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Best overhead lighting for home office


11 Home Office Lighting Ideas for a More Productive Workspace

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Lighting quality is important in any room, but especially in your work space. Poor lighting isn’t just a matter of looks—bad office lighting can cause eye discomfort and headaches, leave you feeling drained, and make you less productive. But with a few lighting changes, you can energize your work space and amp up the comfort.

Proper office lighting is attractive and easy on the eyes, and it creates a pleasant work environment. A good lighting setup can help you stay productive, even on those long days. Browse through these home office lighting setups to shed some fresh illumination on your own work space.

1. Adjustable Desk Lamp

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An adjustable desk lamp provides concentrated but movable lighting that is especially useful for focusing on work. We rated the TW Lighting Ivy LED Desk Lamp as one of the best adjustable desk lamps in our researched guide because of its flexible gooseneck design. This lamp can twist and turn in any direction you need, and it even has a convenient USB charging port built right into its base.

Get the TW Lighting Ivy LED Desk Lamp on Amazon for $13.95.

2. Pharmacy Floor Lamp

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Home office lighting that’s both stylish and practical can transform your office into a cozy yet functional space. The Brightech Adjustable Pharmacy LED Floor Lamp is one of the best floor lamps to brighten up your work space. Its striking modern design and brass finish bring both light and warmth to your office.

Get the Brightech Adjustable Pharmacy LED Floor Lamp on Amazon for $64.99.

3. Smart LED Light Strips

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LED light strips can add colorful ambient lighting to the work space. Place them around the perimeter of your desk, along office shelving, or behind your computer monitor to create a subtle glow. Reach for these smart LED light strips from Govee, which were selected as best overall in our researched guide to the best LED light strips. They feature nearly 33 feet of bright lighting as well as smart connectivity that lets you control the lighting and colors right from your smartphone.

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Get the Govee Smart LED Strip Lights on Amazon for $32.99.

4. Blue Light Glasses

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Artificial blue light emitted by your office lighting as well from screens can disturb your circadian rhythm and disrupt your sleep. If you work into the evening, consider a pair of blue-light glasses to block those sleep-disturbing rays. TIJN’s Blue Light Blocking Glasses are a unisex pick from our researched guide to the best blue light glasses you can buy right now. They are lightweight, scratch-resistant, and come in a variety of colors.

Get the TIJN Blue Light Blocking Glasses on Amazon for $13.99.

5. Ceiling Track Lights

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Installing a bright home office ceiling light is an excellent way to inspire focus in a work space. The Globe Electric Payton Collection 4 Bar Track Light is a minimalist choice that will suit most home offices. It offers bright lighting with four independently pivoting track heads so you can adjust the aim of the lights to your needs.

Get the Globe Electric Payton Collection 4 Bar Track Light on Amazon for $28.96.

6. Smart Desk Lamp

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Make your work space smarter with a desk lamp featured in our researched guide to the best LED desk lamps. The BenQ e-Reading LED Desk Lamp casts a wide beam of light to illuminate your desk space. It boasts a built-in ambient sensor that detects the light level in the room and adjusts its brightness accordingly so you’ll always have a suitable amount of lighting while you work.

Get the BenQ e-Reading LED Desk Lamp on Amazon for $229.

7. Dimmable Himalayan Salt Lamp

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A small decorative lamp is a pretty desk companion for busy work days. Himalayan salt lamps are a popular choice for adding an inviting glow. This Himalayan Salt Lamp from The Body Source is hand-carved from authentic Himalayan salt, making each lamp unique. It features a dimmer switch that allows you to adjust the brightness to create the perfect mood.

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Get The Body Source Himalayan Salt Lamp on Amazon for $34.99.

8. Adjustable Ambient Light

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Bright lighting can help improve focus and concentration, but if you’re looking for an option that’s not too intense, consider the JOOFO Floor Lamp, a top product selected for our researched guide to the best floor lamps. The flat, round head of this floor lamp is tilted upward so it bounces light off the ceiling and walls to illuminate a room without using harsh lighting. To give even more control, this lamp features adjustable brightness and color temperature settings that let you customize your lighting type.

Get the JOOFO Floor Lamp on Amazon for $59. 99.

9. Blue Light Blocking Monitor Screen

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If you tend to work into the night, consider investing in a blue light blocking screen to help filter out blue light and reduce disruption to your sleep pattern. The Vintez Universal Blue Light Blocking Screen is a sheet that fits over your computer monitor screen to stop the blue light at its source. It comes in several different sizes to fit small and large computer monitors.

Get the Vintez Universal Blue Light Blocking Screen on Amazon for $40.99.

10. Smart Light Bulbs

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With a good smart bulb, you can control your office lighting from almost anywhere. The Philips Hue LED Smart Button Starter Kit is the best smart light bulb kit for decking out an office space. The kit includes three Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 bulbs, which will fit many office light fixtures. These bulbs can light up your office in different washes of color, all controlled from your smartphone or the included Hue Smart Button.

Get the Philips Hue LED Smart Button Starter Kit on Amazon for $148.96.

11. Cordless Task Lamp

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Frustrated with cord clutter? Opt for a cordless lamp! A cordless lamp like the O’Bright Portable LED Table Lamp provides functional lighting without adding to the tangle of cords at your desk. This lamp offers three brightness levels and provides up to 48 hours of cordless lighting on a full charge, both top reasons why it was selected as the best overall cordless lamp in our researched guide.

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Get the O’Bright Portable LED Table Lamp on Amazon for $29.99

The prices listed here are accurate as of  October 13, 2022.

Home Office Ceiling Lighting Ideas

Here we share our home office ceiling lighting ideas including the different light layering methods, types of fixtures & options, and suggested color temperature to use.

When we think about lighting in a home office setting, for most of us, throwing in a lamp and a couple of pendant lights simply does the trick.  

However, we can do more than the typical lighting setup. We’re used to having a well-thought-of lighting layout that goes a long way, affecting our day-to-day office work safety and performance. 

When considering a lighting layout, it is good to focus first on people, then the built environment, then decor. Every aspect is important but lighting a home is primarily for people – to enhance their comfort and communication and facilitate the daily tasks of eating and working.

Light layering is a technique in home lighting design that uses four primary layers of light – ambient, task, accent, and decorative – as well as some standard techniques like wall washing, grazing, and silhouette, to supplement and enhance light layering.

Table of Contents

Layering Lighting In A Home Office

Layering your lights is the best way to achieve quality lighting in your workspace. Layering involves combining the three main types of lighting, namely ambient, task, and accent light to create a well lit home office.

Adding your perimeter lighting and architectural lighting can also be included for a more dramatic effect, but is also necessary for a workspace environment. 

Ambient Lighting

This layer of lighting is also termed general lighting, which serves as the overall illumination to your home office. 

Ambient lighting serves as a consistent lighting level throughout the enclosed space. Generally, it has a soft, diffused light which reduces the shadows and evokes a sense of openness to the room. 

For home offices are mostly installed on ceilings, either mounted or recessed. They can also be installed on walls such as wall sconces. 

Other types include cove, valance, or soffit luminaires which bounce off the lights between the ceilings and walls.

Task Lighting

As the term implies, task lighting is used to provide light on a specific task area. A lamp next to a reading spot and a desk lamp are two common examples of task lighting.  

Task lighting is most commonly used in living spaces such as the kitchen, laundry room, home offices, and workshop areas. Task lighting is critical for your vision, as it aids in the maintenance of healthy eyes and the prevention of eye strain.

Accent Lighting

Like décor, accent lights add that visual intrigue and excitement to your space and are usually ten times brighter than your ambient lighting. 

Backlighting or coved lights on your shelving is an example of accent lighting.

Accent lights are also used to highlight an object, such as artwork or display. It also draws the eyes away from something or helps create a color temperature or ambiance to a space. 

Other Lighting Layers To Consider 

Natural Light/Daylighting: A light and airy work environment will motivate and encourage productivity while reducing procrastination. Allow natural light to flow into your workspace whenever possible. 

The ability of sunlight to produce warm light that stimulates your mood and promotes a relaxed working environment is one of its many benefits.

The natural rays of the sun will help you absorb vitamin D, which will keep your bones and immune system in good shape.

Control how natural light enters the room by using blinds, shutters, and positioning your desk or workstation in a north or south direction can help reduce shadows and glares from the sun.

Architectural: Cove, soffit, and valance are the three most common types of architectural lighting; all three are built into the room’s structure.

• The light from cove lighting is bounced toward the ceiling or upper wall from a shelf, recess, or a ledge, shelf, or recess high up on a wall.

• Soffit lighting is a type of lighting that is installed in a soffit or cornice near the ceiling and shines down on the wall.

• Valance lighting is light that bounces upward and downward from glass, wood, or metal mounted above a window or high on the wall.

• Indirect lighting is the technique of bouncing light off walls and ceilings, which many lighting professionals prefer because it reduces shadows and glare. Ambient lighting is the most common application of architectural lighting.

Home Office Ceiling Light Fixtures

Office types of ceiling lights come in a plethora of designs, and the most commonly used in a home office setting includes: 

Recessed Lights – Best for Diffusing Overall Lighting

A popular choice for most office spaces, both for residential and commercial offices in the recessed light. 

Along with your flush mount version, a recessed light is able to diffuse light and works well with a home office with a lack of natural light. With the right lighting layout, it can diffuse the light evenly. 

Track Lights – Customizable

Track lighting has come a long way over the years, with many great fixture designs that allow you to make a subtle visual statement with this versatile lighting option. 

These home office ceiling lighting fixtures are installed on a linear track which consists of several headlights that can be adjusted anywhere and at any angle along the track.  

This customizable feature makes it a practical home office light as you can adjust the direction and angle of your light depending on the task at hand. 

Flush Mount Ceiling Lights – For Low Ceilings

As the term implies, it is a dome-shaped ceiling fixture that’s mounted flush to the ceiling.

Another version is called a semi-flush mount light that extends just below the ceiling, which is usually used as a decorative feature. If 

They’re a stylish option for homeowners with low ceilings and a subtle alternative to pendant lighting. Furthermore, if you require additional illumination, a flush mount will work well with wall lights.

Pendant Lighting – A DIY Favorite

Pendant lighting is highly versatile. You can buy it straight from the store and customize it to fit your needs by adjusting the suspension or the height at which it is hung. 

This feature is critical because there are now interior design guidelines to follow, such as the proportion of the light in relation to its distance from the walls.

You can also choose to replace the light bulb to achieve the desired ambiance. Long hanging pendant lights also can make ceilings seem higher, and rooms feel larger.

Floor Lamps – Best for Reading

In general, you’ll want a floor lamp that shines brightly outward and upward. Floor lamps for tasks such as reading should be placed to the side or behind you when seated. 

Floor lamps can be statement pieces because of their size and height. If you’re looking for a unique floor lamp for your home office, an adjustable Pharmacy floor lamp is a great choice. A popular design you might have seen in many interior design showrooms is the

Home Office Ceiling fan with light – For Hot Work Days

You can always install a ceiling fan in your home office space if you don’t want to go with office chandeliers or pendants. 

This is especially beneficial for home offices located in warmer areas of the house, such as an upstairs room or a room with a full-sun window.  

But what about those bleak early mornings and late evenings spent at work? Ceiling fan light kits come in handy in this situation.

Most ceiling fans come with built-in light kits or optional accessories that you or your contractor can connect at the installation time. If you know the model number of an existing fan, we can try to match it with a separate light kit accessory from one of our manufacturers. 

Several of them sell light kits separately for just this situation, where a homeowner already has a fan installed but later decides to add a light.

Office ceiling fans with light kits provide sufficient area lighting for your home office while also providing a cool breeze for you to enjoy. This is especially useful now that summer is rapidly approaching.

Light kits come in different styles to match your office ceiling fan, whether you’re looking for a new accessory for an existing fan or want your new ceiling fan to come with a light kit.

Hybrid Lighting Fixtures – Dual Purpose

As single lights aren’t available on all flush mounts, you can choose hybrid versions.  

Some of them resemble a cross between a flush mount and a chandelier, adding just enough visual interest to small spaces without being overwhelming. A flush mount chandelier with track lighting is a good example.

Cordless Types – Portable

Are you fed up with tangled cords? Invest in a cordless lamp. A cordless or portable LED table lamp can provide functional lighting without adding to your desk’s tangle of cables. 

This lamp has three brightness levels and can provide up to 48 hours of cordless lighting on a single charge, which are two of the main reasons it was chosen as the best overall cordless lamp in our research.

Wall Sconces – Area and Task Lighting Combo

Office wall sconces may be the lighting solution for you if your home office space has low ceilings or if you simply prefer to keep your lighting closer to eye level. 

Wall sconces are ideal for the area and task lighting because they hang lower than ceiling light fixtures. Install multiple wall sconces for maximum area lighting, or use adjustable swing-arm wall sconces for added task lighting as needed. 

To create layered lighting, pair off office wall sconces with additional task lighting at your desk.

Best Ceiling Light For Home Office

Here we share the criteria you can use in choosing the best type of ceiling light for your home office.

• Versatile: Pick among the many types of lighting fixtures that are timeless in design and can work well with other luminaire designs. This will make layering your lights easier.  

• Adaptable: A fixture that can adapt to changes on your workspace, such as adjustable angle or brightness. 

• Space-saving: Head clearance is important. 

• Energy-efficient: There’s a reason why LED lights are now the standard lighting option for almost any functional use as you get quality light with less cost. 

• Within the Budget: If you’re working on a budget, there are a plethora of luminaire designs to choose from.  

What Types Of Light Bulbs Are Best For The Home Office?

Your choice of lighting in your home office or workspace is critical to your productivity. The best light bulbs for home office areas will help you stay focused and productive no matter what you’re doing. 

While portable lamps can be found in almost any office, this collection of desk, task, and library lamps allows you to be more creative with how and where your lighting is placed. 

Over the desks, linear suspension and pendants provide a bright spread of illumination for the entire room (handy over rectangular desks or conference tables).

Recessed fixtures are a subtle way to achieve general ambient lighting, and a ceiling fan with an integrated light kit is recommended if you need to move air around the room. 

When it comes to office lighting, LED is an important consideration. You’ll appreciate the bright, focused illumination they provide, in addition to their inherent energy efficiency. Whatever you choose, you’ll be sure to appreciate the extra light in the room.

Choosing the right light bulb is critical when installing a new light fixture in your home office. For workspaces, having a good lighting projection is essential. 

To maintain focus and concentration in a home office, you’ll want bright, cool lighting. In those Zoom meetings with the rest of the team, the bright light also makes you look professional.

How Bright Should The Home Office Be?

Selecting bulbs with a dimmable feature in a warm to cool color temperature range is ideal. A dimmable light fixture can help you adjust lighting requirements and strengths as the day progresses. 

A light bulb with a color temp of 3000k to 5000k should provide adequate light amplification for your workspace.

Suspended direct/indirect fixtures provide a bright, low-glare environment for long periods of computer or paperwork while also being very energy-efficient.

• Use a cool lamp (3500K is a good choice) than in the rest of your home office.  

• Recommended: All fluorescent should be >80 CRI, 2700K Electronic Ballast. 

• Don’t force all three (or five) into the space when not necessary. 

Controlling the fixtures intuitively and appropriately is a part of the design process. The best way to do this is to imagine the space as you go about your daily activities. 

Which light fixtures do you want them to be able to control? Which lighting fixtures would you like to be able to dim out when you have guests over for a formal dinner and want to create an intimate atmosphere?

Of course, when installing or upgrading a lighting system, all applicable codes and regulations must be followed. For more information on code, permit, and inspection requirements, contact your local electrical provider.

See more related content in our article about small home office ideas on this page.

How to Create the Best Lighting for Your Home Office 💡 Interior Design | HomeInteriorz.com

Whether you work in a home office or a cubicle the nature and quality of lighting in a workspace can improve productivity. Poor lighting can lower your energy, dampen morale, cause eye strain and headaches, and ultimately impair your ability to work effectively. nine0015

If you don't have much natural light, then artificial lighting is even more important when illuminating your workspace. Many home offices have ambient lighting that includes overhead or recessed lights, but it's a mistake to assume that this will be enough. The existing ambient lighting is not designed for functional home office lighting and additional sources need to be added. Here are five questions to consider when making your home office lighting decisions. nine0015

❓ How to make lighting above the desktop?

👉 It is desirable that direct light is directed to the workplace, and there is background lighting around. The best option - the office is lit with diffused ceiling lighting , and the light is directed to the workplace two to three times brighter. Do not use powerful lamps. And all because intense light is tiring.

❓ How can I ensure optimal illumination of the workplace? nine0021

👉 Arrangement workplace when working with a computer

  1. the distance from the lamp to the monitor should be more than 5 times the size of its diagonal;
  2. the light source should preferably be located on the left side of the screen;
  3. the light should not be too bright - high illumination also leads to eye strain and fatigue.

❓ How to make interesting lighting?

👉 8 lighting hacks Place accents with the help of light - emphasize the advantages and hide the flaws of the interior. For the home, choose warm or neutral light, for work areas - cold. There should be separate directional light sources in the work area. Crystal and mirrors make the light brighter. nine0015

❓ What should be the lighting in the office?

👉 To illuminate the workspace office , you need to choose a neutral white cold light from 4200K to 6400K. With such lighting, it is easier to concentrate, perform tasks that require diligence and concentration, and be energetic and efficient.

❓ How should the light fall on the desktop?

👉 What should be the lighting of workplaces ? Light , workplace, should fall on the left side of the sitting person so that the light fluxes do not fall into his eyes and computer monitor.

❓ How to arrange lamps above the work table?

👉 The main indicator of quality overhead lighting over the desktop is uniformity and good dispersion. Choose spotlights - spots, located at an equal distance from each other over the entire surface of the ceiling: this option is optimal in all respects.

❓ How to properly arrange lighting?

👉 How to properly organize lighting in the apartment: 5 useful tips

  2. Consider the purpose of the room ...
  3. Use gadgets

❓ How to increase the level of illumination? nine0021

👉 Measures to ensure standardized levels of illumination installation of an additional number of lamps; installation of an additional lamp for local illumination of the working surface; use of low-power and more efficient LED lamps.

❓ How to plan lighting?

👉 To do this, you need to know how to properly plan the light .

  1. Choose soft lighting for the bedroom
  2. Ceiling lights can be used in the living room
  3. There should be several lighting scenarios in the kitchen
  4. Lighting power in the bathroom depends on its area
  5. Powerful light is needed in the hallway

❓ How to position the light correctly?

👉 Luminaires can be directed where more light is needed - for example, at the workplace. Each zone has a directional lighting : in the kitchen - lighting above the countertop, in the bedroom - sconces, above the dining table and sofa - pendant lamps, at the desktop - floor lamp. They are included as needed.

❓ What is the best color temperature for the job?

👉 Neutral color temperature at 4000 kelvin (K) is optimal for the workspace.

Instruction video: ?? Light in the apartment - ideas of artificial lighting. The best options for the location of lamps..

How to correctly organize home office lighting - photo

Transferring your workplace to home conditions is becoming increasingly important, both in the West and in many regions of Russia. Many businessmen consider all the options and come to the conclusion that such an office is more profitable, because they do not have to pay rent and spend a lot of time every day traveling to and from work.

Regular readers of Room Interiors may ask me a natural question, that not everyone can equip themselves with a workplace at home. How to do this, we wrote quite recently, and today we will touch on the topic of home office lighting. nine0015

Lighting plays a key role in every room in our home, especially in areas such as the kitchen and home office.

It is an indisputable fact that low-quality lighting causes a drop in visual acuity, this is especially important in the home office, because you spend most of your time here during the day.

There are many ways to make quality lighting equipment, and some of them are listed below.

Natural light problem

Many laptop, tablet and smartphone users try to avoid natural light as screen glare can irritate the eyes and interfere with productivity.

But this is an absolute delusion, because mobile computers are designed just so that the user anywhere in our planet can be aware of everything that happens in the world.

The main thing is to place your mobile computer so that the sun's rays do not fall on it, and indoors it is best to sit sideways to the window or face, if it is the sunny side, so that the screen of the device is protected from direct sunlight. nine0015

A work desk can be placed between the windows, if you have equipped such a room for your office, then natural light will not interfere with your work.

It's all about angles

Lighting needs to be good at any time of the day, especially if you're an architect or designer and spend a lot of time at your desk sketching or drawing.

In this case, the desktop should be positioned in such a way that your shadow will never interfere with your work, i.e. the flow of natural light should enter the table on the right or left. The same rule applies to the location of lighting fixtures. nine0015

Ambient light rule

When setting up a home office in a room without windows, lighting must be done in such a way that it does not tire the eyes. Ambient light bulbs are ideal for this purpose, and a desk lamp with a height-adjustable stem is best placed on your desk to illuminate only the keyboard or piece of paper you're working on.

Lighting with the use of diffused light paws does not tire the eyes and allows you to illuminate the entire room evenly without creating a series of areas with a bright luminous flux and less illuminated. The guarantee of productive work throughout the working day will be provided one hundred percent. nine0015

Trendy Lighting Challenges

There are now many options for quality lighting in your home office. Experts consider the use of built-in diffused light fixtures of small format, but with a large focused illumination diameter, to be an acceptable option. This option is useful if your workplace is located in the back of the room.

A simple table lamp with an energy-saving incandescent lamp, which does not create the so-called "greenhouse effect", but qualitatively illuminates the space necessary for work, will help reduce eye strain and create high-quality lighting. nine0015

Personally, I use just such a lamp and adjust the height of the lampshade so that it illuminates only the keyboard at dusk, but does not cast glare on the monitor. It is quite convenient - the whole room is in twilight, and the working area is lit with high quality.

A play of sparkle and glare

Lighting a workspace in a home office will not reach high quality heights when using only one type of lighting. Learn to combine if your desktop has a considerable length and original mezzanines with built-in LED lighting are equipped above it. nine0015

Place a few spotlights on the ceiling and get a "sandwich" type of lighting, where each layer is on a separate level, but does not interfere or overwhelm the others.

When space is the premium

Compact office space is becoming an integral part of our homes around the world, we try to dedicate some part of the living space for this.

Not everyone has the opportunity to allocate a whole room for such an office, but if such a room is found, then it is necessary to make the correct lighting of the entire workplace. nine0015

In this case, sconces with swivel arms will come to the rescue, which will successfully replace outdated table lamps and bring a certain modern design and discreet appeal to the interior.

Slap on some shades

Many people who work from home complain that natural light, especially on a clear sunny day, creates glare and interferes with productive work.

To eliminate this unpleasant effect, the best option is to install adjustable blinds on the windows in the room, which block out sunlight and create an artificial shadow. nine0015

My workroom and bedroom are on the south side, so I installed three adjustable blinds on a rather wide window and now the streams of sunlight do not create any problems for me during the work during the day.

If you close the window with curtains to isolate the room from the effects of the solar flux, you will have to work under artificial lighting, which is not welcomed by doctors, since there is still a certain negative load on the eyes.

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