Where home offices used to be a nice-to-have feature, these days, with more and more of us working from home, they are pretty much essential. Even if you work outside of the house, having an office space in which to do admin, store paperwork or even as a quiet area for children to do homework can really come in handy.
Personally, a dedicated work-from-home room is high on my wish-list, and my own home office design is currently centred on something set away from the main house at the bottom of the garden – although I am still at the early planning stages on this one.
Once it is actually constructed though, I am determined to make it a space I thoroughly enjoy spending time in, at the same time as it being somewhere that helps me focus and feel alert. Colour plays a huge role in how we feel and, with this in mind, I reached out to the experts to discover the shades they would recommend using in a home office. Here's what they had to say.
Certain colours – especially green – inspire calm and focus
Some colours have the ability to work on so many different levels, being able to create a sense of calm as well as to energise – and, according to the colour experts, green is one of them and should definitely appear in your home office design ideas.
"For a space in the home which needs to feel both calm and productive, the colour green is one of the most versatile and emotionally resonant colours you can introduce to a home office,' states Eloise Pfeiffer, interior designer at Pfeiffer Design. "From olive to forest green and sage, green has the power to help a space feel grounded yet fresh, relaxing and confident. Ultimately it is a great shade for home offices because it is both timeless and of the moment. It plays on the contemporary themes of biophilic and wellness-led design, both of which continue to be at the forefront in 2026 – inviting nature to connect with people in an interior setting."
Ruth Mottershead, creative director at Little Greene agrees. "Greens and earthy neutrals are wonderful choices for a workspace as they connect us with the natural world, helping to create a sense of calm and tranquillity, while cooler tones such as soft blues and greens can encourage focus and concentration."
Shop green paints
This soft, sage green is perfect for creating a soothing backdrop in a home office – plus it is hardwearing and is both wipeable and washable.
Deep, rich forest greens can work beautifully in a home office and this shade creates a lovely cocooning effect that really comes into its own with the right lighting.
Bright and fresh, this aqua-shade mixes blue and green to give the perfect energising vibe – it is super hardwearing too.
Based in Sussex, Pfeiffer Design was founded by Susie Pfeiffer and has over 30 years of experience in the high-end residential and boutique commercial sectors. The close-knit, multi-disciplinary team of designers, project coordinators and technical specialists work together to create inspirational spaces in the home counties, London and even abroad.
Ruth Mottershead, Creative & Marketing Director of Little Greene and Paint & Paper Library, has been working in her family’s business since 2011. Ruth spent five years studying Landscape Architecture at The University of Sheffield before starting her career in London as a Landscape Architect, designing outdoor public spaces including urban and green spaces as well as heritage sites. When the opportunity arose to join her father David Mottershead and brother Ben Mottershead at Little Greene, it felt like a natural transition, tapping into the close relationship between exterior/spatial design and interior design.
Select brighter shades to help with motivation
While you definitely want a home office to feel calming, particularly at those times when work can feel a little bit overwhelming, there is nothing to say that bright colours are off limits – they really can help pack a motivational punch. Don't forget to take into consideration your home office lighting when choosing colours – particularly those at the brighter end of the spectrum.
According to Ruth Mottershead, it's all about selecting a shade that you love. "Ultimately, the most productive spaces are those that reflect the personality of the person using them – a considered palette that feels joyful, comfortable and inspiring will help create a workspace you genuinely enjoy spending time in."
Ruth goes on to explain how to use brighter shades to boost productivity. "Vibrant colours can be a wonderful choice for a workspace, bringing a sense of optimism, energy and creativity to the room. Rather than being distracting, carefully considered brighter shades can help lift our mood and create an environment that feels motivating and uplifting – something that is particularly important when spending long periods of time working from home."
That said, Cathryn Sanders, head of creative at Earthborn, is keen to point out that sometimes a little restraint when it comes to the use of bold colours can go a long way. "Bright colours can work, but they are often better used in smaller amounts. A strong yellow or red across every wall may feel too distracting in a room where you need to concentrate. Instead, use brighter shades on a shelf, cupboard door, desk area or pinboard wall to add energy without taking over the whole room."
Cathryn Sanders is Head of Creative at Earthborn and has worked for the brand for over a decade, meaning she has a wealth of knowledge on paints, trends and the interiors industry as a whole. Working on several colour launches, she is well-versed in trend forecasting, particularly with regard to colour, and subsequently gets the final say on all of Earthborn’s new colours and colour names.
Stick to paler shades in compact home offices
We can't all afford to hand over a huge amount of space for a home office – but if your own is on the smaller side, colour can really help to visually expand it.
"For a small home office, lighter shades tend to work best because they help reflect available light," says Cathryn Sanders. "Warm off-whites (such as Earthborn's White Clay or Up Up Away, both available on Amazon) can make a compact room feel cleaner and more open, especially when used on both walls and woodwork."
Cathryn goes on to explain how colour drenching can help open up small spaces too. "Painting the ceiling in the same colour, or a slightly lighter version, can reduce visual breaks and help the room feel less boxed in."
Use colour changes to define an open-plan home office
Even if you can only spare a corner of the guest bedroom or an alcove within your living room for your home office, you can still create a really useful, useable office space – and, along with some clever home office layout techniques, colour can be your best friend in doing this.
"Colour can be used to define a workspace within a larger room," advises Ruth Mottershead. "Adding a contrasting or tonal shade within an alcove, or across a defined area, you can subtly zone a home office and give it its own identity, without the need for physical divides. A change in colour helps to signal a shift in function, creating a dedicated workspace while still allowing the area to feel connected and harmonious with the rest of the room."
Cathryn Sanders has some more tips on creating an open-plan home office space, including some that would work for those seeking home office spare room ideas. "Paint is a simple way to mark out a work area without adding walls or furniture. Painting the wall behind a desk, an alcove or a built-in shelving area in a different shade helps create a clear work zone. A muted green, soft blue or warm neutral will define the area while still allowing it to sit comfortably with the rest of the room."
FAQs
What paint finishes work best in a home office?
Choosing the best paint for any space is about more than just colour and paint trends – the finish you opt for matters too, so what do the experts suggest?
"An ultra matt finish can help soften light and reduce glare, which is useful if you spend a lot of time looking at a screen," says Cathryn Sanders. "For high-touch areas, such as shelves, cupboards, doors or desks, a more durable finish may be more practical."
"If your home office is a space that needs to work hard, consider choosing a durable finish," picks up Ruth Mottershead, who suggests something like Little Greene's Intelligent Matt Emulsion, available at John Lewis. "It retains a beautiful soft, flat appearance, but offers the added benefit of being wipeable and hardwearing. You need practical choices for areas where furniture, books or files sit against walls, as everyday marks, scuffs and fingerprints can then be easily cleaned away, helping the space stay looking fresh for longer."
Should I use wallpaper in a home office?
The world of wallpaper designs is huge – something I see as both a good, and a bad thing. One the one hand, the breadth of choice means there is something out there for every taste, but on the other, it can also make choosing hard – which is why I have no wallpaper in my house.
However, having gone back on forth on the topic of wallpaper vs paint for some time, I now love the idea of introducing some pattern into my new home office and, according to Ruth Mottershead, this is fantastic idea and one she would highly recommend. "Introducing a beautiful wallpaper design can transform a home office from a blank canvas into an inspiring environment, with botanical and floral patterns in particular bringing a fresh, uplifting feel."
If you are struggling to choose a wallpaper, Cathryn Sanders' advice on the shades that will aid with focus could come in handy. "Colour affects how settled and focused the room feels. For most workspaces, the best colours are those that support concentration without making the space feel too busy. Soft blues, blue-greens and muted greens work particularly well because they have a calm quality, while still bringing enough colour to stop the room feeling plain."
Colour can really come in handy when developing shared home office ideas – it can help to define each occupant's space and add individuality to the various areas within the room. Or, if like me you are considering taking your home office into the garden, take a look at the main types of garden office you have to choose from.
