Thanks to Covid-19, many companies have eschewed the traditional office arrangement in favour of remote work and more of us than ever are working from home. This is great – and offers many advantages – but it’s essential to have a fully functional setup if you want to maximise productivity.
Lighting is one area where you may need professional assistance to make changes. If you plan on moving lights or adding new ones, speak to a qualified electrician. While you can buy the parts you need from wholesale electrical supply stores that sell to the general public, it is important to have the actual work done by a professional.
Remember, dodgy electrics are the main cause of house fires!
Task Lighting
Task lighting is important for anyone who spends a significant part of their working day staring at a computer screen or documents. Task lighting gives you focussed lighting on a particular area, such as your desk or keyboard. It’s useful if there isn’t a lot of natural light or you regularly work early or late in the day.
There are different types of task lighting, from desk lamps to spotlights. Choose the ones that best fit your budget and needs.
Overhead Lighting
Rooms typically come with a central pendant light. In a bedroom, this is fine, but in a home office, it probably won’t be enough. Plus, pendant lights can cast annoying shadows depending on where the desk is situated.
Ambient lighting creates a more uniform lighting effect. Instead of a single source of light, you have uniform lighting over the entire room. Consider installing recessed LED lights if you want uniform ambient lighting. You can design them so you have plenty of light over your work area. LED lights are energy-efficient and provide ample light on dark days. Warm LEDs are also flattering if you need to make video calls.
Track lighting is useful for video conferencing. Each lamp on the track is adjustable, thus creating a studio effect, so you can move them around for the best possible lighting effect. It’s handy if your appearance on camera is important, and it’s also more sophisticated than using a single pendant light.
Decorative Lighting
Decorative lighting will make your home office feel more like home. A couple of pretty table lamps or standard lamps add to the overall decorative vibe of the room.
Accent Lighting
Accent lights are used to highlight a specific area, such as a sofa or reading chair. If you have art on the walls, a well-positioned spot light will illuminate it. Use accent lights if you need extra light in one specific area or you want to highlight something, like a painting or wall certificate.
Pay close attention to how your lighting looks on camera if you spend a lot of your day participating in video conferences. It’s not always easy to achieve a flattering look on camera, but with the right lighting, you can avoid looking haggard or like an extra from Night of the Living Dead.
No Comments