Counseling Offices

Colors in counseling offices should convey harmony and a feeling of warmth and confidence. The best choices here are quiet, comfortable colors, such as coral, soft yellow, gentle green, grayed blue-green, lavender and cocoa brown. Bright reds and yellows are inappropriate for counseling spaces. In terms of furniture, a traditional desk and chair, round table, and alternate chairs for a variety of seating options are useful. Carpeted floors increase soundproofing, decrease noisy distractions, and add warmth.

Clinics

A feeling of cleanliness is essential in a clinic. Specify colors that are clean and uplifting, such as white, pink, light yellow, green, and sky blue. Using more than one color will create a sense of balance and interest, and some color theorists advocate a balanced scheme of yellow, gold, and blue for uplifting general medicine environments. Artwork featuring nature-related themes can be used for their soothing qualities, with vistas, sunsets, and groves among the most relaxing and preferred subjects according to research by Professor Irving Biederman of the University of Southern California, who maintains that nerve cells in the opiate-rich pathway in the brain become active almost as if morphine was present when these subjects are viewed.

Restrooms

Cleanliness and comfort are also the qualities to project in designing for school restrooms. Light, clean, refreshing colors with bold and contrasting accents work well. As much light as possible should be incorporated. Automated devices such as auto-flush toilets, motion sensitive sinks, soap dispensers, and hand-dryers create a sense of sleek design, improved health, and environmental benefits. Upbeat messaging on mirrors—uplifting phrases and reminders of school events—can work to instill school spirit, while providing a colorful accent.

Outdoor Spaces

Wherever possible, schools should take advantage of outdoor spaces to interact with nature, expand the classroom and offer enhanced flexibility. Color brings this space to life with a spectrum of offerings. Inexpensive, native plantings keep budgets low, and overhead shading keeps temperatures cool. Outdoor spaces can be an extension of the school as a place for teaching. The current emphasis on science-based programs means that it is important to consider exterior furniture in overall design plans and budgets. Brightly colored benches and chairs create outdoor spaces that encourage collaboration and the observation of nature.

Color—A Smart Choice for Schools

While no one color scheme is right for all situations, designers have a powerful tool in applying color properly in school situations. That choice will be based not only on the intrinsic nature of the color itself, but by the age of the students as well as the location of the school, its community and its culture. Ideally teachers and students will also have input. Designs that incorporate these factors as well as nature and the five senses will have a real impact on students' experience in school—and positively impact their morale, behavior and ability to learn.

ENDNOTES
1	The Journal of Educational Research Vol. 88, No. 4 (Mar. - Apr., 1995), pp. 228-242, Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.

 

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