20 Home Office Paint Color Ideas: From Bold Blues to Stylish Grays

With more and more time spent working from home, homeowners are looking for fresh and unique home office ideas to inspire creativity and focus. Whether your home office is a living room corner, a converted closet or a guest room, your workspace needs an interior design that encourages productivity. We’ve collected some of our favorite home office paint colors from Benjamin Moore to help you get started – some of them may surprise you!

Using Paint Colors & Design to Boost Productivity in Your Home

Painting your home office a different color from the rest of your home signals that you’ve entered a “work zone”. Your office color scheme can help make the room feel less like home, and more like work. Even if your home office is just a desk in another space (like a family room or bedroom) you can add a pop of color with an accent wall, or paint a small area around the desk to create a distinct work zone that will help you focus.

Lower wall in Benjamin Moore River blue, upper wall in Cascade Mountains; Right lower wall in BM Vapor Trails

Beadboard, wainscoting, or a shiplap plank section immediately around the desk is another way to create a visual separation. A separate home office paint color also helps you disconnect from work at the end of the day – when you leave the color around the desk, you’re leaving work.

Energizing Colors For Creative Offices

Neutral shades like white, off-white, gray, taupe, and beige remain popular for home interiors. However, studies in color psychology suggest that these may not be ideal for a home office space where productivity and energy are important. Instead, vibrant color combinations such as navy blue and red, or teal and orange, are favored for creative office environments. Yellow tones enhance information retention, while red adds energy to a room. Softer variations of yellow and red, like yellow-green and pink can be used to prevent eye fatigue. 

Beacon Hill Damask

Beacon Hill Damask by Benjamin Moore is a soft shade with green undertones that promotes both energy and calm. The sunny warmth of this office corner makes it the perfect spot for creative brainstorming:

Turquoise Powder

If an all-over bright color feels overpowering for you, try a two-tone design. This home office nook exudes positivity with Benjamin Moore’s Pure White on top set off by energizing Turquoise Powder on the lower walls and desk:

Office with Benjamin Moore Turquoise Powder on lower walls and Pure White on top

Fernwood Green

With distinctive yellow undertones, Fernwood Green is a medium-light green that energizes and enlivens home office walls. It’s a great choice for North-facing rooms since without a hint of gray, it maintains its warm, sunny disposition when natural lighting is cool and gray. This two-tone wall paneling adds a sophisticated layer of interest to the office: 

Upper wall in Benjamin Moore Fernwood Green, lower wall in Urban Naturel

Touch of Pink

For the energizing effect of red in a relaxing hue, consider pink for your home office. Pink can be a surprisingly sophisticated, complex color that stimulates creativity without being overwhelming. The warm undertones of Touch of Pink combined with Sunlit Coral (both from Benjamin Moore) create a cozy vibe.

Home office desk with Benjamin Moore Touch of Pink on upper wall and and Sunlit Coral on lower wall

If your favorite vibrant colors are too bold for the entire room, paint an accent wall and add complementary colors with pillows, art and rugs. This energizing color palette is a great place to start:

Hunter Green, Tomato Tango, Aegean Teal, Poolside, York Harbor Yellow

Neutral Home Office Paint Colors

If your home office is a corner in a bedroom or open-plan room, you may not have the space to introduce a bold color. Using warm or off-white neutrals, paired with plenty of texture can make the space feel warm and inviting. Layer knitted pillows or throws with an area rug and rugged wood for a tactile, cozy effect. 

Shaker Beige

Warm neutrals like Benjamin Moore’s Stonington Gray and Coventry Gray have enough color to contrast with white trim and create a cozy feeling. This home office complements the rich neutral of Shaker Beige by Benjamin Moore with a linen window shade, woven chair and textured rug. A black desk anchors the space:

Benjamin Moore Shaker Beige on walls in home office 

Simply White

In this home office, a black ladder and cork board create a graphic accent among walls and a built-in bookcase painted Simply White by Benjamin Moore:

Home office in Benjamin Moore Simply White

Ballet White

Bright white and pale neutral paint colors let art and accessories stand out, so add a pop of color with art or a rug to add energy to the space. This office area added texture and dimension alongside Benjamin Moore’s Ballet White paint by adding a natural fiber rug and a shiplap wood plank wall:

Home office in Ballet White by Benjamin Moore

Bright white and pale neutral paint colors let art and accessories stand out. Try these Benjamin Moore favorites to get started:

Gray Owl, Revere Pewter, Edgecomb Gray, Silver Fox, Coventry Gray

Calming Home Office Colors

While some color experts recommend avoiding relaxing paint colors in the office, serenity and calm may be the most constructive environment for you. In fact, light blue is known to promote productivity because it supports emotional balance, and green has been found to increase concentration. Blue-green colors tend to change with the light throughout the day, so they’re a great way to add subtle interest. Watch out for cold blue-grays though — they can dampen creativity! If blue is your jam, our designers recommend warm color accents like coral and yellow to add energy and balance in your home office. 

Silver Marlin

Silver Marlin by Benjamin Moore is a soft green that has a hint of cool gray undertone, so it changes with the light. In this home office, Silver Marlin looks cool against mid-century modern furnishings in warm wood tones.

Silver Marlin by Benjamin Moore in a home office

Aegean Teal

Benjamin Moore’s Aegean Teal, is a blue with distinct green undertones, plus a hint of gray that keeps it grounded. It’s a complex color that works beautifully on both walls and office furniture. While this medium shade is stimulating, the gray undertones keep it from being too high energy.

Aegean Teal by Benjamin Moore, home office cabinets

Nimbus Gray

Cool wall colors like blue-grays can make the walls seem to recede, helping small spaces seem larger. Benjamin Moore’s Nimbus Gray has just enough blue to give a small home office an airy look, while the gray undertones provide a calm and grounded feeling.

Benjamin Moore Nimbus Gray on office walls; doors in Storm AF-700; trim in Pure White OC-64

Avalon Teal

Dark blue has been a popular paint color in recent years, with every shade of blue from bright teals to deep navy blues appearing in living rooms, kitchens and home offices. Avalon Teal CSP-645 from Benjamin Moore is the perfect teal blue with soft green undertones that give it complexity. It pairs equally well with warm grays, vibrant shades of orange, and natural wood tones.

Benjamin Moore Avalon Teal in craft and office space

October Mist

If your home is painted in a neutral like Revere Pewter or Classic Gray but you want a bit of color in the home office, Benjamin Moore’s October Mist is an excellent choice. This tranquil color has warm-gray undertones that make a versatile backdrop for furnishings. In rooms with low light, the green prevents it from appearing cold and depressing; and in brightly lit rooms the hint of gray keeps it from being too bright.

Benjamin Moore October Mist in a home office

While there may be an infinite number of green and blue paint colors, we have our favorites. Check out these classic paint colors for your home office:

Hale Navy, Oxford Gray, Van Courtland Blue, Yarmouth Blue, Palladian Blue, Sayebrook Sage, October Mist

Dark & Moody Home Office Painting Ideas

Immersing yourself in a deep, intense color is a great way to create a cocoon-like work zone. Painting the entire space – walls, trim and woodwork – in the same dark color eliminates the contrast between wall and trim colors, calming the space down. A deep color can help create a sharp division between the office area and the rest of your home decor, so that once you enter the office you can mentally transition to the work environment.

Hidden Sapphire

While some deep blues may feel heavy, Hidden Sapphire’s vibrant tones create energy and electricity. Its subtle green undertones place it near teal to provide warmth. This home office space leans into the color’s intensity with matching trim for maximum creative stimulation: 

Office walls and trim in Benjamin Moore Hidden Sapphire CSP-690

Salamander

Salamander is a very dark green Benjamin Moore shade that has black and blue undertones. Painting an entire room such a deep color makes the corners recede so the space seems larger. But if natural light is lacking, painting an accent wall is a great way to create the same drama without making the office too dark during the day.

Home office accent wall in Salamander by Benjamin Moore 

Townsend Harbor Brown

Dark brown can be the perfect color for creating a quiet, cocoon-like space. However, for a home office choosing the right shade of brown is important; an office that’s too soothing won’t be conducive to work! Benjamin Moore’s Townsend Harbor Brown has red undertones that have an energizing effect, yet the dark color is still cozy and warm.

Home office in Benjamin Moore Townsend Harbor Brown 

Knoxville Gray

Deep blue, charcoal and navy are some of the most popular moody, dark paint colors being used today. They look equally stylish whether paired with a white trim color or used to paint the entire room. One of our favorite home office paint colors is Knoxville Gray by Benjamin Moore; this deep gray has strong green undertones that are more visible in bright daylight.

Benjamin Moore Knoxville Gray in home office

Wenge

If navy or dark gray paint colors are too much for the entire office, an accent color can add drama. In this brightly-lit home office, the desk faces a wall painted in Benjamin Moore’s Wenge with the ceiling, shelving, and trim in Ice Mist.

Office accent wall in Benjamin Moore Wenge; trim and ceiling in Ice Mist

If dark, moody colors appeal to you, your home office is a great place to indulge. Benjamin Moore has an incredible selection of deep shades like these:

Prussian Blue, Gentleman’s Gray, Kendall Charcoal, Cushing Green, Dark Burgundy

Bonus Tip! Add A Writable Wall

Home office wall painted with ben® Chalkboard Paint in Neon Red 

Besides traditional wall paint colors, Benjamin Moore also offers specialty paints that can turn any wall into a writable wall! Keep your day organized or create a brainstorm space with Ben Chalkboard Paint, available in any of Benjamin Moore’s 3,500+ colors.

Desk wall painted in Benjamin Moore Black 2132-10, coated with Ben Chalkboard Eggshell; wall in Snow White; trim in Baby Fawn

Alternatively, just add a coating of Benjamin Moore Notable Dry Erase Paint to any wall for an instant dry-erase board.

Office walls coated with Notable® Clear; left wall color, Winter Snow OC-63; right wall in Winter Lake 2129-50

Sample Benjamin Moore Paint Colors in Your Office

Whether you work in your own home full time or just need an office nook now and then, your home office should reflect your personal style. The best home office paint colors create an environment where you can focus and be productive. Paint is one of the easiest and most affordable DIY home office projects, and our favorite Benjamin Moore colors are the perfect place to start! 

Ring’s End carries a wide selection of Benjamin Moore paints in-store and online, shipping anywhere in the U.S. For more helpful tips on finding the best color and testing paint samples, be sure to read How To Test Paint Samples The Interior Designer’s Way.