Office Design: Black and White and Shades of Gray
Many companies get caught up in the office fit-out basics with lots of wood and burgundy carpets. Wood ages faster than you might think and can be far more telling you haven’t made changes in a decade than even basic wall color. A classic design approach that tends to carry well into the future is black and white schemes with a few shades of gray.
The Right Business
Black and white can work for a number of businesses, but not all. For example, a toy or candy manufacturer might come across a little serious with black and white. However any other business from law offices to fashion designers and health industry businesses to PR firms will help provide an upscale, hip or sophisticated look with the use of classic black and white decor.
Tried and True
The beauty of black and white is that it is a tried and true color scheme that can be applied to create many different images. You can use it for an ultra-modern approach for a technology company using slick high gloss black desks and walls paired with an office chair in white and a lot of acrylics and glass. You can create an elegant, refined look for a fashion or PR company using classic finishes such as white marble or black slate for floors and walls in hand with sleek black desks and white leather chairs. You can add a touch of white metal for logos or elevators in hand with a mirror to make things a little more glamorous for an advertising agency or event planning company. There are so many options to create completely different images with a confident flair that can only be accomplished with a black and white theme.
Shades of Gray
Gray is another color that provides a very sophisticated look. From deep, somber charcoals ideal for a lawyer’s office to paler shades that work well for dental and medical offices, gray provides a softer feel yet still maintains a timeless appeal when paired with white. You can also mix things up with wood tones in deeper shades or go for paler woods in natural mattes that give a raw more modern feel to the office.
Gorgeous Floors
Black and white offer many options for gorgeous floors. From serious business, matte black slate in large tiles to elegant white marble and ultra-modern high gloss white cement with a high durability epoxy finish to a black and white checkerboard vinyl there are dozens of options to create truly dramatic, whimsical or sophisticated floors throughout your office design scheme. You can also combine wood with stone and apply carpet in black or charcoal where it makes more sense for practicality.
Low Maintenance walls
What could be more low maintenance than black or charcoal walls? Your office will maintain a clean, well-cared-for look projecting a professional and trustworthy image. Black is elegant and sophisticated, but most of all timeless which mean you can decorate and then enjoy the view for the next decade or so.
