School Colour Combinations for Laboratories

With the new academic year approaching we’ve been thinking about recent school laboratory refurbishments and our favourite colour schemes. When designing a school classroom, it is important to create an inspirational environment that will stimulate students. The aim is to select school colour combinations that will encourage pupils to engage in the subject but avoid anything too distracting.

Cool Colour Combinations for School Laboratories

Cool colours such as blues and greens have been found to help students concentrate.

Certain shades of green are believed to promote focus.

The staff at Blackheath Prep School were looking to create a bright and light appearance in their new laboratory. They selected white furniture with contrasting Lime Zest KI Postura stools and co-ordinating Jolly Lime Gratnells trays. This combination creates a smart appearance and adds ‘wow factor’.

Ysgol Bryn Elian also opted for a predominantly neutral theme but selected contrast Ocean doors and co-ordinating Aqua Blue KI Postura stools to modernise their 6th Form laboratory. The bright coloured furniture replaced outdated dark wooden units and the science department were really pleased with the amazing transformation.

An alternative option is to use a feature wall to create a focal point. At Carlton Academy the accessories are neutral but they opted for a contrast teal blue wall and co-ordinating Ocean doors. This balanced approach of using predominantly neutral colours with a feature wall can be an effective way of creating a bright focal point without it becoming overly distracting. A contrast wall also has the advantage of being a cost effective way of making a statement with colour which can easily be updated if requirements change.

‘Blue Sky Thinking’ is encapsulated in the colour scheme at The Royal School in Haslemere. Blue is known to promote creative brainstorming and has also been shown to increase productivity. Royal Blue Gratnells trays and blue framework co-ordinate with the mural showing scientific images. In this laboratory orange was used as a highlight colour to tie in with the mural and to provide a mood-boosting contrast.

Warm Colour Options for School Labs

Warm colours such as yellow and orange are known to stimulate the senses.
In a recent project at The Royal Ballet School yellow was used as a highlight colour; this inspires energy and creativity. The scheme uses Sun Yellow KI Postura stools and Sunshine Yellow Gratnells trays. In the example below yellow accessories were paired with furniture in light grey which calms the overall effect.

Classic Colour Schemes for School Lab Furniture

In general a sense of order is preferable in school classrooms to avoid over-stimulation. King Edward V1 6th Form College in Stourbridge selected a more classic combination of neutral Maple furniture with Black framework and Slate Grey KI Postura stools. This creates a smart appearance and a well ordered environment which suits students of an older age group, and co-ordinates well with the black window frames. This scheme ties in with the college colour theme, creating a feeling of unity and calm.

In conclusion colour can be used strategically to create inspiring classroom environments with highlight accessories as a good way of introducing an injection of colour into laboratories, but care should be taken to avoid over stimulation.

If you are planning to update your school laboratory facilities it might be useful to refer to our school colour combination leaflet for some ideas.

Our consultants will be happy to offer advice on colour options and materials to suit your design brief. Please email us or call 0161 998 9726.

Further reading:-

https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/how-do-colors-influence-learning
https://www.smh.com.au/technology/seeing-green-boosts-your-concentration-research-shows-20150525-gh8udh.html