A world of blue surrounds us. Above our heads, we see the pale blue sky. If you are lucky enough to live near a coast, you can look out and see the deep blue ocean that makes up most of our world. This tranquil color is the most common favorite color across the globe, with a wide variety of shades evoking different meanings. Universally, all shades are said to represent loyalty, peace, openness, trust, confidence, and protection. Lighter shades...
In a world transformed by the COVID-19 pandemic, employee health and workplace wellness are getting more attention than ever. According to a 2021 study by McKinsey & Company, one in three workers said returning to in-office work negatively impacted their mental health. With such a high number of employees preferring to work from home, companies are challenged to design spaces with their employees' health and wellness needs in mind. In order for workers to return to the office, companies...
White offers a sense of reflection and renewal in both life and design. Learn how to capture the sense of optimism and positivity this color can offer in your commercial design choices. “White. A blank page or canvas. His favorite. So many possibilities…” Stephen Sondheim, Sunday in the Park with George Color Meaning The color white is generally associated with positive feelings of peace, hope, and clarity. It is also often considered a neutral color that can evoke feelings of cleanliness, sophistication, and...
At NeoCon 2023 we continued to see biophilic design becoming more and more important in commercial interior design. That is because experiencing nature is good for our physical and mental health. Over the past century, humans have moved from areas surrounded by nature to more urban environments with less access to green spaces. However, studies increasingly show many benefits to living in environments surrounded by nature. According to a 2019 study by Matthew White at the University of Exeter,...
One color that encapsulates the happy, bright, and energetic quality of days in the summer sun is orange. Traditionally a color low on the popularity scale, it is making a comeback in pop culture and bringing joyful energy into our hearts through fashion and home decor. Read on to learn more about the meaning behind this color, its history, and how best to incorporate it into commercial interiors. Meaning of Orange Orange is a color that grabs your attention. In its...
Nestled between blue and purple on the color wheel is the beautiful color indigo. This often-overlooked color has been around for many years and has an interesting history. This blue and purple hybrid is the color of jeans, many flowers, the night sky, and is a popular dye. It carries much meaning, symbolism, and history and has many uses for interior designers in residential or commercial projects. Color Meaning and Symbolism Indigo is an introspective, powerful, creative, and dramatic color that...
The concept of a space connecting the indoors and outdoors is not new to commercial interiors. Indoor/outdoor spaces take many forms, including restaurant patios, open-air hotel lobbies, corporate workspaces, and recreation areas in healthcare settings. These types of spaces are incredibly flexible and vary depending on each designer's vision. However, the desire for spaces to bring the outdoors and indoors together has only grown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, spaces that brought the outdoors in...
Purple has a history of being a complex color with many different meanings. Combining the calming effects of blue and the intensity of red, it conjures various feelings from the viewer. Creative, mysterious, and regal, purple is a dynamic color for your commercial and interior design choices. Color Meaning and Symbolism Purple is the color of wealth, royalty, and luxury and a color that symbolizes bravery and independence. It is known to foster creativity, promote focus and introspection, and have a...
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines sustainable manufacturing as “the creation of manufactured products through economically-sound processes that minimize negative environmental impacts while conserving energy and natural resources.” As society continues to become more aware of the impact we have on our environment and the responsibility we have to protect our planet, many businesses have begun to think about the importance of sustainability in a variety of aspects of their work. In addition to caring for the planet, sustainable...
The color green is always around us in nature. From the trees in our neighborhoods and local green spaces to the many foods we eat daily, green is almost everywhere we look. There's a reason for that. Green is the easiest color for the human eye to perceive. It falls directly in the middle of the color spectrum visible to humans at 555 nanometers. As we get closer to celebrating Earth Day 2023, let's learn more about green's many...
