Home office lighting design
11 Home Office Lighting Ideas for a More Productive Workspace
Photo: istockphoto.com
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 LampPhoto: Amazon.com
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 LampPhoto: Amazon.com
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 StripsPhoto: Amazon.com
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 GlassesPhoto: Amazon.com
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 LightsPhoto: Amazon.com
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 LampPhoto: istockphoto.com
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 LampPhoto: Amazon.com
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 LightPhoto: amazon.com
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.
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Photo: Amazon.com
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 BulbsPhoto: Amazon.com
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 LampPhoto: amazon.com
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.
for ceilings, desks, and walls |
(Image credit: Jan Baldwin / Future)
The right home office lighting ideas for ceilings, desks, and walls will ensure working on screen, or close up according to your needs, is comfortable and eye strain is avoided – crucial factors in any home work area.
But since this is part of your home rather than a corporate space, as an element of your overall home office ideas, the style of the lighting is equally crucial. Light fixtures here need to be carefully selected so they play their part in the room’s decor.
We’ve put together a selection of home office lighting ideas for ceilings, desks, and walls to inspire you whether you’re working with an interior designer or planning the room yourself. And there’s advice from the experts to help you perfect your scheme, too.
Home office lighting ideas for ceilings, desks, and walls
As part of your home office setup, it’s as important to plan a complete home office lighting scheme as it is to consider the desk and chair functionality. It's also as complicated as designing lighting schemes for other areas of your home, with ambient (or overall) lighting for the room, task lighting for the room’s specific activities, plus accent lighting that highlights features of the space, all playing their part in a successful design.
1. Layer home office lighting
(Image credit: Benjamin Johnston Design)
Consider the natural light the room enjoys together with home office lighting ideas for ceilings, desks, and walls as you plan your own scheme, or as you work with your interior designer.
‘Multi-layered lighting is an important factor within a workspace,’ says Benjamin Johnston of Benjamin Johnston Design . ‘Using a combination of natural, ceiling, and task lighting, such as floor and table lamps, allows a homeowner to be productive day or night.’
2. Team wall lights with bespoke joinery
(Image credit: Sims Hilditch)
Bespoke joinery in a home office can maximize small home office ideas and, when the floor area is limited, may include a built-in desk, or leave a niche for a freestanding design. In this case, wall lights can be a sound choice as task lighting rather than a floor or desk lamp.
‘If the desk is installed into bespoke joinery, then downlighting directed on to the working area is a great alternative, providing light in the evenings and darker months,’ says Louise Wicksteed, design director at London and Gloucestershire-based interior designers Sims Hilditch .
3. Use home office lighting with a pop of color
(Image credit: Michelle Lisac Interior Design Photograph: Jennie Corti)
Light fixtures and shades in energetic colors are perfect for a home office environment, adding a vibrant accent, and founder and principal designer Michelle Lisac of Michelle Lisac Interior Design made use of one in this concealed work space.
‘During construction we decided to turn what used to be the entry closet into a hidden study,’ she explains of this room. ‘We installed a secret bookcase door in their family room that opens up into this fun study space for their kids to do homework. We added some character and texture with the Stikwood planks, a colorful plug-in sconce from Schoolhouse Electric, and included some of the client’s great art.’
4. Factor in daylight as well as artificial illumination
(Image credit: John Cullen Lighting)
Your home office lighting ideas for ceilings, desks, and walls need to create ‘good general light that is aesthetically pleasing, and task lighting’, explains Sian Parsons, design associate at John Cullen Lighting .
‘If possible, try to set up your work space in an area as close to natural daylight as you can,’ she advises. ‘When available, there is nothing more effective at filling a space with light than the sun. Its even rays will help balance any dark or bright spots caused by your artificial lighting, and helps boost your mood from a human-centric point of view.’
5. Work the angles
(Image credit: JL Design Photograph: Leslee Mitchell)
If you undertake a variety of different tasks at your desk rather than working constantly on screen, look for a desk light with an arm that can be adjusted, so you can move the light source according to what you’re doing.
The desk lamp in this home office offers flexible positioning as well as complementing the room’s design. Of the scheme, Jessica Davis, owner and principal designer of ASID Allied JL Design , says: ‘This progressive traditionalist office features an Elvis painting by a local Nashville artist named Inez.
‘The desk is a vintage reproduction of an Eames style, and shelving is from Restoration Hardware – combining a rustic bronze metal frame with exposed rivets and natural oak shelves and drawers.
This piece really introduced an area for display and storage, and helped create a consistent line of sight flanking the windows. The photo light in the corner is actually a vintage reproduction of a spotlight that was historically used on movie sets.’
6. Swerve eye strain
(Image credit: Jan Baldwin / Future)
Home office paint colors can affect light levels in a room, so it’s crucial to ensure home office lighting ideas for ceilings, desks, and walls are appropriate to the hue of the room, and in darker spaces, do not create fatigue and discomfort.
‘Good general light to the room should be low glare to ensure that your eyes aren’t straining with glare spots from light fittings, as well as the glare emitted from your screen,’ says Sian Parsons.
‘Well placed and discreet downlights, set tilted towards the walls so that the light reflects off and back into the room, will help create an excellent but softened light. A coffered ceiling could be equally as effective for a low glare general light source.
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7. Harmonize ceiling lighting with the room’s decor
(Image credit: OGD Design)
A ceiling light for an office can be a standout piece or more understated in its style. For this home office, California-based interior designer Ohara Davies-Gaetano took the latter approach.
In decorating the room she was inspired by the garden immediately outside the room, explaining, ‘I was mindful of the tonality and textures and selected hues that highlighted the gravel, the old stone and the shades of planting.’
The room’s ceiling light harmonizes with this palette while pleasing the eye with its elegant curves.
8. Consider working hours when planning desk lighting
(Image credit: Retrouvius/Debi Treloar)
A home office desk should always be equipped with task lighting, but as well as taking into account the activities it needs to cater for, consider your hours of work.
‘Thinking about the specific tasks and the times of day that they take place is key to ensuring you have the best possible lighting solution – bespoke to your home-working situation,’ says Sian Parsons.
‘Whether you have space for a lamp, or a wall light, decorative fittings should give an even glow of light with no harsh spots. Consider something shaded or opaque.’
9. Swap to a floor lamp
(Image credit: James Merrell)
For a desk, a floor lamp can sometimes be a practical and chic alternative to a table lamp. In this room, the statement floor lamp illuminates a desk shared by two people, creating light across the surface they both occupy.
The design of this room also makes the most of daylight with a glass-topped desk that avoids blocking it, and pale flooring and white shelving that reflect it rather than absorbing it as dark colors would.
10. Match ceiling and desk lights for a sophisticated effect
(Image credit: Sara Cosgrove Studio)
It’s possible to combine a selection of home office light designs successfully, but you may want to follow the lead of this home office by Dublin and London-based Sara Cosgrove Studio with lights for ceiling and desk that repeat colors and materials.
The effect is sophisticated yet subtle.
In this home office, the metal of both ceiling and desk lamp echoes its use within the bespoke cabinetry, adding gentle highlights against the rich shade of the flooring and chair upholstery, the wood of the desk, and the darker tones of the walls.
What type of lighting is best for offices?
Both natural lighting and artificial lighting are crucial to making a home office a comfortable space in which to work, and balancing the two is imperative. Make the most of the natural light available because there is a strong relationship between workplace daylight exposure and sleep, activity and quality of life, a 2013 study by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found.
‘Matching the Kelvin (warmth of white) of your light source to the Kelvin of the light from the sun will also help immensely when working from home,’ recommends Sian Parsons. ‘Cooler Kelvins (anything about 3000K) will appear harsh and over bright as the sun goes down, while warmer Kelvins (around 2400K) are similar to dusk and dawn, so may help you wind down towards the end of the day.
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How bright should home office lighting be?
The brightness of light is measured in lumens. If you’re used to thinking in Watts, a 60 Watt bulb is the equivalent of 800 lumens, and 75 Watts 1,100 lumens. For a desk lamp, look for a minimum of 800 lumens but better might be 1,100 lumens to provide focused light for this area of your room.
Make sure you don’t create glare on screens with your light. A desk lamp you can angle to avoid the problem could be the answer.
Sarah is a freelance journalist and editor. Previously executive editor of Ideal Home, she’s specialized in interiors, property and gardens for over 20 years, and covers interior design, house design, gardens, and cleaning and organizing a home for H&G. She’s written for websites, including Houzz, Channel 4’s flagship website, 4Homes, and Future’s T3; national newspapers, including The Guardian; and magazines including Future’s Country Homes & Interiors, Homebuilding & Renovating, Period Living, and Style at Home, as well as House Beautiful, Good Homes, Grand Designs, Homes & Antiques, LandLove and The English Home among others.
It’s no big surprise that she likes to put what she writes about into practice, and is a serial house renovator.
How to properly 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.
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 achieve 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 cause eye strain 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.
The desktop 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.
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 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.
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.
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
The lighting of a workspace in a home office will not achieve 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.
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.
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.
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 create absolutely no problems for me while working 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.
When furnishing a home office, it is necessary to carefully consider all the options for placing your workplace, its lighting, in order to make the only right decision in creating a favorable climate for homework.
How to Organize a Home Office - Design Your Home
Recent surveys of our work preferences show that more and more people in our country are working from their apartments and homes. For some, it's one or two days a week, while for others, the home office has completely replaced the business office.
In addition, a large number of positions no longer require the physical presence of an employee in the office, and this has a rather interesting effect on the interior design of our own homes. In fact, if you don't have to leave your home to earn money, it's wise to consider setting up a home office.
If you have the ability and desire to work from home, then you need a space that suits your needs. In this post, we look at options for creating a more comfortable and motivating atmosphere in your home office.
Home Office Decor
When you set up your home office, there are a few basic criteria to consider. First of all, you need to give preference to comfort and functionality. To do this, it is very important to consider not only which chair and table you choose, but also the placement of the computer at a height necessary for comfortable work in front of the screen.
In addition, it is important to consider lighting - it is part of the design and decoration.
When it comes to home office lighting, it needs to be chosen very carefully. The right light is essential for your comfort, but especially for the health of your eyes. It's always best to make the most of natural daylight instead of artificial lighting.
If you want a minimalist home office, there's no need to bet on overdone décor. Do not overcrowd the space. Decor is also a part of the interior that helps personalize and add personality to your home office.
Choose the right location for your home office
When it comes to planning your home office, choosing a location is critical to the success of a project. To decide, you must first take into account the nature of the job, as well as the needs and habits of roommates, spouse or children. So, for example, if you need complete silence for regular conversations, it is better to choose a more isolated corner (with a door), such as a bedroom. In cases where you live alone or in a couple, you can use almost every unoccupied corner to create a work area: in the living room, in the kitchen, sometimes under the stairs or even on the loggia.
Also, try to set up your office near a source of natural light.
Office decor idea: photo, poster or drawing
Why not include a photo of your family or loved one if it brings you positive emotions. This is really an excellent idea! You can also hang it on the wall. Another easy-to-make office decor idea is a poster sign of your favorite movie, band, or a drawing your child made. You can also decorate your home workspace with reproductions of your favorite artist's work.
Travel office decor idea
Do you travel often? It is perfectly! You can decorate your home office with items you find or buy while traveling. It will make you daydream while remembering your adventures. It is always impressive to see a space adorned with objects from all over the world. Indeed, it is often associated with the so-called ethnic decor style. Such decoration may well become part of the interior, furnished and decorated in a minimalist style. Everything is in balance!
Home office: choose the right furniture
Choosing the right furniture is also a very important step.
The two main elements that guarantee comfort and productivity in your workspace: a table and a chair. Indeed, there are many alternatives for choosing an office: an individual or shared office, a detachable or height-adjustable desk, a hanging desk or a wall-mounted desk option. On the other hand, if you are experienced enough, you can easily make your own office from scrap materials, or just use another piece of furniture as a work surface (folding table, work surface cabinet, etc.). As for the chair, it is important to invest in an ergonomic seat (chair or stool) that can be adjusted to guarantee correct posture and avoid back pain.
At present, the tasks to be completed vary greatly depending on the occupation. In the workplace, employers provide workers with facilities to perform these tasks. But in our own home, we must take care of this ourselves. We need to find furniture and accessories that make us more productive. However, at the same time, we must feel the comfort of home, for which people like working at home so much.
For those who spend a lot of time at the computer, a comfortable chair is an absolute must. We advise you to bet on ergonomic chair models, in addition to the practical table. Make sure you have enough space to store your documents and files. Because a well-organized office area guarantees you much more productive days!
Find a quiet place in your home
To work comfortably, you need a quiet place in your home. A separate room is ideal for the development of an office area. Is there no such space? Think of a way to divide a large room into two parts. For example, choose furniture or install a partition to separate a room. Use them to create a separate area where you can focus on your tasks.
One thing is for sure: if the boundaries are not defined, it can create an imbalance in your family. That's why it's important to separate the rest space from the work nook, and for that, you just need to create a work-only space. This does not require much: a desk, an armchair or chair, good lighting and a few shelves.
A simple and effective way to divide a room in two is to use a bookcase or shelves. This is a cheap and practical solution that will allow you to get a lot more storage space at the same time.
Home office: creating a work environment
To work more effectively from home, you need to create an environment that inspires productivity and motivation. In this regard, choose the style and decor to your taste, which will delight you. A pleasant atmosphere in your home office will push you to work better.
Our little trick to create this atmosphere is to put some green plants near your table. They will bring lightness to your interior. In addition, they will help you relax and motivate you!
There are a wide variety of houseplants that are easy to care for. You do not need to have experience in growing plants to have them at home.
Plants are always welcome in any room. Decorating your home office with houseplants is a great idea for several reasons.
First, greenery refreshes the atmosphere. This is a decoration that carries nature. An indoor garden and green walls is an easy way to create your little green space without an outdoor garden or courtyard. Secondly, plants purify the air. And the main thing is that they help concentration! Here is a really good reason to put plants in your home office.
Home office: office furniture made from recycled wooden boards and crates
Do you love creative ideas and can't wait to start making your own office furniture? So, we offer you a simple and original option. For this type of DIY tables, we use 4 wooden drawers and a flat wooden board (for the work surface). To begin with, we sand the boxes and then apply a coat of varnish or wood paint (optional). Then, we assemble the first two boxes, one on top of the other, and repeat the process with the other two boxes. Finally, we use several mounting brackets to assemble the legs and worktop.
Home office: turn your wardrobe into a work nook
If you don't have a lot of space, you might consider installing a work nook in your bedroom.
