With more of us working from home than ever before, we need to create a space for a home office, whether it’s in a separate room or a chosen corner of the living room or bedroom. When deciding on home office design ideas, use colour to help motivate you and boost productivity.

Do you want something calming so you can concentrate or something vibrant to get your brain working? Think about the light – is it north of south facing? Colour can make such a difference to how you work – and feel – so we’ve gathered a selection of home office colour scheme ideas to inspire you.

1. Go Bold

This vibrant green shade is sure to get you going in the morning as green evokes renewal, and rejuvenation. If your office is part of the living room, paint the section of wall where the desk is going to be (as long as it tones with the rest of the room of course) and then use white and black for furniture and lighting that will really pop against it.

2. Plant Life

It’s a well-known fact that plants make people happy, so including them in your home office is a great idea, especially in the winter when there isn’t much to look at in the garden. The green of plants is calming and connects us to the natural world. Keep the walls plain and let the plants do the talking.

3. Pink Perfection

Natural light is so important in a home office, but can sometimes be harsh depending on which way the room faces. Shutters are the perfect solution, open the slats during the day or filter the light if the sunlight is too strong, and close them when it gets dark, leaving you with a pink block of colour to define the space. Pink feels warm and welcoming and will counteract cold blue light.

4. Block Party

5. Wooden Corner

Another great idea is to use the corner of a room. It’s just enough space for a home office without intruding too much into the rest of the room. Wooden panelling is warm and comforting, and feels solid, to inspire confidence and stability, and this has an interesting wood grain if you are looking for inspiration.

6. Sunshine Furniture

Instead of painting the walls, bring in colour with the furniture and accessories. Bright yellow is energising and is a good choice for small spaces. Plain white walls are a clean background and makes the yellow chair, storage box, clock and lamp really pop. A simple white table is all you need with a large plant for company.

7. Blue Mood

Studies show people are most productive in blue rooms so it’s a good choice for a home office. All blue lovers enjoy the thinking process. People who gravitate towards this colour – especially the darker shades – appreciate order and are seen as dependable and stable. Use on all four walls, even the skirting board, and add pattern with a striking rug. Lots of white keeps it looking fresh.

8. Half and Half

Dividing one wall and painting the bottom half in one colour, in this case jade, and the top half in pink is a natural colour pairing that has been so popular in interiors recently. If these shades are too bright for your tastes, tone it down into sage green with a lighter pink. This colour combination together soothes and inspires. Then add other accent colours of orange, purple and yellow if you wish.

9. Design and Pattern

Red and orange shades stand for energy, strength, power and determination, so ideal for a work set-up. Another corner design, use a wallpaper that is striking in colour and design. Who could fail to be inspired using this space? Further livened up with the desk painted in orange, green and white to build on the colour scheme. This would work well in a room with a high ceiling.

10. Tall Tale