Natural lighting

Lighting in your design workspace is probably the one thing that you need to get right. This post will discuss the common problems with home office lighting and how you can fix it to get better productivity. In work offices lighting is usually not controlled by you, whereas in your home office you can control your lighting situation. You are in control of the space and can make changes to improve your productivity.

Too much light, not enough light or even artificial light can all have negative effects on you while your working. It is important that you find the right type and amount of light to work in. The wrong type of lighting can cause a number of issues, the main ones being: eye strain, headaches, migraines, drowsiness and lack of focus. None of these symptoms are ideal. Too much light could be a bright light too close to your workstation or a window without any blinds to filter the light. Dim light can be light that has low lux or the light source is too far away or pointed in the wrong direction.

Combining artificial and natural lighting in your design workspace is ideal. In a home you are likely to find a room with a window where you can set up your design workspace. It is important that you remember that unlike artificial lighting, natural light changes during the day and depends on the weather, so to achieve the ideal work environment make sure to have blinds that can control the amount of natural light coming in.

Read more about how lighting impacts our productivity.

When setting up your design workplace the position of your desk and computer needs to reflect the position of the window. Don't position your workspace so that you face the natural light directly, nor should you have the light coming from behind you. Align your workstation at a right angle to the window to avoid glare and excessive background lighting.

Once you have the option of natural light in your workspace you need to focus on the artificial light. It is best to have more than one source of artificial light, usually an indirect lighting source installed to brighten up the entire room and a smaller direct light source situated on the workstation.

Look at some recommended home office lighting options.

RECAP:

• Combine artificial and natural lighting
• Use a room with a window
• Make sure the window has blinds
• Position your desk at a right angle to windows
• Have more than one artificial light source