Work spaces
THE FIRST DESIGN RULE for today’s home office is this:
don’t make it look like an office. In other words, choose
both your interior décor and your light fixtures to compliment
the surrounding living spaces within your home.
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| When arranging light fixtures and
choosing bulbs, make sure that your work surface will be free
of heavy shadows, which can cause eyestrain. By combining diffuse
ambient lighting and adjustable task lighting, you can avoid
overly strong contrasts between a work area and the rest of
the room.
Fluorescent built-ins, wall washers, and wall sconces are
effective for fill lighting. A PL-fluorescent or halogen task
lamp, or a fixture that combines the two, is effective for
close work.
Glare is a potential problem, especially around a computer
screen. A screen shade or glare guard can help shield your
monitor. Adjust screen illumination to match the room lighting
level, and turn up the contrast. It’s best if lighting-including
natural light-comes from the side; lighting behind the monitor
can cause eyestrain, while light in front can bounce glare
off the screen.
Light-colored blotters on dark-finished desks and light-hued
walls and ceiling will reflect light back onto your work.
But a wall or ceiling that’s too bright may throw glare
onto your computer screen. One solution: place ambient lights
on dimmers, then dial them up or down as needed, depending
on the task at hand.
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A rustic home office
sports two pharmacy lamps mounted on bookcase walls; recessed
downlights with slot apertures; and larger, open-trim downlights
and uplights in book-case soffits. |
 unlike
standard track fixtures, some cable lights can follow curves-in
this case, the line of a custom-built desk. A wall sconce creates
ambient fill and reinforces the idea that is a home, not just
an office. The little halogen fixture on the desk is primarily
decorative. |
A dark attic office has
a pair of traditional, movable desk lamps to match is impeccable
Craftsman detailing. When you need close, shadow-free task light,
two sources are better than one. |
Subtle, multilayered
lighting comes to the home office. It begins here with a traditional
ceiling fixture, but this one diffuses light for more ambient
ceiling bounce and less glare. Strip lights above and below
the bookcase illuminate the counter and add a decorative glow
on top; downlights over the window shine onto the counter there
and wash window coverings. Primary task lighting comes from
a tabletop lamp. |
When was the last time
you saw a laundry room with good lighting? This one has plenty
of general light for moving around and seeing inside cabinet,
thanks to recessed downlights with diffusing lenses. They're
coupled with efficient fluorescent undercabinet task lighting. |
How do you light a tall,
open studio space? One way is to effectively
lower the ceiling
by lowering the fixtures-in this case, sturdy traditional
tracks
suspended from vertical feeds off overhead ceiling boxes. |
