The Importance of Good Home Office Lighting
Good home office lighting allows users to view the screen and documents easily without using awkward postures or straining the eyes from glare, shadowing or reflections on the screen.
When considering home office lighting ideas remember that higher lighting levels are required for writing and reading tasks, particularly if you are doing more detailed work.
In a home office, you want to achieve different levels of light to create a mood and atmosphere that is interesting and flows with the design of the house.
Keep in mind that your home office is a functional place for you to work but it should also reflect your personality and interests.
It should have a comfortable, properly lit area for reading, relaxing, and viewing a computer screen.
It’s also a place where you can display collections or artwork.
As such, lights for home office should be layered to enhance the various roles of the room.
You need ambient lighting—such as recessed or ceiling-mounted fixtures or up lights to establish an overall level of lighting in the room.
Task lights like a desk lamp, or perhaps a floor lamp next to a chair are specifically needed for working at a computer, writing, or reading.
And accent fixtures such as an uplight from the floor can be used to highlight art or architectural features.
Glare may be experienced by light shining directly into the eyes or reflected from other surfaces such as the screen, desktop or walls. This can cause eye fatigue and headaches.
Home office lighting ideas – Ways to avoid glare:
- Position the computer workstation so that your line of sight is parallel to the window
- Try to locate a computer workstation between rows of overhead lights
- Control natural light from the windows e.g. use venetian blinds (best angled up rather than down)
- Ensure all work surfaces and office fittings have non-reflective surfaces
- Adjust the angle of the screen so that it is 90 degrees (a right angle) to the work surface
- Avoid tilting the screen towards the ceiling
- Adjust brightness and contrast on the monitor
- Re-position the monitor and keyboard to minimize amount of glare on equipment.
Remember that the most important thing when considering lights for home office is the quality of light and how it renders color.
Home office lighting solutions include investing in a dimming system which is energy efficient and allows you to easily control the levels of light.
General ambient lighting can be achieved quite effectively by using a large pendant fixture with a diffused light source. Pendants can also add a dramatic element to the room. You want to provide a beautiful, soft glow.
When it comes to hanging a pendant, you should locate it in the center of the room, at least 6 feet above the finished floor.
The best home office lighting is not one that’s dim or improperly lit.
It will make you sleepy and you’ll get eye fatigue if there’s poor light when you’re looking at a computer screen.
To avoid this, be sure to layer in corrective light, such as a task light behind the computer screen.
When considering and selecting home office lighting fixtures such as task lighting for a home office simple, clean fixtures that can easily articulate at the arm, head, and in height are the best.
You can place the desk lamp to the left if right handed so the lamp light shines in front from left to right. Place the lamp to the right if left handed. Avoid placing desk lamps directly in front..
It’s also recommended to use LEDs to avoid heat while working or reading. Be sure the base of your task lamp doesn’t take up too much surface area and that the fixture is stable when positioned.
It’s ideal to have natural light sources in front of or adjacent to work surfaces and computer screens to avoid glare. This also optimizes views to the outside.
If exposures have varying brightness during the day, you can use solar shades to soften and cut down on heat without compromising the light source and view.
Placing shelving and storage behind the work surface allows for easy access and can create an interesting visual.
In larger spaces, you can place shelving around the room for a more intimate atmosphere.
A comfortable seating area or single chaise or lounge chair can be placed as the plan allows—often somewhere in front of the work surface.
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