Did you know the fear of colour is actually a proper phobia? Chromophobia is an abnormal fear of colour but luckily it’s quite a rare phenomenon. What many of us do have, however, is an aversion to a shade we don’t find visually appealing or a lack of confidence when it comes to using colour - especially during office refurbs.

The interior designer Nicola Holden recently wrote about colour and particularly our comfort zone of neutral palettes. She believes safe colour schemes rarely bring people joy and brings the colour conversation around the positive psychological and physical effects, having read Karen Haller’s book The Little Book of Colour – How to use the Psychology of Colour to Transform Your Life.

While you may not be ready to rid your home of grey - Farrow & Ball’s most inoffensive ‘Elephant’s Breath’ as an example – the workplace is a wonderful place to embrace colour. Each primary and tertiary colour will come in a myriad of shades and hues, allowing you to dial-up or tone done the impact without losing any of the almost therapeutic benefits.

Consulting with MPL - interior designers in London and across the UK - will result in an interior office design that adds a dash of colour to your everday. Whether that’s to stimulate staff into a better state of productivity, produce a more creative zone where minds are motivated or simply provide a restful room for mindfulness moments, we can create a careful balance that also takes into account any brand identity and corporate colours.

If a chink of chromophobia is already creeping in, never fear. Applying colour doesn’t have to mean painting every wall ruby red or opting for a kaleidoscope of clashing colours. You can retain a neutral backdrop and use fixtures, fittings and office furniture to bring a dash of colour to your workplace.