Besides your bedroom, you possibly spend more time in your office than anywhere else. Painting it a color that both calms and energizes, as well as being more attractive than the standard industrial gray or boring white, should be an easy project.

Your color options are wide open if it’s a home office—be as mild or as wild as you like. Even if you’re constrained to light colors for an office away from home, there are plenty of ways you can individualize your office space with paint.

An Office in a Corporate Setting

If you’re in a corporate setting you may be limited to neutral colors, but you still have a lot of leeway. A neutral color is one that will go with most other colors and is usually light to medium-toned. Gray and beige are neutral but don’t have to be blah. Visit a paint store and pick out as many paint chips as you like. Look for grays that have undercurrents of green or brown for a warmer gray. Similarly, beige covers a very wide range of colors and hues, and some darker beiges and light browns can be distinctive, even dramatic, but should still be conservative and versatile enough for a corporate setting.

Home Office

Your home office should be a distinct space within your house. Unlike a corporate office, you can do whatever you like with the walls. Paint it a complementary color to the adjoining spaces to make it feel like a separate space. If the color scheme in the rest of your home centers around warm taupe and earth tones, consider an energizing pale orange or terracotta, or a tranquil seafoam green or dusky blue. Take your office furniture and decor into consideration. Cool colors make cherry office furniture pop, while blond wood looks elegant with gray walls. Paint a single focal wall in a dramatic color to highlight prints, photographs or framed certifications.

Match the Color to the Business

Add character befitting your business to the walls with faux or specialty paints. Faux leather-look walls in deep red or rich brown add gravitas to a legal or financial office. If your business centers around the creative arts, echo that energy on your walls with a mural, stenciling or lettering. Greens and blues are calming and may help you focus, while spicy reds and golds are energizing and uplifting. Remember that your office reflects both your personality and your professionalism, and color can affect the way you feel in your office, as well as make an impression on clients and visitors.