HOME OFFICE LIGHTING

Long, deep work can be exhausting. Especially for the eyes. Constantly switching from light to dark is a great recipe for a headache. We definitely don't need that in our home office. Strong light contrasts should therefore be avoided as far as possible. Setting the workstation in a bright room with good natural light and positioning the desk parallel to the window is a better solution. This effectively guarantees relaxed work. If you want, you can also paint your home office with light and welcoming tones to make it even more comfortable. A balanced mix of daylight and artificial lighting, consisting of direct and indirect light sources is ideal.

The perfect colleagues in your home office? Ceiling lights. They deliver homogeneous study room lighting while creating a super-relaxed working atmosphere. The desk itself is best outfitted with a swivelling desk light, whose height and angle can be set at will. It is important never to use desk lights as the sole light source. Always combine them with indirect light. Decorative free-standing floor lights such as DRO FLOOR 3.0 quickly set the mood even in small home office rooms and are clearly the best choice. Incidentally, these are also the perfect choice for anyone who doesn't want or can't have ceiling lights in their home office.

Light boosts productivity. This is because our inner clock is aligned with the light-dark rhythm of the day and makes us feel more awake in the morning hours than in the evening. This is thanks to serotonin and cortisol, hormones which provide the necessary energy boost during the day. Their counterpart, melatonin, makes us think more of a soft bed in the evening than of office work. Depending on the activity, 300 to 500 lux are ideal at the workplace. It is important to remember that young people can usually manage with less light than older people whose eyesight is deteriorating. So if you need glasses, it's best to choose brighter lighting. But be careful. Too much light can quickly cause glare. We recommend a UGR value (unified glare rating) of <19 for home office lights.

We simply feel more comfortable in a bright and inviting environment. This applies to the home office every bit as much. The optimum light temperature is based on the natural course of the day. Evolution has perfectly adapted our biorhythm to this. This is why we feel much more active during the day, when the light temperature rises, than in the evening. Blue light is the secret behind this. The more blue light, the more productive we are. This is because bluish light activates the release of cortisol, which quickly revs up even the biggest office grump. In the evening, when the light temperature drops, it works the other way round. The hormone melatonin makes us tired and gets us to slowly wander towards the bedroom. What can we learn from this? Offices where the focus is on concentrated work are best equipped with 4000K luminaires. For cosy home offices that are also intended to be a private retreat, a colour of 3000K is entirely sufficient.

Having to say "I've been dazzled!" is best avoided in your home office. Reflective or dazzling elements are bad for our concentration and health. When positioning furniture and lights, always bear in mind the potential for irritation. Consider opting for lights that reduce glare, for example with lampshades or opal covers. How does glare come about in the first place? The most common culprit is areas of high light density that occur directly in our workplace's field of vision. However, if the environment is dimly lit, this affects our visual performance and mood. We feel stressed and tired more quickly as a result. Glare caused by the sun or incorrectly positioned lights is referred to as "direct glare". So-called "reflected glare" occurs when light strikes a table or a smooth, reflective surface such as a computer screen. Both should be avoided at all costs in the home office.