Choosing The Best Lighting For Your Home Office

Sponsored post written by Dolores Rowe

There are many things you have to consider when making a home office, one of which is lighting. As mentioned in our article on ‘Five Things to Consider When Creating Your Ideal Home Office’, it is best to use natural light as it helps improve mood and increase productivity. However, sometimes this just isn’t feasible for people. A study by City University’s Centre for Performance at Work showed a correlation between lighting and employee wellbeing and productivity. Here are some of the things you should consider when choosing lighting fixtures for your home office:

Keep home office lighting indirect

A lot of people think that having every possible light directed at their work station is the best option, but the truth is, this should be avoided. Instead of working under the direct glare of overhead lights, you can find different ways to diffuse ambient light that will illuminate your office space. While lampshades scatter and soften harsh light, floor lamps bounce the light off the walls and ceiling. Your goal is to illuminate your space without creating glare and contrast while simultaneously avoiding casting shadows.

Using space-saving fixtures

Not all of us are lucky enough to have a whole room as a home office, so, if you’re creating a working office in an area that only has enough room for a work desk and chair, it’s worth considering hanging a bulb. This particular lighting idea is a great way to save space and reduce clutter. Aside from bulbs, you can also try modern pendants and wall scones, which can give your home office a sleeker and airier appeal.

Adding a task light

Regardless of your profession, if you’re working from home, you will probably have to deal with a lot of computer work, documents, and other focus-intensive tasks. Having a defined light source such as a task light could be very useful. As noted by Lifehacker, task lights need to be brighter than the ambient lighting and can help reduce eye strain, especially towards the end of the day. Modern task lights come in a wide range of designs and light intensities. So, when choosing one, go for the kind that suits your work and is appropriate for the kind of space that you have.

Consider accent lighting

Beyond ambient lighting that diffuses light throughout the space and task lighting built for specific work stations, it also pays to think about accent and decorative lighting. This will help improve the character of your office as well as provide visual appeal. Sometimes, decorative lights such as a statement lamp can even help inspire productivity and creativity. As accent lights play the most decorative role in your home office, you should take note of what specific parts of your office you want to highlight when installing this kind of light fixture such as artwork or architectural details.

Things to remember when installing new home office lighting

Here are some other things to consider whenever you’re taking on a project that involves installing new lighting:

• The amount of light you need depends on a lot of things, including the floor area of your home office, the number of windows that permit natural light to pass through, the kind of work you will do there, and your work schedule. If your home office has windows, you might not have to buy a lot of ambient light fixtures. On the other hand, if your home study is cramped, overhead lighting or wall-mounted lamps could be the best option.

• If at any point you find that your light switches aren’t working, a post by HomeServe recommends checking for loose wire connections, damaged wire ends, bare wires touching the electrical box, or cracked light switches to help diagnose the problem. However, they do recommend hiring a qualified electrician to avoid any accidents.

• Another thing worth considering is buying lighting fixtures that are energy-saving for environmentally-friendly working. The good news is that finding energy-saving lighting solutions shouldn’t be as difficult as it was in the past, what with the European Union recently banning the sale of halogen bulbs and requiring retailers to replace their stocks with energy-efficient alternatives, such as LEDs or compact fluorescent bulbs.

Our working environment has a lot of impact on how we go about our work. It is extremely important that you put time into planning your home office lighting. These tips can help you get started but you might want to experiment with different types and fixtures before you find what works for you.

For more expert tips on setting up your ideal home office, check out The Homeworker magazine. Each issue includes workspace inspiration. Our annual print copies are beautiful for your own desk too!