How to Light Up Your Home Office?

It is tough to choose lighting for your home office, because it is much more than just aesthetic appeal – it has to be functional as well. A poorly lit home office can be demoralizing and can affect your mood and hurt your vision in the long run.

Ambient lighting

Overhead lighting is a crucial aspect of ambient lighting, and recessed lights in the house are usually sufficient. But existing ambient lighting is not enough to light up a home office, so additional sources of light are required. If you have to work directly under a light source, soften the light with the correct lamp shade. Keep in mind that the ambient light used should illuminate the entire room evenly – there shouldn’t be alternating areas of darkness and bright light.

Task lighting

This type of lighting is also important, and with the variety of trendy and modern lamp designs available, you can take your pick from some stellar table lamps. It is best to choose one that offers focused illumination, along with a dimmer. At times, you might want to work under a softer light, so the dimmer comes in handy. Task lights provide an interesting contrast when it comes to reading, apart from reducing strain on the eyes.

Layered lighting

Lighting your home office properly is a combination of gloss and glare, so one layer of lighting won’t get the job done – layered lighting is a must. To put it in a nutshell, ambient light is the base, task lights are for functionality, and accent lighting is for the “something extra”. Don’t concentrate on one layer to compensate for the other two, or the lighting scheme gets messy. Each layer must be at a different level to ensure that one doesn’t interfere with or overwhelm another.

Space issues

Space is often a problem when it comes to a home office, but it shouldn’t deter you from getting the lighting right. There are plenty of contemporary pendants and wall lights that brighten up the room, while giving the surroundings a sleeker and more airy feel. Desk lamps with swing arms are very popular for home offices these days.

You might not get the lighting correct in one attempt, so don’t be discouraged. It can take a while to inspect the space, decide what works and what should be avoided, then and come up with suitable lighting solutions.

Overdoing it with recessed and task lighting

Installing too many recessed lights around the ceiling isn’t a feasible solution as these downlights won’t brighten the walls. Light should be reflected from walls so the illumination of the room is correctly done. Use recessed lighting where it works best and add other types like a chandelier, trendy pendants, track lighting system, floor lamps, etc. The same goes for task lights – installing more than it is required makes the room look messy and disorganized. Installing them in sconces at the sides of a bathroom mirror or under the cabinet in a kitchen, is the best way to make use of task lighting.

Don't forget about the shadows

Installing a light fixture in the wrong places causes nasty shadows, thus ruining the room’s aesthetics. Try to simulate different light sources, place them in various spots and see what happens – decide on a lighting scheme that doesn’t cause these shadows. Poor lighting in small spaces like larders, pantries or closets should be avoided as well – a single overhead light doesn’t work here as it leaves dark pockets and shadows. Use LED strip lights, lighting bars, or under cabinet lights, along with overhead lighting.

Be patient while coming up with the ultimate lighting solution for your home! 

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