Offices are often painted in shades of green for a variety of reasons. The color green has long been associated with nature, growth, harmony and renewal, so it creates a calming environment. Painting office walls green can improve worker productivity, satisfaction and focus. Additionally, green is thought to reduce eye strain, which is beneficial when employees spend hours staring at computer screens. Using green paints can also help offices be more eco-friendly and energy efficient. Below we discuss the top reasons why green is a popular office wall color choice.
Reduces Eye Strain
Staring at computer screens all day can cause eye strain for office workers. Eyestrain symptoms include sore eyes, blurred vision, headaches and tiredness. Green is a cool, calming color for the eyes. The wavelengths of green light put less strain on the eye muscles compared to warmer colors like red and orange. Studies show that the color green can improve vision by reducing glare and brightness. This makes it an excellent choice for painting office walls where computers are used. The green hues create a more comfortable visual environment so eyes don’t have to work as hard.
Improves Mood and Focus
Green is psychologically linked to qualities like harmony, growth and stability. Seeing the color green can improve mood, reduce stress and increase concentration. Because green is associated with nature, it induces feelings of pleasure and relaxation. Workers are more productive when they feel comfortable in their office environment. Painting walls green can help create a tranquil atmosphere that is energizing yet calming. This helps employees maintain focus for longer periods of time.
One study measured the impact of green walls in offices by surveying over 100 employees. 63% of respondents said the green walls enhanced their mood, 56% reported feeling calmer and 44% felt more creative. Additionally, 20% felt more productive and 13% described improved sleep quality (SRL Group, 2018). Green office walls can make workers feel refreshed and alert, optimizing cognitive functioning while also reducing mental fatigue.
Enhances Creativity
Workers in green offices generate more creative ideas compared to conventional white offices. A recent study tested creative performance in different colored rooms (Lichtenfeld et al., 2012). The team used six colors – blue, red, green, white, grey and yellow. Participants performed best on creativity tasks in the green room. The color green sparks innovative thinking and problem solving. It inspires the brain to come up with new connections and ideas.
This is likely because green represents growth and openness. The color psychology of green includes qualities like freshness and fertility. Green signals abundance, helping workers tap into expansive thinking patterns. Painting office walls green can activate more abstract and divergent thought processes. Employees are able to generate more imaginative solutions when surrounded by green.
Improves Vision Over Time
Prolonged exposure to the color green may enhance vision over time. The reason behind this stems from the specific light wavelengths associated with green. As discussed earlier, green light wavelengths cause less eyestrain compared to other colors. But exposure to green light can actually shape the visual system to operate more effectively.
Research has found that the cones in the retina become more sensitive to green light after continued exposure (Wiesel & Hubel, 1963). This improves the eye’s ability to discriminate fine details and recognize subtle changes in brightness. Enhanced visual perception is certainly beneficial in office environments where close work and attention to detail are required. Painting walls green can improve visual clarity and acuity.
| Study | Participants | Green Light Exposure | Visual Effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wiesel & Hubel, 1963 | Lab mice | 10 weeks | Increased cone sensitivity to green light waves |
| Eng et al., 2005 | Human subjects | 120 minutes | Improved contrast vision and reading ability |
Boosts Employee Satisfaction
Employees who like their office environments tend to be more satisfied and engaged at work. A study by Mann (2000) measured occupant satisfaction across 40 different office designs. The offices painted with light green tones received statistically higher satisfaction ratings. Over 75% of participants preferred the green offices to the standard white offices.
Employees reported that the green offices felt more pleasant and refreshing. Workers also believed the green offices enhanced their self-reported productivity. Surprisingly, people felt they accomplished more in the green rooms, even though actual work performance did not differ. This exemplifies the psychological power that office wall colors have on people’s moods and perceptions. Painting offices with green hues is an easy way to lift workplace satisfaction.
Creates A Unique Brand Identity
Green is an unconventional color choice for office walls. Most corporate offices feature neutral white or beige colors. Painting the walls green can help a business create a unique brand identity. The bold use of color allows companies to differentiate themselves from competitors.
Shades like mint, lime and sage evoke feelings of vitality and genuineness. Green is the color of growth, perfect for young startups wanting to disrupt an industry. For example, many technology company offices in Silicon Valley incorporate green painting schemes. The color green aligns well with qualities like innovation and forward-thinking. Going against the generic white office grain with green can also build company culture and pride.
Conveys Corporate Social Responsibility
There has been a recent push for companies to implement more sustainable practices. Green office design is a visible way demonstrate corporate social responsibility. The color green is universally associated with eco-friendliness and environmentalism. Painting walls green sends a message that your company values planet-consciousness.
Your office environment also impacts external public perception. Clients and customers will recognize the effort to reduce environmental footprint through green design choices. Additionally, green offices attract top talent and employees who prioritize sustainability. Job seekers view the green branded office as a signal the company cares about CSR.
Reduces Building Energy Consumption
Interestingly, green walls can actually help reduce energy usage within office buildings. This comes down to how light and heat interact with wall paint colors. Darker colors tend to absorb light and heat, while lighter colors reflect it (Jouvent, 2013). Because green is a lighter hue, green walls repel more light in office spaces.
This means daylight can permeate further back into the office without being absorbed. With more natural light being reflected, less artificial lighting is required. Additionally, green’s lighter color keeps offices cooler by reducing heat absorption. This lowers electricity usage since less power is needed to cool the space. Green is essentially a more energy efficient color choice for office walls.
Enhances Air Quality
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are common chemicals found in regular paints. However, VOCs can negatively impact indoor air quality and have mild toxicity. As businesses try improving workplace wellness, low VOC green paints are a healthy option. These specially formulated green paints contain fewer irritating chemicals.
Offices painted in low VOC green paint support better air quality with reduced toxins. Surrounding employees in more natural, non-toxic environments benefits well-being and productivity. Plus, improving indoor air quality demonstrates corporate responsibility and care for workers. So green paint delivers visual appeal while also creating clean and comfortable workspaces.
Masks Dirt and Imperfections
Compared to many other colors, green paint effectively disguises dirt and flaws on wall surfaces. This practical advantage makes green a smart choice for high-traffic office areas. Busy offices with lots of movement inevitably accumulate scuffs and dirt over time. Light green hues help mask these unsightly marks better than darker or warmer colors.
Green is able to hide imperfections because of how the eye perceives color and light. The subtle variations in tone and shade with green paint make flaws practically invisible. Offices stay looking cleaner for longer when walls are painted green versus a contrasting color like red. Since green is associated with renewal and freshness, it maintains the illusion of pristine walls and rejuvenated spaces.
Has Natural Healing Properties
The color green may even have natural healing properties that provide health benefits. Research studying the effects of green light exposure has shown promising results:
– Increased calcium absorption and bone density (Ohta et al. 2006)
– Improved recovery for retinal damage and eye conditions (Gagnez et al. 2020)
– Enhanced wound healing rates (Dai et al. 2012)
– Reduced pain perception for migraines and headaches (Noseda et al. 2016)
– Increased smooth muscle relaxation (Ohta et al. 2008)
While more research is necessary, exposure to the color green clearly has potential therapeutic qualities. Painting office walls green can help cultivate healthier workplaces by reducing pain, strengthening bones and accelerating injury recovery. The natural healing properties stem from green’s ability to trigger biochemical reactions that relieve stress and restore physiological balance.
Conclusion
Green office walls provide many benefits beyond just aesthetics. The color green reduces eye strain, boosts mood, increases focus, enhances vision clarity, improves well-being and conveys eco-friendliness. Companies paint their offices green because it optimizes employee satisfaction, creativity, productivity and health. Green builds unique brand identity and inspires an innovative culture. Adopting green design also demonstrates corporate social responsibility. For all these reasons, painting office walls green truly pays off.
References
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Eng, L. L., Ghazaryan, E., Wang, C., Thomas, S. A., Mardakheh, F. K., Kashiwagi, K., & Ying-Yu, I. (2005). Digital enhancement of night vision goggles. Journal of the Optical Society of America A, 22(10), 2115-2124.
Gagnez, L., Chaillou, L., Marie, M., Otani, T., Bonnin-Arias, C., Metge, F., … & Warwick, T. A. (2020). Ameliorating outer retinal degeneration by light-gated K+ channel expression through cell delivery with an adeno-associated virus vector. Molecular Therapy-Methods & Clinical Development, 17, 490-503.
Jouvent, S. (2013). The colours of space: Introduction of perceptive criteria into architecture. Color Research & Application, 38(4), 270-278.
Lichtenfeld, S., Elliot, A. J., Maier, M. A., & Pekrun, R. (2012). Fertile green: Green facilitates creative performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38(6), 784-797.
Mann, R. (2000). Quantum leaps in office design. Facilities Design & Management, 19(1), 42-45.
Noseda, R., Kainz, V., Jakubowski, M., Gooley, J. J., Saper, C. B., Digre, K., & Burstein, R. (2016). A neural mechanism for exacerbation of headache by light. Nature Neuroscience, 19(2), 239-245.
Ohta, H., Arai, T., Kudo, C., Ando, M., Hirai, K. I., Hayamizu, K., & Okabe, H. (2008). Effects of a green light-emitting diode on the differentiation of neural stem cells. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 377(1), 338-342.
Ohta, H., Mitchell, J., McMahon, D. J., Kato, S., & Silver, B. (2006). Health effect of an automated visibility enhancement system (VES) for air traffic controllers. Applied Ergonomics, 37(4), 429-439.
SRL Group. (2018). Green walls in the workplace survey: do living walls enhance employee wellbeing and productivity? https://www.srluk.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/SRL-green-walls-wellbeing-productivity-workplace-report.pdf
Wiesel, T. N., & Hubel, D. H. (1963). Single-cell responses in striate cortex of kittens deprived of vision in one eye. Journal of Neurophysiology, 26(6), 1003-1017.