive to successful interactions with your clients and customers. Here are a couple of factors to consider when selecting paint colors for your professional environment.

Style
What image do you want your company to project? Much like choosing design elements for your marketing and communication materials, your interior design says “this is who we are” to the people you want to do business with. Do your paint color choices and other decorating match the feel of the rest of your marketing materials?

·       Established and reliable: a law or accounting firm may want to convey that they have lots of experience and will be careful with your legal issues or finances. Antique furniture, brass fixtures, and more conservative colors (consider the Colonial or Arts and Crafts color palettes).

·       Fun and funky: some shops and restaurants may want a particularly playful look. Painted furniture, big blocks of color (think—every wall is an accent wall!), and bright tertiary colors like the lime greens, oranges, and turquoise combinations from the 1950s and 60s.

·       High tech and cutting edge: engineering, software, and architecture companies may want to represent themselves as very clean, organized, and futuristic. Modern leather furniture, stainless steel fixtures, and a neutral paint palette with carefully selected accent colors (think black or burnt orange).

Mood
Paint colors can also affect a person’s mood. Once you’ve determined a general style, you’ll need to consider your clients’ emotions. A medical or dental clinic will be serving patients who may be anxious about their health or upcoming treatments. Pale blues and greens can subtly help to calm their nerves. Warm colors like reds, yellows, and oranges are more stimulating, fun, and high-energy, and might serve you well if you want to get your clients excited and engaged like in a dance studio or advertising agency.

Let your company’s personality guide you in using color to create atmosphere. What characteristics do you want your employees to show with clients or customers? Friendly? Discreet? Laid-back? Elegant? All of these have different connotations and evoke different emotions. If you are not sure what color combination says “casual” or “competent,” contact us and we can help you choose the interior paint colors that best represent your company’s personality and brand.