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The truth is that despite having the cutest dining room table in my little flat, it has become a dumping ground for stuff. Originally it was meant to be a dining room table come work space but now it is just where things go. I eat on my couch and my work happens in my bed. I’m most comfortable surrounded by my pillows, laptop topped up on one and me comfortably snuggled on the duvet.
The problem is that the ambient lighting usually in a bedroom isn’t exactly ideal for a home office. My eyes strain and I get headaches staring at the screen. I headed to Doctor Google and it was confirmed that I really need to improve my lighting and I might have a deadly bacterial disease commonly found in Brazil. I’m moving in a few weeks. My new place is a little bit bigger than my current flat and I think I might be able to set up a small desk in my bedroom. I’ve spent A LOT of time on Pinterest getting great little home office ideas.
At the same time I’ve been reading up on some tips to help light a home office while still allowing it to be a bedroom. I want the headaches to stop but I also don’t want a bedroom lit up like a studio (unless I’m filming YouTube videos!). Here’s some of the tips for lighting a home office that I’ve learnt about in the past few weeks. I thought I’d share them with in case you needed help doing the same.
Natural Light is always the best
Ideally you want to ensure a lot of natural light streams over your work space. Setting your desk up next to your window is a great idea as you get the benefit of natural light but you can still angle the desk away from the light, so it has a soft flow rather than direct light – which will reflect off your computer screen and strain your eyes. The only problem is that I’m hardly ever home when the sun is up, so natural light isn’t really an option.
Get a good desk lamp – but make sure it isn’t too good.
When it comes to a desk lamp I’ve always gone for an extremely strong option that shines directly on to my keyboard and work. This is actually not a good thing! You want a desk lamp that lights up your entire working area and not just a very specific area. Also rather than your typical monochrome and white lamp stands why not grab something with a bright colour? It brings more light to the space.
You can actually work from your bed!
While I’ve been reading up on all the best home office lighting tips I came across some interesting pieces that explained how to go about setting up sufficient lighting in your bedroom to ensure you have a great space to read and work as well as a decent space to relax. Remember when I told you about the best lighting for make up I mentioned the Philips LED Scene Switch light bulb? Quick refresher, it is a bulb that gives you two lighting options. The first is a warm hue which lights the bedroom in a relaxing warm light but, the second setting is cool daylight. This is a more white light option – ideal for applying make up and for doing work. In most rented spaces you cannot change the main light settings but you can change the light bulbs. So a solution is to potentially use the LED Scene Switch so you can have the option of a whiter light when working.
Go LED
This is the most important when lighting a home office, whether it is the overhead lights or your dedicated work light, LED lights work best. So if you’re prepping your bedroom and you have the Philips LED Scene Switch light bulbs overhead you can add an LED bulb to your dedicated work space lamp (whether that is on your desk or bed side). LED lighting, while sometimes a little bit more costly on purchase, tends to last far longer than other options. They also don’t get hot to touch which I like. LED lighting just seems to work in a variety of settings.
I’m still trying to decide if I’m going to go the desk route in my new place or keep using my mattress for work. However, I will be making sure I arrive with a box of LED lightbulbs to replace the ones in the space. They’re also good for the environment. Saving all the furkids! They’re a must have. Also, as a (not tall) girl living on her own I’m well aware of the struggle to change a light bulb. LED ones last for ages, winning!
Want to get some more helpful lighting tips or find the best solutions for your home office? Check out the Philips website, it is full of useful information!
