The inside of a large office building with multiple levels

Make offices feel inviting with Dulux Colour of the Year

12 September 2023

To encourage employees into the office, we need welcoming workspaces. Dulux Colour of the Year used with calm colours is the perfect starting point.

In today’s hybrid working world, people are demanding more from their workspaces than ever before. To encourage employees into the office, companies need to embrace a more people-centric approach, creating environments that put their employees’ needs first.¹

Providing spaces where people can relax in busy, digitized offices shows consideration for workplace mental health and helps boost productivity. In fact, one in five office workers agree that having a space to relax at work is the key to increased productivity. ²

Echoing the shades of nature, our calm colour story of blues and greens combined with Dulux Colour of the Year 2024, Sweet Embrace™, has a calming and clarifying effect. These colours can also help offset the sterile feel of a tech-dominated space, creating an environment employees want to spend time in.

¹From An interview with Gensler co CEO Diane Hoskins, McKinsey.com, Feb 22.

²1 in 5 office workers agree that having space to relax at work is the key to increased productivity - 4 simple ways to boost workplace productivity, Dale Office Interiors research.

An inviting lobby

"An office lobby with walls painted in pastel green and pink. The front desk is painted in dark green. "

Mixing darker shades of green with blues and lighter neutrals, our calm colour story can bring a feeling of simplicity and serenity to the office. Here, the combination of forest-inspired greens, natural wood and Dulux Colour of the Year, Sweet Embrace™, creates a welcoming entrance.

Which colours?

Inspired by nature

A school building with exterior walls painted in soft pink with accents painted in ochre

The nature-inspired greens and blues in our calm colour story can help a streamlined exterior feel part of the surrounding landscape. Here, cladding painted in combinations of these shades helps a modern, high-tech exterior feel at home in the natural environment

Which colours?

Simple colour combinations for open-plan spaces

The soothing greens in the Dulux calm colour story can help to soften a tech-dominated, open-plan office. Here, a combination of greens with Sweet Embrace ™ brings a sense of simplicity and freshness, helping create a space where employees can focus.

Which colours?

Quiet contrast in a foyer

An office space showing a front desk and a meeting area. One wall is painted with different colored stripes, whilst the ceiling and opposing wall is painted in pink.

The balancing shades in our calm colour story can create striking contrast without overpowering a space. Here, a wall painted with different coloured stripes helps to define the front desk and meeting area. Meanwhile, the use of Dulux Colour of the Year 2024, Sweet Embrace ™, on the other walls holds the scheme together.