Best Paint Color For Office With Fluorescent Lighting

Choosing a paint color can be more complicated than you would imagine. Even after you decide on a color, it doesn’t serve the looks you expected. That’s a real heartbreak. It mostly happens due to the variation of lighting. If so, then how can you choose the best paint color for an office with fluorescent lighting?

You can never go wrong with a simple white wall. If you want to be more creative, try adding olive green, light yellow, or grey to some portions of the wall. To stand out under fluorescent lighting, the color must have a cooler tone.

If you are painting your office walls and want some great suggestions, this article is a must-read. Here, we will go through the color theory for fluorescent lighting.

Sounds interesting? Then, stick with us till the end.

Why Do Paint Colors Look Different Under Fluorescent Lighting?

The relationship between paint color and lighting goes a long way. Have you ever noticed how your room looks different at various hours of the day? For example, the morning light enhances the wall color and makes it pop out. However, at noon the same color might feel washed out. That’s because sun rays are white which is a mixture of every color on the spectrum.

And guess what? Fluorescent bulbs also produce white light just like sun rays. Not just that, it has a hint of blue too. That’s why many beautiful wall paints look slightly off under fluorescent lighting. It’s the same reason why your makeup might look different or unflattering under direct sunlight.

 You see, unlike incandescent or LED lights, fluorescent bulbs tend to wash out the warmth from a color. Any color looks cold and more intimidating under such lighting. That’s why interior designers avoid fluorescent lighting for cozy places like a bedroom that needs to be warm.

However, when it comes to office décor, fluorescent lighting works well. All you have to know is which colors wouldn’t look dead under a harsh white light.

Which Paint Colors Look Bad Under Fluorescent Lighting?

Before we start describing our top 5 recommended colors, you should know which ones look extremely bad. So that, you can at least avoid these tones at all costs. 

1. Red
2. Orange
3. Bright Yellow
4. Alabaster White

As you can notice, all of these colors are associated with warmth. Since fluorescent lighting doesn’t enhance warmer tones, you should avoid these shades on the office walls. You must have questions about the alabaster white.

Because it is a color that looks good in almost any setup. But as we have said, to truly see the magic of this hazel-colored paint, you need a warmer light first. A fluorescent light won’t do justice to this beautiful color. 

How To Choose A Paint Color For Office With Fluorescent Lighting?

If you don’t know what you want, here’s a series of questions you need to ask yourself. You can only make up your mind completely after being fully sure of the requirements.  

What Type Of Tasks Do You Perform? 

Your work type has a lot to do with the wall color. Are you a creative person? Then you might like to look at a beautiful accent wall while thinking. In that case, you can try coloring the center wall slightly differently with some patterns. It really makes the whole room stand out. To enhance it even more try a neutral or beige color on the whole room. It will make the centerpiece pop out and look more vivid.

Here’s a guide for you if you want to know how the lighting setup should be for computer work.

What Motivates You?

Another question you need to ask yourself is what motivates you. If you spend a lot of time shuffling papers, a calm or soothing wall color should be your priority. Remember that your interior choices speak your style. That’s why your liking and taste should be reflected through the color choice as well. Don’t just think about the aesthetics. Make sure you love how the color looks.

For example, if you love nature, adding some hints of green on the wall will keep you calm. Although green is a risky choice, try to go for the darker shades including eco green, opal, or olive green. We would advise you to avoid the leaf green.

What Type Of Vibe Are You Looking For?

Does this basically mean how you want to feel in that place? What kind of atmosphere are you trying to create? Are you a fan of small and cozy offices? Or, you might like the room to give off a corporate/ intimidating vibe. What vibe you want will guide you towards the right paint color. You should also consider the color temperature to perfectly achieve the vibe.

 In that case, follow this article to know about the best color temperature for the home office.

Does The Color Match Your Other Rooms?

You also have to take into account how the other rooms are decorated. Especially if you have a remote job, you might not want to break the color theme of your house. You don’t want someone to enter the office and get shocked.

Top 5 Paint Colors To Go With Fluorescent Lighting

Now that we have gone through the basic principles of choosing wall paint, let’s get to the point. As we promised, here are our top recommended paints for the office wall. If you have little to no knowledge regarding color theory, you can just stick with this list. We have tried to include colors to suit different requirements. Have a look.

1. White- Simple & Elegant

 White is a timeless color. You don’t have to worry about the lighting or anything. A white wall is always classic. In fact, there are certain benefits of using white as a wall paint color.

For example, if you don’t have a window in the office room, a white wall will eliminate the lack of light. A white wall definitely reflects better than any other color on the spectrum. You can have a brighter room without paying for a task lamp. That’s cheap and convenient.

Off-white is a good option too. It is on the cool side, unlike the Alabaster white. 

2. Ocean Blue- Calm & Peaceful

In case, you need a color that makes the office look more appealing during meetings, go for ocean blue. It is by far the safest color after white. The human mind tends to associate blue with integrity and peace. That’s why it is my favorite color for designing app icons.

If you have to handle multiple corporate meetings from your office, having a blue wall seems like the best choice. There are a lot of perfect shades within blue. You can also go for the royal blue as it is quite cold and flat. So, the fluorescent light won’t affect it.

3. Yellow- Cheerful & Bubbly

Do you like an informal or fun vibe in your office? Then, yellow should be at the top of your list. Now, we have previously banned you from picking yellow as a wall paint color. But, hear us out. Yellow is a very cheerful color that can instantly make you feel happy. That’s the reason many creative workers like at least one wall painted yellow in their studio. 

Luckily, yellow comes in various shades. Not every shade looks good under fluorescent lighting. But, the light shades including grapefruit, lanzones, and summer daffodil are wonderful alternatives. These shades are not shiny or too loud. So, there’s no chance of getting flattened. It’s a great way to add some fun to the room.

4. Purple- Intimidating

Purple is not for everybody. You either hate it or love it. We are talking about moderate or dark purple here. This color creates a strict or disciplined vibe around the room. Of course, it can be quite intimidating for some people.

But if you are a professional who loves a dark theme around the office, purple would be very satisfying. However, if the room lacks a window or other natural light source, we would discourage you. Since the color is too dark, it might affect the overall brightness of the room. Only consider purple if you have a big window that lets enough sunlight into the office. The natural light would balance out the dark walls.

5. Grey- Neutral 

Many people like a neutral shade on the wall. Especially if you have a piece of antique furniture in the room, you wouldn’t want to distract visitors from it. In that case, stick with the grey. It looks plain and doesn’t catch your eyes at all. This gives you ample opportunity to decorate the room however you want. You won’t have to think twice before getting colorful curtains or carpets. Because grey blends with every color perfectly.

 If you have an expensive piece of painting or interior décor inside the office, try covering the wall with a grey color. You will be surprised how much the showpiece stans out. to enhance the effect, try using overhead lighting on the decorative item.

Final Note

We wish choosing the right wall paint for an office with fluorescent lighting was as easy as it sounds. Since you have gone through the article, you know there are many steps before even thinking about the color palette.

In this article, we tried to show you the right way to pick an amazing and flattering wall paint for your office.

Most of the time, the color looks wonderful in the photo. However, when you apply it to the walls and turn on the light, something feels off. That’s not the color’s fault. All you have to do is pick the colors that stand out under fluorescent lighting.

And, there you go. Hope you have found this article helpful.