With 40 years of experience in commercial interiors, Klawiter has seen firsthand how strategic color choices can transform a struggling property into a highly sought-after space. In our experience, the properties that command premium rents aren’t just those with the best locations—they’re the ones where every design element, including color, works to support tenant success. 

Industry-Specific Color Strategies That Drive Results 

Different industries require different color approaches to maximize tenant success and property value. Understanding these nuances helps property owners position their spaces strategically and enables brokers to match clients with environments that support their business goals. 

Corporate Office Spaces: The Productivity Equation 

Strategic color choices in corporate environments directly impact employee performance and tenant satisfaction, making productivity-focused design a key differentiator in today’s competitive office market. 

Blue: The Foundation of Focus 

Blue remains the gold standard for corporate environments, backed by neurological studies showing that blue light wavelengths enhance cognitive performance and reduce mental fatigue. In our experience with corporate office design, we’ve seen productivity improvements in spaces that incorporate strategic blue elements. Blue colors calm the mind and reduce tension, creating an ideal backdrop for focused work. Light blue tones evoke peace and tranquility, while darker blues convey authority and professionalism—a combination that makes tenants feel confident about their space choice. 

“A certain blue enters the soul.” — Henri Matisse 

Green: The Balance Factor 

Green reduces eye strain and creates psychological balance—crucial for environments where employees spend 8+ hours daily. We’ve worked with numerous clients to incorporate green through accent walls and biophilic design elements, consistently seeing positive tenant feedback and higher renewal rates. Green connects occupants to the natural world, with light greens making spaces feel fresh and airy—perfect for general office areas—while dark greens create rich, sophisticated accent colors that tenants associate with stability and growth. 

“Nature in her green, tranquil woods heals and soothes all afflictions.” — John Muir 

Red: Strategic Energy Boosts 

While red can overwhelm in large doses, strategic red accents in break rooms or collaboration areas increase energy and encourage interaction. This approach proves particularly effective in creative industries or tech companies that value collaborative culture. In one recent project, a tech client saw increased cross-departmental collaboration after we introduced warm red elements in their common areas. Red signifies strength and courage while motivating action—ideal for spaces requiring extra energy like meeting rooms. 

“Red is one of the strongest colors. It’s blood, it has a power with the eye. That’s why traffic lights are red I guess, and stop signs as well… In fact, I use red in all of my paintings.” — Keith Haring 

Retail Environments: The Purchase Psychology 

Color directly influences buying behavior, making psychology-driven retail spaces valuable assets that attract quality tenants and support higher lease rates. 

Warm Colors for Impulse Buying 

Red, orange, and warm yellows create urgency and encourage quick decision-making—a principle extensively used by fast-food chains and retail stores. Properties with flexible retail spaces should showcase how warm accent walls or displays can be incorporated without overwhelming the base neutral palette. 

Cool Colors for Considered Purchases 

Blue and cool greens encourage careful consideration, making them ideal for high-ticket retail or professional services. Luxury car dealerships, furniture stores, and financial services benefit from cool color schemes that suggest trust and reliability. 

Healthcare and Wellness: The Healing Environment 

Healthcare tenants actively seek properties with therapeutic color schemes that support patient outcomes, making healing-focused design a powerful tool for attracting medical professionals. 

Soft Blues and Greens: Stress Reduction 

Healthcare tenants specifically seek environments that promote calm and healing. Research shows that patients in blue-green environments report improved comfort and satisfaction with their care experience.

For medical office buildings, highlighting existing calming color schemes—or the potential to create them—can significantly differentiate your property when attracting quality healthcare tenants. We’ve helped medical office building owners reduce their vacancy rates simply by implementing healing color palettes that healthcare professionals actively seek. 

Hospitality: The Experience Economy 

Hospitality businesses depend on creating memorable experiences that encourage longer visits and repeat customers, making comfort-focused color schemes essential for success and profitability. 

Earth Tones for Extended Engagement 

Warm browns, soft oranges, and natural greens create the comfort and warmth hospitality businesses need. These colors encourage longer stays and higher customer satisfaction—key metrics for restaurant and hotel tenants. 

Common Color Mistakes That Cost Money 

The All-White Trap 

Many property owners default to white walls, believing they’re “neutral and flexible.” However, we’ve consistently seen that stark white environments can feel sterile and unwelcoming. These environments often struggle to attract and retain quality tenants who prefer more inviting spaces. 

Better Solution: Use warm whites or soft off-whites with carefully selected accent colors. This maintains flexibility while creating a more inviting environment. 

The Gray Monotony 

While gray appears professional, extensive gray environments can cause feelings of sadness and depression, which reduces motivation. In our experience, properties with overwhelming gray color schemes often struggle with tenant retention and command lower lease rates than comparable properties with warmer, more strategic color choices. 

Better Solution: Use gray as a sophisticated base while incorporating warmer accent colors through fixtures, artwork areas, or feature walls. 

Ignoring Natural Light Interaction 

Colors look dramatically different under various lighting conditions. Many commercial spaces fail because color choices weren’t tested under actual lighting conditions tenants will experience. 

Professional Tip: Always test color samples under the space’s actual lighting at different times of day before making final decisions. 

Practical Implementation for Property Professionals 

Understanding color psychology is valuable, but knowing how to apply it strategically in real estate transactions and property management is what drives results. Here’s how brokers, property owners, and tenants can leverage these insights to create competitive advantages and maximize their investments. 

For Brokers: Selling the Color Story 

When showing properties, don’t just point out square footage—explain the color psychology. Help clients understand how existing color schemes support their business goals or identify opportunities for strategic improvements. 

Key Talking Points: 

• “This blue accent wall in the conference room will enhance focus and decision-making” 

• “The natural green elements reduce stress, which can improve employee retention” 

• “These warm colors in the customer area encourage engagement and longer visits” 

For Property Owners: Strategic Color Investments 

Not every property needs a complete color overhaul. Focus on high-impact areas that influence tenant decisions. 

Priority Areas: 

1. Main entrance and lobby areas 

2. Elevator interiors 

3. Common areas and break rooms 

4. Spec suites or retail spaces 

Budget-Friendly Solutions: 

• Accent walls rather than full room painting ($500-2,000 per space) 

• Updated lighting that enhances existing colors ($1,000-5,000) 

• Strategic artwork or graphics that introduce psychology-driven colors ($300-1,500 per area) 

For Tenants: Maximizing Your Space Investment 

Understanding color psychology helps tenants make smarter design decisions within lease constraints. Most commercial leases allow tenant improvements, and strategic color choices can significantly impact business performance. 

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The Future of Color in Commercial Design 

Emerging trends in commercial color psychology include: 

Biophilic Color Palettes: Natural color schemes that connect occupants with nature, reducing stress and improving cognitive performance. 

Adaptive Lighting Systems: Technology that adjusts both light color temperature and intensity throughout the day, optimizing environments for different activities and times. 

Cultural Color Considerations: As workforces become more diverse, understanding cultural color associations becomes increasingly important for inclusive design. 

Taking Action: Your Next Steps 

Color psychology in commercial design isn’t about following trends—it’s about understanding how environmental factors impact human behavior and business performance. Whether you’re a broker looking to better serve clients, a property owner seeking competitive advantages, or a business owner planning space improvements, strategic color decisions can deliver measurable results. 

Remember: Every color choice is a business decision. Make sure yours are driving the results you want. 

Ready to transform your property’s marketability and tenant satisfaction? Contact Klawiter for a comprehensive property color assessment that identifies specific tenant attraction opportunities and develops a strategic color plan to maximize your property’s competitive advantage. Our 40 years of commercial design expertise means we know which colors drive results—and which costly mistakes to avoid. 

Schedule your consultation today and discover how the right color strategy can reduce vacancy rates, increase lease rates, and improve tenant satisfaction scores. 

Sources:

1. Alkozei, Anna et al. “Exposure to Blue Light Increases Subsequent Functional Activation of the Prefrontal Cortex During Performance of a Working Memory Task.” Sleep vol. 39,9 1671-80. 1 Sep. 2016, doi:10.5665/sleep.6090
   
2. “The Impact of Color in the Workplace on Employee Wellness and Productivit.” Corporate Wellness Magazine, www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com/article/the-impact-of-color-in-the-workplace-on-employee-wellness-and-productivit.

Picture this: You’re Napoleon Bonaparte, standing in the Russian snow, watching your Grande Armée turn into human popsicles. Your first thought? “Mon Dieu, I should have read the construction documents more carefully.” Okay, maybe that wasn’t his exact thought, but it should have been.

When Planning Goes Catastrophically Wrong

In 1812, Napoleon marched 600,000 men toward Moscow. His plan: defeat the Russians quickly and be home before winter. Only 22,000 returned—a 96% casualty rate that makes even the worst construction project overruns look like rounding errors.

The problem wasn’t poor planning. Napoleon had studied previous invasions and stockpiled supplies. The issue was that the Russians refused to follow the script. Instead of the decisive battle Napoleon expected, they retreated, burned everything useful, and let winter do the work.

Learning from History’s Most Expensive Lesson

The philosopher George Santayana coined the phrase “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” At Klawiter Group, we’ve taken this lesson to heart. We learn from every project—capturing what went wrong, what went right, and how to prevent future problems.

The Klawiter Lesson: Details Save Armies (And Projects)

This is where our story takes a decidedly more practical turn. At Klawiter Group, we’ve learned that Napoleon’s fundamental mistake wasn’t underestimating winter—it was underestimating the importance of comprehensive, detailed documentation that accounts for every possible scenario.

Our construction documents have earned industry recognition precisely because we’ve adopted what we call the “Anti-Napoleon Approach”: assume everything that can change will change, and document accordingly.

Where Napoleon’s plans crumbled when faced with unexpected tactics, our architectural drawings anticipate the curveballs. We’ve learned from forty years of field experience that the difference between project success and disaster often comes down to whether a contractor can find the answer to their question in the documents, rather than calling for clarification at 3 PM on a Friday.

The Minard Chart: Visualizing Complexity

Napoleon’s disaster was later immortalized in Charles Joseph Minard’s famous 1869 statistical map, which shows the dwindling army as a narrowing beige line advancing into Russia, with the black retreat line growing thinner as temperatures dropped. It’s considered one of the greatest examples of data visualization in history—a masterclass in communicating complex information through clear graphics.

This is precisely what we strive for in our construction documentation: clear, comprehensive communication that leaves no room for misinterpretation.

Learning from History (And Harsh Winters)

Every project teaches us something new. That awkward junction detail that caused a headache in 2019? We’ve now got a standard detail for it.

Unlike Napoleon, who had to learn his lessons the hard way (and very publicly), we’ve built a system that captures institutional knowledge and continuously improves our documentation. Our general contractors regularly praise the accuracy and completeness of our construction sets—not because we’re perfect, but because we’ve learned to plan for imperfection.

The Takeaway (Minus the Frostbite)

Napoleon’s Russian campaign failed not because of poor planning, but because rigid planning couldn’t adapt to changing circumstances. In contrast, truly successful construction documentation anticipates variables, provides clear guidance for multiple scenarios, and gives contractors the tools they need to make informed decisions in the field.

So the next time you’re reviewing architectural drawings for your next tenant improvement or office renovation, ask yourself: are these documents prepared for their own Russian winter? Or will they leave your contractors standing in the metaphorical snow, wondering what Napoleon would do?

At Klawiter Group, we prefer our battles to be won on paper, in the office, at room temperature. Napoleon might not have had that luxury, but your construction project certainly does.

Thanks, Napoleon, we learned from your mistakes so our clients don’t have to.

Light is the first language of space—speaking before color, before form, before any conscious design decision registers. It whispers moods into being and orchestrates the silent symphony of human experience within built environments. Far beyond mere visibility, strategic illumination serves as architecture’s most powerful yet invisible force, crafting emotion, supporting wellness, and elevating the human experience.

The Mood-Setting Power of Light

Lighting can dramatically transform how a space feels and functions. From warm tones that create intimate, contemplative settings to cooler hues that sharpen focus and energize collaboration, light becomes the conductor of emotional experience. Thoughtfully layered illumination—balancing ambient, task, and accent lighting—helps delineate zones, evoke calmness, or stimulate activity.

At Klawiter, we’ve observed this transformative power across four decades of commercial design. In healthcare environments, we use gentle, warm lighting to reduce patient anxiety while incorporating brighter, more focused illumination in clinical areas. For entertainment venues, we craft dynamic lighting narratives that build anticipation and enhance the guest experience. Office spaces demand a more nuanced approach—supporting concentration during focused work while creating inviting areas for collaboration and respite.

Designers have long known this intuitively, but today, research validates what our instincts tell us: light directly affects psychological well-being, cognitive performance, and even physical health.

Circadian Support: Reconnecting with Natural Rhythms

Modern commercial environments often disconnect occupants from natural daylight, especially in windowless spaces, lower floors, or deep floor plates. This disconnection disrupts our circadian rhythms—the internal biological clock governing sleep, hormone production, alertness, and mood. Without adequate daylight exposure or circadian-aligned artificial lighting, we risk sleep disorders, reduced cognitive function, and mood disorders including depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder.

The WELL Building Standard v2.0 recognizes this critical connection between lighting and wellness, establishing key principles like Circadian Lighting Design and Daylight Design Strategies. These standards require at least 150 Equivalent Melanopic Lux (EML) at work planes for four hours per day—a metric that measures light’s impact on our biological clock rather than simple visual brightness. Premium wellness certifications call for even higher levels, acknowledging that superior lighting design is becoming a competitive advantage in attracting health-conscious tenants and users.

For design professionals, this represents both an opportunity and a responsibility. Lighting that supports circadian health isn’t just good practice—it’s becoming an expectation in high-performance buildings.

Daylight, Virtually Delivered

When natural light isn’t available or sufficient, cutting-edge technology offers compelling solutions. Systems like Artificial Sky’s biodynamic lighting platforms, including their Virtual Sky and Skylight series, represent a quantum leap in addressing natural light deprivation. Using sophisticated nanotechnology, these systems replicate the Rayleigh Scattering effect that makes our sky appear blue—delivering not just sunlight, but the psychological experience of open sky.

This technology becomes particularly powerful in challenging design scenarios: basement conference rooms, interior medical suites, or deep-plan office spaces where traditional skylights aren’t feasible. The systems dynamically shift in color temperature and intensity from warm 2100K evening tones to bright 7500K midday illumination, automatically aligning with natural daily rhythms.

Design in Motion: Lighting as Experience

The most sophisticated lighting installations transform illumination into experiential design. Artificial Sky’s Virtual Sky includes subtle moving cloud patterns, gradual sunset transitions, and even gentle nighttime scenes—blurring the boundary between real and artificial daylight. This immersive approach proves particularly valuable in specialized environments like memory care facilities, where dynamic lighting can slow cognitive decline and reduce symptoms of dementia and depression.

Equally important is occupant control—another key WELL feature that empowers users to adjust brightness and color temperature to their personal preferences and tasks. This personalization not only improves comfort but reduces common lighting complaints like glare, flicker, or overstimulation that can undermine otherwise excellent design.

The Klawiter Approach: Balancing Art and Science

Our lighting design philosophy centers on the belief that exceptional illumination should feel both intentional and effortless. We begin every project by understanding the human story: Who will use this space? What activities will unfold here? How do we want people to feel when they enter?

From this foundation, we layer technical expertise—understanding color rendering, beam angles, dimming protocols, and energy performance. But the technology serves the experience, never the reverse. Whether designing a corporate headquarters, medical facility, or entertainment venue, we craft lighting that enhances both the architectural vision and human well-being.

Our four decades of experience have taught us that lighting mistakes can undermine even the most sophisticated design. Common pitfalls include over-reliance on overhead fixtures, neglecting transition zones, ignoring the impact of screen glare, and failing to consider how lighting changes throughout the day. Great lighting design anticipates these challenges from the earliest planning stages.

Conclusion: The Invisible Foundation of Great Design

Lighting is no longer just about visibility—it’s about vitality, productivity, and the subtle art of making spaces feel alive. In the hands of informed designers, illumination becomes an instrument to elevate wellness, enhance performance, and create atmospheres that resonate on both conscious and unconscious levels.

At Klawiter, we understand that exceptional lighting design isn’t just about fixtures and lumens—it’s about crafting environments that enhance human potential. By aligning artificial illumination with natural rhythms, architectural intentions, and human preferences, we unlock spaces that feel as good as they look, supporting the people and activities they house.

When done right, lighting becomes one of design’s most impactful and lasting contributions—the invisible foundation upon which great spaces are built.

References: International Well Building Institute — Intro to Well v2™ Q1 2022
References: Artificial Sky — Bring The Outdoors In
Contributors: Light Build Design — Ken Downing, AIA and Stefan Rohrberg

As we launch our series of articles highlighting our work and design, we’re proud to share the meaningful impact of our collaboration with the Los Angeles LGBT Center. An impact not just on the LGBTQ+ community but also on ourselves as a team. Through our work with the Center, we were able to deepen our understanding of how design has a ripple effect. We also learned how a mission-aligned design approach supports not only our clients’ missions but our own mission as interior designers and architects.

Being aware that design has a ripple effect—a space can impact people beyond the direct users of the spaces we design for–we acknowledge and understand the importance of mindful and intentional design. A mission-aligned design approach is one example of how design can be used as a tool to support and uplift not only our clients’ missions and our mission as a group of interior designers and architects, but also people beyond the direct users of the spaces we design for. The Los Angeles LGBT Center remodel project is an example of this.

Aligning Our Missions

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Mission is to “care for, champion, and celebrate LGBTQ individuals and families in Los Angeles and beyond by offering programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories: health, social services and housing, culture and education, and leadership and advocacy to build a better world—a world in which LGBTQ people can be healthy, equal, and complete members of society.”

One of our Missions as Designers and Architects is through mindful and intentional design, to partner with our clients to support and enhance their missions. A big part of our mission is to also understand our “why?”. Why do what we do? One response is that we recognize how design can enhance the well-being of others. How do we do this? One way, is by using a mission-aligned design approach. Why? Because we enjoy the design process, but also get so much in return knowing the impact we can have on our clients, and our client’s clients.  

Aligning these missions created the framework for our design approach in the Center’s remodel. Research shows that 8% of LGBTQ patients report being refused care due to their sexual orientation,¹ and that the physical environment of healthcare settings can significantly contribute to preventing or reducing patient stress.² For a community that already faces too many barriers to care, our design needed to actively counter these challenges while supporting the Center’s three core goals. Every design decision became an opportunity to create dignity, welcome, and healing.

Design Elements Supporting the Center’s Mission and Goals: Building a World in Which LGBTQ People Can Be Healthy Members of Society

Creating environments that promote healing became our primary focus. In an external urban environment that can feel harsh and unwelcoming, our design centered on creating a space internally that felt clean, serene, and calm.

Healing Through Natural Materials

Nature has an inherent power to heal. Thus, we used natural elements and materials throughout the design to promote calmness and well-being: light-colored tile flooring evocative of terrazzo and outdoor natural materials, subtle and light woods, and green-colored walls that evoke plant life indoors. This isn’t just aesthetic preference—research shows that biophilic design in hospitals reduces hospitalization time, patient mortality, pain levels, and stress while supporting faster recovery.³ For LGBTQ+ patients who may already feel vulnerable in medical settings, these elements create an immediate sense of calm and safety.

Patient-Centered Space Planning

Working with the medical staff on the clinic design and layout was one of the most important parts of this project. We modeled many of the spaces after their favorite existing rooms. One example was to model all exam rooms after the medical personnel’s favorite existing exam room layouts. By placing the feedback of the medical staff first, we knew that each exam room would now be a favorite for them, and, ultimately, help to put the health of the patients first–assisting the Center to complete their goal of providing quality health care.

Building a World in Which LGBTQ People Can Be Equal Members of Society

Quality design communicates value and respect. By prioritizing high-quality materials and thoughtful layouts, we help clients and staff feel valued the moment they walk through the door. Through design, we can provide people with dignity—dignity to know that in addition to receiving quality care, the spatial environment reflects that same level of care and attention.

Inclusive Design Process

Throughout this project, we prioritized collaboration and inclusion with the Center’s staff—not because it’s good practice, but because it was essential to getting this right. The voices of those who work in the space daily needed to be heard and incorporated. This approach reflects the Center’s own commitment to treating all people with respect and recognizing their expertise. The Center’s staff know best what their clients’ needs require, and by prioritizing their voices, we are ensuring equality by design.

Building a World in Which LGBTQ People Can Be Complete Members of Society

The Center has always been more than just a building to the LGBTQ+ community—it’s been a home, sanctuary, and symbol of resilience. We wanted our design to honor that legacy while making it even more accessible and welcoming.

Community Integration Through Space Planning

Moving the clinic to the first floor was about more than convenience—it was about removing barriers and making a statement. Healthcare should be accessible, visible, and prioritized. This placement transforms the clinic from a destination within the building to an integrated part of the community experience, putting patient needs literally and symbolically at the forefront.

Welcome as the First Experience

There’s something powerful about walking into a space and immediately feeling seen and valued. The redesigned waiting, reception, and check-in areas now serve as visitors’ first experience of the building. When someone enters the Center now, they immediately encounter spaces designed for comfort, dignity, and acceptance—setting the tone for every interaction that follows.

The Ripple Effect in Action

Through this design project, we were proud to partner with the Center to support both our mission as designers and their mission as leaders of the LGBTQ+ community in Los Angeles and beyond.

Recognizing that each space impacts a person, we can certainly state that design has a clear ripple effect, and by using a mission-aligned approach, we’re grateful to provide not only the Center’s users, but the greater LGBTQ community with dignity and support for their well-being. This work, in turn, supports our own well-being as humans who strive to give of ourselves through design for the greater good. That reciprocal relationship—where meaningful work feeds the soul—is what keeps us passionate about what we do.

As we reflect on the impact the Los Angeles LGBT Center project has had on our team, we are reminded that design is never neutral. Every space we create either supports or hinders the missions of those who use it. The Center renovation demonstrates how thoughtful design can become a tool for social good—creating ripple effects that strengthen communities and support human dignity.

When we align our mission as designers and architects with our clients’ missions, we create something greater than the sum of its parts—spaces that don’t just house important work but actively enable and amplify it. The result benefits not only those who use the spaces directly but the broader communities they serve, creating ripple effects that extend far beyond any single project.

Sources

1. Center for American Progress, “Discrimination Prevents LGBTQ People From Accessing Health Care,” 2017
2. Andrade, C. C., Devlin, A. S., Pereira, C. R., & Lima, M. L. “Do the hospital rooms make a difference for patients’ stress? A multilevel analysis of the role of perceived control, positive distraction, and social support,” 2017
3. “A systematic review of the impact of therapeutical biophilic design on health and wellbeing of patients and care providers in healthcare services settings,” Frontiers in Built Environment, 2024

Klawiter Group specializes in design for office, healthcare, and entertainment spaces. To discuss how Klawiter Group can support your organization’s goals, contact us to explore the possibilities for your next project.

Greetings,

I’m Ryan Brodkin, Managing Director at Klawiter, and I’m pleased to introduce our new design journal. After four decades of delivering commercial interior architecture that drives business results, we recognized the value of sharing our expertise and design philosophy with the professionals who shape today’s commercial real estate landscape.

At Klawiter, we understand that exceptional design isn’t merely aesthetic—it’s strategic. When we craft a lobby, we’re engineering first impressions that close deals. When we design a healthcare facility, we’re creating environments that measurably improve patient outcomes. When we plan an office, we’re building productivity into every square foot. This is the precision and artistry that has defined our practice for forty years.

Whether you’re a landlord maximizing asset value through strategic tenant improvements, a broker positioning properties in competitive markets, or a developer seeking design expertise that delivers measurable ROI, this journal will provide the insights you need. We know that behind every successful commercial venture is a space designed with both human psychology and business objectives in mind.

Through this journal, you’ll gain access to our design process, market insights, and project case studies that demonstrate how strategic interior architecture impacts your bottom line. Our team will share expertise on space planning optimization, tenant attraction strategies, and emerging design trends that influence commercial real estate values. You’ll discover how we approach complex challenges—from maximizing rentable square footage to creating environments that command premium rents.

Our core belief remains unchanged: environments shape human behavior, and human behavior drives business success. Every material selection, spatial configuration, and lighting decision in our projects serves this principle. When we design a workspace, we’re not just arranging furniture—we’re engineering productivity, collaboration, and employee retention.

This journal represents our commitment to elevating the commercial real estate industry through design excellence. We invite you to explore how Klawiter transforms spaces into strategic business assets.

Ryan Brodkin
Managing Director, Klawiter