Crafting with Colour

BOSS DESIGN’S Natalie Murray, looks at how curated colour can transform today’s WORKPLACE INTERIORS.

There’s a lot more to colour than decoration. According to Carl Jung, one of the founding fathers of psychotherapy, ‘colours are the mother tongue of the subconscious’. The impact of colour should not be underestimated and with this in mind, Boss Design’s head of brand experience, Natalie Murray, looks at how controlled use of colour can be applied to today’s workplace interiors.

It’s widely accepted that colour can illicit positive and negative emotional responses. Think about sayings like ‘seeing red’; ‘being green with envy’ or ‘feeling blue’: metaphors that make a clear connection between emotional states and different hues. Colour psychologists like author of The Little Book of Colour, Karen Haller, take this a stage further and asserts that colour can have a huge impact on us as individuals, even influencing our moods, levels of output and behaviour.

Consider this in the context of the workplace and one of the most effective and immediate ways to create a positive and productive atmosphere is through colour. This was the backdrop to our latest thinking at Boss Design both in terms of our own brand development and when designing new products like Sia which deliberately reflect our mission to create destination spaces.

One of the most environmentally friendly products in its category the newly launched Sia task chair is exciting for another reason too.

Instead of the usual black, Sia’s structural back frame can be specified in Copper Brown, Reed Green, Oyster White or Black as standard, with a choice of five styles of mesh that come in a further 64 colour combo options. Or, for orders over 200 units, Boss Design will manufacture Sia’s frame and mesh in just about any colour you want.

For the first time, ergonomic task seating can be colour coordinated with the wider palette used across an office décor scheme. Sia can be specified to reflect a client’s brand identity, and to promote the right look and feel for their office space.

Soft, elegant and organic contours have been hallmarks of our design philosophy in recent years and we’ve been on a journey into the world of colour in order to come up with palettes to match. Earthy greens and browns are a part of that palette, evoking the natural world, with warm, autumnal reds, oranges and yellows. And using these natural hues can also affect our emotional state by creating a nurturing, calming and inviting atmosphere.

The colour palette is also heavily influenced by a number of other factors. It’s a colour palette reminiscent of the 1970s. In a sense, our furniture designers are advancing on the minimalist sophistication of the Mid-Century Modern aesthetic – taking it to a new level with an emphasis on comfort and desirability.

But there’s more to it than that. The palette we’ve carefully honed is informed by the world around us and colour combinations used in certain films, fashion collections and contemporary hospitality interiors – for example – that we find inspiring. To shape the Boss palette, we collected references from across modern culture that evoke the same feelings of calm and comfort that we want our furniture to convey. It’s a palette with a touch of nostalgia, but not so much that it feels oldfashioned or traditional.

Used consistently and imaginatively in our showroom, photoshoots, brochures, website, social media and even in proposals to clients, this colour palette has become synonymous with Boss Design and helped us evolve the brand so that it truly reflects our mission to create destination spaces in the here and now.

In the post-COVID world, working from the comfort of home has become an attractive option for many people. The challenge for employers is to create work environments that are equally comfortable and inviting, but also inspiring. Prior to COVID, décor schemes were often designed to make a statement about an organisation’s identity and colour palettes were used to emphasise this. Today, perhaps the emphasis has shifted from identity to ethos.

It’s a subtle distinction but one worth noting, and the right colour palette can do a lot of the heavy lifting. The eclectic schemes with energetic palettes which once seemed exciting are giving way to subtle and controlled approaches. Layers of muted tones that work in harmony with natural textures and organic forms help to generate an aura of tranquillity, dialling down stress and helping to support the wellbeing of the workforce.

The palette we have created feels in tune with the here and now but it is by no means static. As with everything It will evolve with fresh influences. And we’re not for a second advocating our palette over any other set of colours. Each organisation will have its own priorities, sources of inspiration and, ultimately, tastes. From there, new and individual décor schemes can be developed along with fine-tuned colour palettes to match.

When that happens, products like Sia, Amelia, Paloma, Kruze and the rest of the Boss Design catalogue are there to complete these destination spaces – and we can supply them in colours of your choosing.

To continually develop the Boss Design colour palette, we work with interior stylist and consultant Sania Pell. We asked her to share some insights on her approach to colour palettes as an element of décor…

People often remark that colour palettes are ‘on trend’. Is it important to be aware of and/or follow trends when developing a colour palette for a commercial decor scheme?

It’s useful and good to keep an eye on trends. Often, when you are in the design industry these trends are absorbed naturally. I usually look to art for colour combinations though, so it’s more unique, but subconsciously trends may influence my art choices too.