The Best Colors to Use for School Interior Design

A school environment is completely different from an adult’s office’s hectic and boring environment. And to create a perfect learning environment for our children, we can never ignore the classroom color schemes.

Even psychological studies confirm that children react differently to different colors.

In this brief article, we’ll discuss different colors for school interior design and show you the best color scheme for this purpose.

But let’s first make it clear how great colors impact a school’s environment.

What Impact Do Colors Have On An Environment?

Colors significantly impact the school environment, affecting students’ mood, behavior, and performance. Different colors can have different psychological effects, and choosing the right colors for a school can help create a positive and productive learning environment.

Let’s understand this with some examples.

Example of Effects of Color:

For example, bright and cheerful colors can help create a positive and stimulating atmosphere, while softer, more muted colors can help create a calm and focused environment.

Warm colors, such as red and orange, can increase energy and arousal, while cool colors, like blue, green, and purple, can help create a sense of calm and relaxation.

Colors Create Visual Interest:

Colors can also be used to create visual interest and highlight key areas or features of a school. Using pops of color to draw attention to important areas or features, such as display boards or interactive whiteboards, can help engage students and make learning more interactive and enjoyable.

Overall, the impact of colors on a school environment depends on the specific colors chosen and how they are used. It is important to choose colors that are appropriate for the age and needs of the students and that promote a positive and productive learning environment.

But the question is, how to pick the right colors?

Let’s explain this now.

How To Pick The Right Colors For Your School Environments

The best colors to use in school environments depend on several factors, including the student’s age, the space’s purpose, and the school’s overall design aesthetic.

But still, you can follow these general guidelines to choose colors for school environments.

General Guidelines for Choosing Colors for School Environments

• Use bright and cheerful colors:

Bright and cheerful colors can help create a positive and stimulating learning environment for younger students (elementary school). Soft pastels, primary colors, and warm tones can all be effective choices.

• Muted and subdued colors for older students:

For older students (middle and high school), muted and subdued colors may be more appropriate. Earth tones, blues, and greens can create a calm and focused atmosphere for learning.

• Different color schemes for different areas:

Different areas of a school may require different color schemes. For example, a library or study area may benefit from calm, neutral colors that promote concentration, while a gym or physical education space may be more suited to bright, energetic colors that encourage movement and activity.

• Use consistent colors throughout the school:

The colors you choose should also be consistent with the overall design aesthetic of the school. If the school has a modern, sleek design, then bright, bold colors may be more appropriate. If the school has a more traditional or historic look, then softer, more muted colors may be a better fit. 

Choose a few colors that work well together and use them consistently throughout the school. This can help create a cohesive and unified look.

• Be mindful of cultural and gender associations:

Some colors may be associated with certain cultures or genders and may not be suitable for all students. Avoid using colors that could be perceived as offensive or divisive.

• Highlight key areas with colors:

Use pops of color to draw attention to important areas or features, such as display boards or interactive whiteboards.

• Use color to create visual interest:

Use different shades and tones of color to add depth and visual interest to a space.

Overall, the best colors for school environments are those that promote a positive and productive learning environment, are appropriate for the age & needs of the students, and are consistent with the overall design aesthetic of the school.

Considering all these factors, here are the top five color picks for school.

Top 5 Colors Pick for Schools

Although multiple shades are used in the interior design of a school. You can easily notice that the predominant colors are red, yellow, orange, green, and blue.

So let’s get into their detail and see how they affect the school environment.

1) Red: The Energizer

Red is a bold and vibrant color that can affect the school environment. It is often associated with feelings of passion, energy, and excitement and can be a useful color to use in certain areas of a school.

Here are a few reasons to consider using red in a school.

• Red can be energizing: 

Red is a warm color that can increase energy and arousal, making it a good choice for areas of the school where students need to be more active or engaged.

For example, consider using red in a gym or physical education space to encourage movement and activity.

• Red can be attention-grabbing: 

Red is a highly visible color that can be used to draw attention to important areas or features of a school.

For example, you might use red to highlight interactive whiteboards & display boards, to mark emergency exits or other important areas.

• Red can be used sparingly: 

Because red is such a bold and vibrant color, it is best used sparingly in school environments. Using too much red can be overwhelming and may not be conducive to a productive learning environment.

Overall, while red can be a useful color to use in a school, it is important to consider the age and needs of the students, as well as the overall design aesthetic of the school, when deciding how to use red.

2) YELLOW: THE ATTENTION GRABBER

Yellow is a bright and cheerful color that can benefit a school environment. It is often associated with feelings of happiness, positivity, and optimism and can be a useful color to use in certain areas of a school.

Here are a few reasons why you might consider using yellow in a school:

• Yellow can be uplifting: 

Yellow is a warm color that can help create a positive and cheerful atmosphere in a school. It is often used to brighten up spaces and can be especially effective in areas where students spend a lot of time, such as classrooms or hallways.

• Yellow can be attention-grabbing: 

Yellow is a highly visible color that can also be used to draw attention to important areas or features of a school, just like the red color. But compared to the red color, its attention-grabbing capability is considerably lower.

• Yellow can be used to create visual interest: 

Yellow is a resonant color that can be used to add depth and visual interest to a space. Pairing yellow with other colors, such as blue or green, can create a cohesive and pleasing color scheme.

3) ORANGE: THE MOOD LIFTER

Orange is a warm and rich color that can also benefit a school environment. It is often associated with feelings of energy, enthusiasm, and warmth and can be a useful color to use in certain areas of a school.

Let’s see some other reasons to consider using orange in a school.

• Orange can be energizing: 

Orange is a warm color and can also increase students’ energy. That’s why it is used along with the red color to have the maximum effect in the school gym or the physical education space.

• Orange can stimulate memorization: 

Orange is a highly visible color that can stimulate the thinking and memorization of students. This compels most of the school color designers to give at least a little touch of orange in the classrooms. Some even use orange as the main color, along with some other shades.

• Orange can increase appetite: 

Orange is a vibrant color that has been noticed to increase appetite. This is why you see many school cafeterias decorated in beautiful orange designs.

Overall, orange is considered one of the best colors for interior school design.

4) GREEN: THE CALMING CONCENTRATION CATCHER

Green is a calming and refreshing color that can aid a school environment. It is often associated with feelings of relaxation, nature, and calmness and can be a useful color to use in certain areas of a school.

Here are some unique benefits of green color.

• Green can be calming:

Green is a cool color that can help create a calm and relaxed atmosphere. It is often used in areas where students need to concentrate or relax, such as libraries or study areas. 

• Green can be refreshing: 

Green is often associated with nature and the outdoors and can help bring a sense of freshness and rejuvenation to a school environment.

• Green can promote concentration: 

Green is the best color to promote the concentration of students. Most classroom boards are also made in green color for the same reason.

Overall, you can say that green is a calming and concentration catcher. So don’t forget to give your classroom a touch of green color.

5) BLUE: THE PRODUCTIVITY DRIVER

Blue is a calming and relaxing color that can benefit a school environment. It is often associated with feelings of tranquility, trust, and dependability and can be a useful color to use in certain areas of a school.

Here are some other benefits of the blue color.

• Blue can be calming:

Blue is a cool color that has the most calming effect among all other colors, even greater than green color. You can use it as the main color of your classroom.

• Blue can be professional: 

Blue is often associated with professionalism and dependability and can be a good choice for areas of the school where students need to feel more serious or focused, such as administrative offices or testing centers.

• Blue can lessen fatigue and improves health:

Blue is a universal color that reduces fatigue. But if you dig even deeper, you’ll find that overall health is improved if the students learn in a blue environment. 

Considering all these benefits of blue color, it is used in rich amounts, unlike the bold red color that is used sparingly.

But still, if you are designing the interior of a school, you can’t depend upon any single one of these colors completely. That’s why here’s a bonus tip for you.

Bonus Tip – Use a combination of colors 

No matter which color you use, it is best to use it in moderation and in a way that promotes a positive & productive learning environment. And you can achieve that using combinations of different colors.

Let’s see how we can use a combination of colors in a school’s interior design.

How to use combinations of colors?

In a school design, different combinations of colors are used at different places.

For example, in a classroom, people mostly use blue or orange as the main color and then add the bold red color to highlight specific areas. The classroom board can also be covered in green color to increase concentration.

On the other hand, you can use a combination of light yellow and blue colors in a library to maintain attention and concentration. At the same time, the school gym is mostly decorated with solid red and yellow colors to provide a maximum energizing effect.

Similarly, you can use different combinations of colors in the school hallway, cafeteria, and other places.

Now let’s move on and see some FAQs before we end our discussion.

FAQs

What colors are best for school?

Many colors are suitable for the interior design of a school.

Out of them, red, yellow, orange, green, and blue comes on the top. But considering the age and needs of the students, a combination of all these colors is preferred.

What color attracts children?

If we are talking about the color that attracts children, the obvious answer will be bold red. Other than red, dark yellow and orange colors also have attention-grabbing abilities. So they are used along with red color to have a greater effect.

Conclusion

Considering the psychology of children, choosing the best colors for schools is a critical factor in their learning.

This guide covers how different colors impact the school environment and what colors you can use to improve your classroom aesthetics. Go through it and make the perfect color scheme for every single place in your school.