Move on from layered clothing to layered lighting, as the rapidly-evolving work-from-home space demands a new language of lighting.
One of the key objectives to getting the work-from-home lighting right is to create an optimal environment without letting it strain your eyes, leading to dryness, fatigue and headaches in extreme cases. On the contrary, the lighting should complement your diverse requirements in a focussed, eye-pleasing and aesthetic manner.
All lights lead to LED in the home office space
Before the advent of work from home, home lighting was a specific genre unto itself, designed for the non-laborious pursuits like lounging, dining, conversing and so on. It is hardly sufficient when one has to go through small print, manage multiple screens and put in long hours of computer work. The bottomline: The work desk can’t be dark.
From ensuring the work-from-home lighting is tailored to your eye health and work requirements, to ensuring it is sustainable as well as aesthetically pleasing, it has to be a blend of functionality and beauty.
From task lighting for specific areas and purposes to ambient lighting for setting the mood, the options are many. For both ambient or mood lighting to spotlight-driven task lighting, you can choose from an illuminating array of LED lights. Smarter than halogen bulbs, they’re also smaller and are available as adjustable flexible lamps that clip to a desk as well as Instagram-favourite ring lights designed to make you look more pleasing in video calls.
You can choose from the blue-tinted cool white and the yellow-tinted warm white. The former provides clear lighting, while the warm white mimics the incandescent bulbs of yesterday, naturally ushering in familiar warmth and nostalgia.
Without further ado, here’s the Klove guide to create an environment of layered lighting — ambient lighting at ceiling level, task lighting at the desk level and accent lights in between the desk and the ceiling — to augment the work-from-home space.
Natural light, eternal sunshine
A strategically positioned workstation enabling direct sunlight to stream in through the window is half the work done. Ensure the window is not behind your desk and on one side of it to avoid sharp glare on the computer screen. Home decor experts suggest the use of sheer curtains, venetian blinds, adjustable louvres etc. on the windows to let in softened natural light and to cut out the direct glare especially during hot summer months. One cannot overlook the fact that the energy-efficient natural light is gaining more currency and fan following as conversations around sustainability are gaining ground. Not to forget, natural light is ‘naturally’ the optimal source of vitamin D.
Ambient lighting, it’s all around
Ambient lighting, as the name suggests, lends to general lighting of a space, where the light is uniformly distributed via ceiling-mounted and wall-mounted fixtures. Often, this might not be enough to lend optimal lighting demanded by a workstation, and might require augmenting through additional task lighting and under-cabinet lighting.
Task lighting, getting the job done
Bringing in focused illumination is an adjustable desk lamp on the table. Choose from Klove’s delightful range of desk lamps with dimmers, exuding a sublime glow as opposed to intense. From reading, to writing or working on the computer, these dimmers could be your perfect lighting companions without being too intrusive. For smaller desks, opt for a floor lamp instead of a table lamp. Experts opine that the desk lamp or the floor lamp should be placed on one side of the desk to prevent shadows or reflections.
Accent lighting, highlighting the right note
A decorative pendant light above the desk or wall-mounted bracket lights to spotlight specific areas in your home office setup are a rage at Klove. Incorporate accent lighting to give the home office a smart and trendy look. They are trendy and would complement your video calls or video recording sessions with clients etc..Under-cabinet lighting, hidden from the eye
Overhead storage cabinets could block the optimal flow of light. Opt for under-cabinet lighting to address this. Think LED strip lights or energy-efficient fluorescent lights within the base of the cabinets.
Track lighting, adjusting the perspective
Track lights on the ceiling of the workstation work best for a customised work space. The best part? You can adjust the angle of each track light in order to highlight specific areas.
This should serve as the initial guide to surviving the work-from-home lighting requirements. Here’s to happy shopping for beautiful LEDs, to set the right tone and vibe.
