Canadian paint brand Dulux has launched a first-of-its-kind program to help health care and educational institutions add colour to their spaces.

The Functional Colour and Design program provides a palette of 40 different colour schemes and colour combinations designed to have a positive psychological and physiological impact on patients, students and staff.

With options ranging from light to dark tones in every colour family, the colours offered are spectrally-arranged to make the selection process easier, with palettes specially-designed for each industry. The health care palette alone, for example, features 596 unique colours specifically selected for these types of environments.

The health care module provides examples of such areas as patient, exam, treatment and emergency rooms as well as public, staff and social spaces – along with a host of stress-relieving colour choices for those areas. The educational module does the same for such spaces as classrooms, lunchrooms, gymnasiums, public spaces and auditoriums. Both modules also recommend products that will withstand the high-traffic characteristic of health care and educational facilities.

The science-based program was created with a wide range of elements taken into consideration, including light reflectance values, the intensity of colours and insight into the psychological and physiological aspects of colour. It also addresses a variety of factors when making colour decisions such as the end user, light sources, architecture of the space, existing or new decor elements and activity related to the environment.

Some of the program’s underlying principles are:

• White walls appear unfriendly, antiseptic and institutional.
• Primary colours cause visual fatigue, while high-intensity colours over stimulate.
• Warm, subdued neutrals are versatile, providing a high degree of comfort.
• Classic, sophisticated cool neutrals give a space an introspective feel.

Launched in September, the program aims to cure the traditionally sterile decor associated with health care and educational facilities. Plans are currently in the works to launch modules for additional industries.