This article is part of the series Beyond Hybrid:
99 Things You Need to Know Now

Color.
Works. Insights and ideas 74-80 for a new era of work This artistic interpretation is composed
with the entire color offering available on
Steelcase products and demonstrates its
extensive range, from light to dark and
muted to vibrant. Color is a key ingredient to creating an inviting office space — even a subtle change can make a big difference.

Our world is infused with different hues, tones and intensity that influence us. That’s why color is vital to the human experience – and to place. People can walk into a space and immediately feel better – or worse.

Color also reflects culture and the shifts in society’s response to the world around us. The color palette humans are drawn to is ever evolving and we are responding to forces that we can’t articulate but can feel at a visceral level. In the places we work, color communicates in ways we might not be consciously aware of, but it influences how we feel. Ask yourself, do you feel good when you walk into your office? Does it signal feelings of warmth? Is it welcoming?

Workplace color palettes in the past often would signal, “We’re all business here.” They reflected an early infatuation with technology, but the aesthetic often felt cold and antiseptic. To combat this, many organizations responded by embracing bright primary colors and introducing slides and jungle gyms. While the intent was to infuse joy, the workplace was not always practical for getting work done nor a soothing environment for people in high-stress roles. Today, hybrid work has blurred the lines between work and home. People want to experience the comforts of home when they are in the office. Recognizing this desire, designers are looking at how color can be used to create workplaces where people will feel good and where they want to be.

The process of creating relevant color choices for today’s workplace starts with an exploration of macro forces and societal shifts. Understanding how these forces and shifts are impacting culture, the ways people work and the workplace is important when looking at how color can be used to create places that support people and the work they do. Designers look at how
color can be used to create workplaces where people will feel good and want to be. Color is powerful. It evokes strong emotions, feelings and memories. It can calm, excite and inspire — influencing our mood and affecting our emotional and physical wellbeing.

Of all the forces influencing work, people’s need for emotional and physical wellbeing accelerated during the pandemic. It is influencing workplace design and the colors that people are drawn to.

This is especially important as we recover from a global pandemic and are still living in a time of uncertainty and volatility. Stress, anxiety and the physical toll they take has impacted all of us.
People are talking openly about mental health and employees have heightened expectations of their employers and how they will support their overall wellbeing.

Immersed in technology, people yearn for more humanity. They are seeking comfort, familiarity and a sense of sanctuary and are drawn to places that create a soothing, domestic sensibility. With these insights, designers can begin to envision colors that appeal to what people need and apply them in ways that humanize space to better support their cognitive, physical and emotional wellbeing. “We can all understand, intuitively,
that colors have emotions. People
want and expect emotional comfort
wherever they go, and that’s the
thing we’re really reacting to.” “Prior to the pandemic, your workplace and your home looked and felt different from a color perspective. Since the pandemic those spaces are blurred, so they need to provide a similar level of comfort.” Kaitlyn Gillmor
Senior Industrial Designer
Steelcase Vineta Chugh
Industrial Designer
Steelcase Kaitlyn Gillmor Vineta Chugh People’s need for emotional and physical wellbeing is influencing which colors people are drawn to.

Steelcase responded to recent shifts in culture and emerging color trends by creating new paint colors. The palettes demonstrate the range you can achieve as you look from light to dark — and environments that move from subtle to expressive. By expanding the range of available colors in our offering, designers and organizations can more easily express their brand and personality to bring new life to work. Warmer neutrals evoke
feelings of comfort.
Neutral color is
grounding, natural and
timeless — and can be
paired with vibrant and
bold accents to create a
unique and inspiring
aesthetic. Bringing these
colors into the workplace
can help make it feel
more secure, stable and
supportive. Biophilia matters
even more.
Colors, shapes and
patterns that incorporate
design principles around
leaves, flowers, animals,
trees and other outdoor
elements can subliminally
help people feel more
grounded and a greater
sense of wellbeing. This
impacts the colors we’re
drawn to, but also the
materials and finishes we
prefer, such as those made
of natural elements like
wood, stone or even
recycled materials. Home and office
aesthetics intersect.
People want a new
aesthetic at home, in the
office and at the cafe down
the street – everywhere
they go. The boundaries
that used to define our
spaces are fading. People
want to balance
performance with a
domestic sensibility,
helping them feel a sense
of comfort at work as much
as they do at home. Natural elements help
balance pervasive
technology.
As technology and
mobile devices
permeate our lives,
along with their techy
aesthetic, the more
we crave the balance
that natural elements
can bring.

Like a lavender field on a summer day, this palette creates a calming environment. A pop of color adds a burst of energy, and the variety of textures add depth and warmth to a space.

Each of the palettes blends new and existing colors to help update current spaces and guide new design work.

Generation Z’s top concerns of wellbeing, health and sustainability will have an overriding influence on workplace aesthetics for years to come. Like the vastness of a sunset, this palette feels expansive yet comforting. With a hint of light orange and multiple textures, it creates an atmosphere of luxury like a favorite indulgence.

This palette began with imagining our favorite places in nature and weaving natural elements with man-made spaces. From the green hues in our favorite gardens to the desert landscape brought in by a rich terra red, this palette brings nature to product and wellbeing to humanity.

Steelcase has expanded its melamine solid colors to include eight new softer, toned-down decors reflective of the natural world.

The decors were inspired by grounding elements in our lives, especially in nature. Stones, earthenware, low tides, soft skies — these help us reconnect with ourselves and nature — elements that ground us in peaceful moments. It’s a shift towards toned-down, soft colors that can layer with and support our current wood and solid decors.

Learn More at steelcase.com/eu-en/palettes

79 Home and office aesthetics intersect. 76 People’s need for emotional and physical wellbeing is influencing which colors people are drawn to. 77 Natural elements help balance pervasive technology. 80 Biophilia matters even more. 75 Designers look at how color can be used to create workplaces where people will feel good and want to be. 74 Color is a key ingredient to creating an inviting office space — even a subtle change can make a big difference. 78 Warmer neutrals evoke feelings of comfort. The Takeaway 7 insights and ideas for a new era of work

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