Since we began working on Heartwork, we have been discussing what we had long noticed as a general void of color in the office. For some reason, most options for office interiors and furniture fall into the Grey, Beige or Putty bucket. While color in other interior environments such as residential and hospitality has long been celebrated, for some reason the office has been completely “neutralized”. We are not sure who decided that Beige was the color of productivity or success but we disagree and are advocating for change. At Heartwork, we believe color is a right, not a privilege -- and, one that should be exercised more often.
Experts have long studied and recognized the power of color. Even prisons have been aware of this, using a shade known as "drunk-tank pink" to calm inmates. Sports teams have also understood the power of color by painting the opposing teams locker rooms in certain colors to encourage passivity and less energy. Color is personal and should be taken personally. Heartwork isn’t advocating plastering bold colors, we are simply suggesting a more thoughtful and conscious discussion around color, how it makes you feel in your place of work.
To help bring some color to work we collaborated with color expert, Laura Guido-Clark, who developed our six exclusive colors for Metal Storage 1.0. In addition to consulting Fortune 500 companies on their design strategy, Laura also recently launched a powerful non-profit, Project Color Corps, founded on the very idea of color as a powerful change agent. Project Color Corps' mission is to use color to infuse well-being and good energy to urban neighborhoods nationwide. Their latest pilot project was for the E.C. Reems Academy, a K-8 extended elementary charter school located in one of California's most at-risk and disadvantaged communities, East Oakland (See Video Below). Through a collaborative effort with the students and the community, the school was repainted over the summer with designs chosen by the students themselves. Using the power of color to inspire, the school went from a drab, dilapidated and depressing place to one full of possibility. We look forward to seeing what is next for Project Color Corps!
