5 Tips for Better Home Office Lighting

-Proper Lighting Helps Make for a More Productive, Comfortable Work Space

When you work in a home office, the character and quality of lighting in your workspace can help increase your productivity. Poor office lighting can reduce your energy, dampen mood, produce eyestrain and headaches, and ultimately impair your ability to work effectively.

If you don’t have a lot of natural light, then artificial lights are even more important when considering workspace illumination. Many home offices have ambient lighting that includes overhead or recessed lights, but it’s a mistake to think that those alone will suffice. Existing ambient lighting is not designed for functional lighting in the home office, and it’s necessary to add additional sources.

Here are five points to consider when making office lighting decisions for your home workspace.

Keep Office Lights Indirect

Avoid working under the direct glare of overhead lights. Instead, look for ways to diffuse the ambient light that will illuminate your office space. Lampshades soften and scatter otherwise harsh light, while an upward-shining floor lamp bounces the light off of walls and ceilings. The goal is to illuminate the entire space without creating undue glare and contrast while avoiding casting shadows.

Create Task Lighting

For computer work, paperwork, and other focus-intensive tasks, choose a well-defined light source dedicated to what you’re doing. An adjustable or articulated?desk lamp?can put light exactly where you need it and support a variety of tasks. If your home office has multiple workstations—for example, a desk for computer and phone work, a filing area, and a table for reviewing photos and layouts—set up dedicated task lighting for each station.

Eliminate Glare and Shadows

Always consider where your light is coming from: A light source set behind you as you work on your computer will almost certainly create an annoying glare on your monitor. Likewise, look out for unintended shadows cast by lamps set up for task lighting. For instance, if you write with your right hand, your hand and arm may cast shadows if the task light is also placed on the right. Also, consider the location of windows when setting up your workspaces.

Utilize Natural Light

Don’t overlook the unique benefit of natural light coming from a window, skylight, or another portal. Sunlight can produce warm lighting that improves the work environment. On the other hand, you may need to account for direct sunlight that creates overwhelming glare during certain times of the day.

In general, it’s best to have natural light in front of or next to work surfaces and computer screens to avoid glare and maximize your outside views. You can also position your workstation facing north or south so that the sunlight doesn’t throw a shadow at any point in the day. To accommodate varying levels of brightness during the day, solar shades soften and reduce the heat without compromising the light and view. You can also try a simple blind or even a standing screen, which will do a nice job of diffusing sunlight shining through a window.

Consider Decorative Office Lighting

As mentioned, most home offices will feature ambient lighting that is diffused throughout the space and task lighting that is focused on specific workstations. Beyond these two functional lighting types, you may want to add decorative and accent lighting to help improve the visual character of your home office. Accent lighting, like mantel or picture lights, draws attention to objects or other elements in the room, while decorative lights—such as?wall sconces—provide direct visual appeal.

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