Home Office Lighting Ideas for a Bright and Practical Workspace

Opening your laptop ready for another day of working from home, you pause briefly to admire the beautiful home office lighting scheme you’ve created. Each soothing light and lamp is carefully selected to enhance your productivity and creativity whilst evoking a calming atmosphere that helps you stay focused throughout the day. 

Letting your eyes wander around the room, you take it all in. Well-placed table lamps and wall lights ensure your desk is adequately lit, whilst an eye-catching overhead light adds an inviting element of visual interest. Sinking further back into your comfy office chair, you breathe a sigh of relief – gone are the days of low productivity, eye strain, and migraines that plagued you for so long.

Delve into our home office lighting ideas to boost your productivity and inspire joy and motivation.

Why is good home office lighting important?

The office lighting we choose can have a huge impact on our health and productivity, so it’s important we get it right.

Some common problems associated with poor office lighting include:

• Headaches
• Eye strain
• Inability to focus
• Low mood

However, achieving the ideal office lighting scheme at home is often easier said than done. It’s easy to get distracted by daily life when working from home, which can make concentrating on work-related tasks difficult.

The key is to curate a balanced lighting scheme that not only promotes productivity and wellness but also feels genuinely inviting to help us stay focused on the task at hand.

5 home office lighting ideas to illuminate your productivity

Whether you work from a dedicated home office, a corner of your bedroom, or your kitchen table, incorporating even just one of these home office lighting ideas will help boost your productivity and well-being.

1. Curate a layered lighting scheme

Layered lighting schemes are important in any room, but nowhere is this more true than in a home office space. By layering different types of lighting, you create a multi-functional space that is appropriate for carrying out any kind of task, at any time of day.

There are three different types of lighting that your home office should include:

Ambient lighting

This is the general lighting that provides overall illumination in a room. Ceiling light fixtures are most commonly used to provide ambient light because they brighten up the entire space, rather than focusing on just one area.

Accent lighting

This is used to highlight certain features or areas within a room, drawing attention to key elements of your décor. Atmospheric wall lights are a great example of accent lighting, as they’re often used to illuminate specific areas for decorative purposes.

Task lighting

This is the most important type of lighting for home office spaces. Task lighting accentuates specific areas of the room to illuminate tasks and help you stay focused.

‘Task lighting, such as a table lamp, can help massively with productivity’, says Ally Dowsing-Reynolds, lighting expert and co-founder of Dowsing & Reynolds. ‘Not only does it help focus your attention on what you’re doing, but it zones the workspace and helps you get into a concentrated headspace where you’re prepared for work and can quickly get into the flow.’

2. Create a bright and inviting space with pendant lighting

Overhead lighting is essential to ensure your entire office space is well-lit, but opting for an eye-catching pendant light will add visual interest to the room in addition to boosting your mood and productivity.

Making your home office inviting is just as important as making it practical – you’re more likely to want to sit down and get your work done in a space that draws you in and makes you feel happy.

3. Choose a statement table lamp for stylish task lighting

Combine style and practicality by opting for a statement table lamp. This will illuminate your desk to help you stay focused on important tasks and make the space much more appealing.

Product pick: The pearl white Asteria table lamp will add visual interest to your home office while beautifully illuminating the task at hand.

If you work from a room that serves another function in addition to being your office, such as your living room or bedroom, then having multiple table lamps is a must. ‘A daylight bulb in your desk’s task lighting can give you the energy and focus to work effectively’, says Ally, ‘but have other table lamps with warm bulbs and dimmers in your room to use during the evening.’

4. Save space with dimmable wall lights

While table lamps are a must, you shouldn’t rely solely on them to provide the necessary task lighting in your home office. Consider layering your home office task lighting by placing wall lights above your desk, making sure they’re at a different height to your table lamps for maximum flexibility.

In a multi-functional space, always add dimmer switches to your wall lights. This means they can provide practical task lighting during the day and relaxing ambient lighting during the evening.

5. Don’t forget the importance of natural light

Finally, natural light is essential in home office spaces. If you can, sit close to a window while you work – daylight provides many benefits that artificial light can’t, and is a great mood booster.

‘Natural light will enhance your mood and help make you more productive’, says Ally. ‘However, if you’re easily preoccupied with what’s happening outside, maybe consider a linen blind that will obscure the distractions and diffuse the daylight to be more gentle.’

Show us your home office lighting ideas

We’d love to see how you’ve incorporated these home office lighting ideas into your own interiors. Tag us on Instagram @dowsingandreynolds – we can’t wait to see what you’ve come up with!