Home office lighting Ideas

Here at Asco Lights we believe lighting should not only illuminate space but also directly impact your wellbeing and this should always be considered when gathering home office lighting ideas. During our normal everyday lives, we spend up to 90% of our time indoors which can have detrimental effects on our health. Whilst the majority of the world are isolating during the global pandemic, this figure will increase to closer to 100%. 

There are many negative effects on the body which are seen when we stay indoors including; lower attention spans, higher irritability and disrupted sleep. The reason for this is because all humans are closely linked with the sun and the daily pattern of day and night. Exposure to natural light stabilises our internal processes (called our circadian rhythm) and helps us to perform. Being indoors prevents us from getting this exposure and results in us fighting against our natural circadian rhythm. This feeling has been described as social jet lag; essentially feeling tired and misaligned both mentally and physically.

The Best LED Home Office Lighting

Modern lighting solutions are full of advanced technology which provide healthy light whilst indoors. Most modern LED’s can replicate the colour spectrum of sunlight (between 2,700 and 6,500 Kelvin), which has the same biological effect on the body as being outside. Such lighting is called human centric lighting. The best LED home office lighting should always have human centricity at its core. 

Researchers in Berlin were able to prove the effect of human centric lighting on the production of melatonin and serotonin, the hormones that dictate sleep and wellbeing. The effect was the same as if the subject had been exposed to sunlight. So, if you’re stuck working from home (or even when you get back to the office), human centric lights can support your physical and mental wellbeing. You will also get a productivity boost from human centric lights, as a study by Lighting Europe verified that they can actually increase productivity by 4.5%, which once compounded overtime is a significant improvement in productivity output. 

Create the Perfect Home Office Environment

Human centric lighting when combined with expert lighting design that considers the architectural features of space can create a beautifully illuminated home office environment. From ultra-modern LED technology such as the beautifully crafted, battery operated Mobile LUCTRA® FLEX to the sleek and intuitive OCCHIO MITO SOSPESO. Our extensive range of human centric lighting can not only vastly improve your mental wellbeing but also compliment your home office to enhance your working environment whilst improving productivity. 

By using the latest technology lighting can be enhanced to suit your personal requirements. Lamps from human centric lighting manufacturers such as LUCTRA are completely flexible and can be personalised to your daily routine, which means you get exactly the right light for you during the day. The VITACORE app allows you to control the lamp from your phone and by answering 5 simple questions the app can calculate your personalised daily lighting curve, which essentially means the lamp will change colour temperature and give you healthy light without you needing to lift a finger. 

Home office lighting solutions such as mobile floor lamps, twin head floor lamps and desk lamps all provide a fantastic light source however each fitting must be harransed to maximise its full potential. By incorporating proper lighting techniques and principles lighting can be used in specific ways to help illuminate your home working space. For instance, by layering light you can use different light sources in conjunction with one another with ambient lighting provided by either a cluster drop of pendants or a larger floor lamp and for when more specific task lighting is required, such as typing up an important report at your desk, an advanced LED table lamp would be the perfect solution for any home office regardless of size or layout.

Struggling with stress?

Whilst some people are enjoying the slower pace of life offered by lockdown, others are finding the experience increasingly stressful. Concerns over staying healthy, providing for families and feeling the effects of ‘cabin fever’ are all stress-inducing factors right now.

Changes to our environment can help us to de-stress and interestingly, lighting can have a significant effect. A study conducted by the Stress Management Society demonstrated the positive impact of human centric lighting on wellbeing, sleep and mental health. Remarkably, the study participants’ reported that their overall quality of life increased by 8% when they used a LUCTRA table lamp for 12 weeks.

The study also demonstrated that the percentage of participants experiencing ‘Poor’ mental wellbeing reduced from 40% to 20%. 70% of participants reported that using the LUCTRA lamp made a positive difference to their daily life and on average participants also reported that their sleep quality improved by 20% after using the lamp.

Good Lighting can Support Your Health Whilst Working From Home

When we speak of light, we normally mean daylight. Natural sunlight is always present in varying colours and intensities, behind thunderclouds, in fog, in the stimulating morning light and in the soothing, warm colours of sunsets. Although we may not realise it, light has a significant influence on many processes inside our bodies. The reason is that it regulates the production of various hormones including the sleep hormone melatonin, which ensures that we relax in the evening and encourages us to fall into a refreshing sleep.

The effect of a disrupted circadian rhythm becomes particularly obvious in the case of jet lag, when our body is forced to switch abruptly to a different day-and-night rhythm. Insomnia, irritability and lack of concentration are some of the immediate consequences. More serious, however, is the effect of social jet lag, which is caused by continuously living against our internal clock. The long-term consequences may be severe to the extent of leading to depression or diabetes.Human centric lighting can support your health whilst working from home automatically giving you healthy light whilst indoors. Providing you with personalised light, increased productivity by 4.5%, helping you to de-stress, reduce eye strain and improved overall concentration and alertness are just some of the benefits to having human centric lighting.  

How bright should my office lights be?

The latest LED technology can be used to cover the entire range of daylight in 3 stages. From a cold white morning light of 6,500 Kelvin, to a warmer 3,600 Kelvin light colour with less blue, down to a relaxing 2,700 Kelvin, simulating an evening sunset. Each home office may require different lighting levels depending on the tasks being undertaken in said space. However as a rule of thumb it is suggested that light levels be kept closer to that of natural daylight (around 5000k – 6500k) as this will reduce eye strain and even increase productivity as a more natural lighting temperature will help to promote a circadian effect. 

How can I improve my office lighting?

Lighting is an integral part of office design and, just like the layout of an office, it can have a huge impact on the people who use the space. Home offices can be improved a great deal by integrating some of the following ideas. Firstly you will want to use the latest LED technology. With the ability to mimic different lighting temperatures and change lighting levels LED lighting offers the user a great deal of freedom to customise light to fit their personal requirements. LED Lighting is also significantly more energy efficient than previous technologies, making LED lighting a great economical product. When combined with the correct lighting design to layer light correctly and when incorporated into an advanced lighting control system it provides the ultimate automated lighting system for unrivaled lighting control.

How do I make my office lights less bright?

Most modern LED lighting is dimmable and allows the user to manipulate light levels to suit their requirements. We work with many industry leading companies who produce innovative designs to give the user freedom to enhance or decrease light levels. One such company is Occhio, one of Europe’s largest and most respected lighting brands. Some of Occhio’s brilliant creations include »touchless control« where light can be turned on/off, dimmed and directed upward or downward with simple gesture control – making it touchless and intuitive. 

How many lumens do you need for a home office?

Large spaces need more lighting than small rooms. Proper lighting is essential for any room so it’s important to know how much light you’ll need to prevent any unwanted dark spots and eliminate any hazards involved with inadequate lighting levels. To find out how many lumens you’ll need in your home office, you need to start by measuring the room to calculate square footage. To do so you will need to to multiply the length of the room by the width of the room to get the room square footage. For example, if the room is 10 feet wide and 10 feet long, the room square footage will be 100 square feet. You will then need the foot candle requirements for your home office space. A foot-candle is how bright a light is one-foot away from its source. Usually foot candle requirements for home offices range between 60-80 foot candles. To workout how many lumens your home office requires you need to now multiply your room square footage by your foot candle requirement and the calculation will reveal your required lumens. 

What are the 4 types of lighting?

The four main lighting principles include ambient, task and accent and decorative lighting. Each Principle harnesses light in a different way. Ambient lighting is the basic general illumination of a room. For example, in most homes this is the light that comes on from the flick of the main switch. From Pendants to Floor Lamps, Chandeliers to wall mounted lights, all can contribute to ambient lighting. Secondly, we have task lighting. Often task lighting refers to increasing light to better accomplish a specific activity. For instance a table lamp will help you to see the newspaper as you flick through, or a desk lamp will allow you to see your keyboard. Accent lighting focuses light on a particular area or object and is used to highlight art or other artifacts. Accent lighting is for aesthetic purposes and can be referred to as  ‘directional light’ and can be provided by picture lights, well positioned lamps, LED tape and recessed downlights. Decorative lighting is the fourth layer of interior illumination and helps to add personality to an area. You can accessorise your space and bring out its best features by adding decorative lighting fixtures such as chandeliers or bespoke pendant lighting. 

Expert lighting Design for your Home Office

By having the correct lighting design that combines functional lighting techniques with a circadian purpose is crucial. For over 20 years, Asco Lights has been at the forefront of commercial and domestic lighting design. During that time, we’ve built a solid reputation as one of the most trusted independent lighting design companies in the UK, offering a wide range of services including design, supply and installation.

Our friendly team of lighting consultants cover the entire country, providing a personalised lighting design service that is both flexible and reliable. They’re able to combine creative flair and technical knowhow to produce truly stunning results – regardless of project type, size or budget. We welcome all lighting design enquiries and promise to work in a way that suits you. Furthermore, our flexible fees ensure that you get the best value for money based on the specifics of your project. By providing industry leading expertise and specialist discount we can help to illuminate the perfect home office.