HGTV Design Star Color - Would You Do Wysteria?

One of my guilty pleasures is getting my fix with HGTV's Design Star. Yes, I know the design situations are unrealistic and completely set up for disaster. But, I love seeing what the designers come up with on the fly. And of course, I'm especially interested in their paint color choices. So yesterday, I saw the celebrity design episode, featuring rooms for Tiffani Thiessen, Jason Priestly, and Kathy Griffin. I guess Jenny Garth and Tori Spelling were busy. Lonni played it safe with eco-friendly neutrals for Tiffani's guest bedroom. I got a little nervous when I saw the blue and green choices by Dan for Jason's nursery. I was worried that the color would be overwhelming in such a large space. I breathed a little easier when he explained that he would be breaking it up with the curtains and other design elements. And that he did. Good move. I have to admit that Antonio left me scratching my head with his color choice for Kathy Griffin's office. Candice Olson called it "wysteria", a hot, trendy color. I thought for sure that the judges were going to let him have it. Much to my surprise, they loved it! Don't get me wrong. I've used my share of purples in Color Designs. I use it quite often actually--in homes. When choosing colors for offices, you should take into consideration that there are a number of people working in the space. In my experience, there are people who *love* purple and people who absolutely can't stand it. And, there are certain shades of purple that actually make people feel nauseous. Trendy or not, there was a lot of purple in that office. I also felt, that in conjunction with the new dark reddish laminate flooring, that the space was dark and cave-like. With the green movement, we are moving towards more natural light in the workspace. It inspires associates and makes them feel good. I can guarantee that people working in this space would be gravitating toward the outdoors whenever they had the chance. This is one case where the color worked on a technical level but struck out on a psychological level. When choosing office colors, go for light and harmony and balance to create the optimal environment where people love to work.