Part 2 : How to optimise your interior design and colours?
The best colours for floors and ceilings
14. Avoid black and dark colours in your window display. These risk creating a mirror effect, preventing passers-by from clearly seeing the items on show. You shop’s colour scheme should be evident before customers even set foot inside (on the shopfront and in the window). Colour coordination is a key aspect of the general atmosphere of your shop, and this includes your window.
15. Remember, changes to the colour of your shopfront are subject to planning regulations: seek information from your local authority before picking up the paintbrush! Even if you want to repaint the facade in the same colour, check with the authorities that this colour was properly authorised.
For more information, feel free to consult oure guide "41 tips to boost your window"
16. For the ceiling, choose light colours, which maximise natural light. Although the colour of your ceiling does not have a direct impact on artificial lighting, it is essential in distributing natural light to the back of your shop. Making the most of natural light also reduces your electricity consumption.
17. The colour of the floor also has relatively little impact on the quality of light, natural or artificial. It is often the furniture that adds colour, given the large amount of space it occupies; a shop floor is rarely clear and unobstructed.
18. If you have several worksurfaces or tables (wrapping station, product display), choose light, matte colours, which are easy on the eye.
19. If customers sit down in your premises (salon, beautician, etc.), choose matte paintwork to avoid creating bright spots that could be dazzling.
The right mix of colour and lighting: a winning combo!
20. Use LED bulbs! Colours vary considerably depending on the type of lighting used, which affects their brightness and saturation. The factor to take into account is the colour rendering index, or “CRI”. A CRI of 100, equivalent to daylight, gives the best colour rendering. Today, LED bulbs offer the best CRI on the market, often over 90.
21. The “colour temperature of light” is measured in kelvin (K) and ranges from warm shades (orange dominant – 2500 K to 3000 K) to cool shades (blue toned 5300 K +).
22. Adjust the colour temperature of the bulbs based on the products for sale. If you sell food products, certain colours are preferable to enhance the appearance of your goods. A fish shop should use “cool white” lighting (also called “pure white”) above 5,000K with bluish colours to enhance the freshness of the white flesh of the fish. On the other hand, the lighting in a butcher shop or charcuterie should be “warm white” between 2,800K and 3,000K. The reds in the light will reveal the natural red colour of the meat.
You should use “natural white” light (between 4,000K and 4,500K) for fruits and vegetables. This is a neutral white, also called “daylight” which makes the colour of fruits and vegetables look natural. Lastly, for a bakery, you should select a “warm white” (under 3,000K) to create a warm atmosphere and emphasise the freshness, warmth and, especially, the crustiness of fresh bread and pastries.
