Home Office Lighting Ideas We Love

Your home office should be functional, uplifting, and free of distractions. It also needs to be a space you enjoy spending time in.

A cluttered office can quickly make it difficult to focus on work. Floor lamps or randomly placed clip-on lights or desklamps can add to that visual clutter. Quality lighting and contemporary fixtures can add depth and spruce up a home office instantly.

If you need some inspo for home office lighting ideas, Color Cord Company has hundreds of options available to help you transform your space. Try some of these expert tips for improving your home office light fixtures.

Keep it Off the Ground

In any office space, flow is essential. Even home offices can start to become less productive when they feel cramped or stagnant. One home office lighting idea to address this feeling is to opt for flush mount lighting or wall-mounted fixtures. While a floor lamp can cast a good amount of light, it takes up valuable space. As mentioned above, too many floor lamps or desk lamps can add to the clutter of your home office.

Opt for one of our hanging pendant lights or sconce lights to open up the room, which can make it easier for you to re-arrange your office furnishings, too. You can remedy limited space by hanging swag lights over your desk, freeing up valuable desk space where desk lamps traditionally are placed.

Use it as a Style Element

Feeling powerful, in control, and at peace can impact the way you conduct your workday. Home office spaces need to feel like an extension of your work self, and home office lighting ideas should involve making the space your own with design elements that work for you.

At Color Cord Company, you can tailor your lighting and customize color, type, and style easily. Our pieces are built to order, which means you get to be the boss of your home office light fixture design. Try our customizable lighting options to create your own unique fixtures and further tailor your home office space to your desired vibe!

Wondering which styles to explore? Try an upscale sconce lighting fixture or a natural woven design. There are endless style elements to play with. Your home office should be a space where you work best. Make it your own with some bold lighting choices and vibrant colors that fit your needs.

Play with Layers

Lighting can be transformative when it comes to interior design. One great home office lighting idea is to utilize different types of lighting to create a layered overall effect that’s both functional and pleasant. Play with a three-fold combination of:

• Ambient light
• Accent lights
• Task lights

Placing light fixtures at different heights and angles can create an overall mood in the office while maintaining functionality. If you love bright open spaces, place your desk near a window to start with natural lighting. Then, add a pendant light paired with a compact table lamp to provide independent lighting for each task.

You can also utilize the layered lighting approach to change the feel of your office. Explore long, hanging pendant lights to make ceilings seem higher and rooms feel larger. When thinking of home office lighting ideas, consider layering different looks and fixtures to make your office like a work of art.

Mixing and matching lighting angles can help set the mood without relying on low lighting that works against productivity. Angled home office light fixtures allow you to cast brightness in contrast with shadows. This adds complexity to the layout of the room.

What Can Lighting Do For a Home Office?

Dim or inadequate lighting in your home office light fixtures can impact your morale and motivation while working. This is why office buildings put such a focus on bright overhead lighting. When you’re at home, though, you may be used to softer, lower lighting. This is fine in the bedroom, but in a home office, it can potentially contribute to issues with eye strain or eye fatigue, low energy, and overall lack of focus. 

Straining to read documents in a dimly lit room can, over time, leave you feeling exhausted. With proper home office lighting ideas, you can radically increase productivity in your home office.

Consider the time of day you are most productive, and let your lighting ideas revolve around optimizing your space for that period. For example, earlier in the day, you may want brighter lights if your apartment or house does not get much natural light. Remember, natural light is your ally and something to work with, but when natural light is limited, getting creative with light fixtures helps.

A Professional Workspace

In addition to health benefits, good home office lighting ideas make it better for conducting business. Maybe you have an important video call with associates. Perhaps you are having a meeting in person. Proper lighting with sophisticated boutique fixtures with elevated color finishes can make all the difference in both inspiring yourself and showcasing your professional commitment to the work.

Your Workspace Oasis

Your office is your space. Use these lighting techniques to help make your home office into a room you’re comfortable and proud to work in. With innovative lighting techniques and high-quality fixtures from Color Cord Company, a dreary home office can quickly transform into a fun, engaging, creative space in which to crush your career goals.

Home Office Lighting Questions

What kind of lighting is best for a home office?

There are several factors that dictate the best lighting for a home office. If you’re starting your lighting redesign, take a look at a few of these guidelines before making any final decisions:

• Clear glass bulbs are best for productivity and alertness, and mirrored glass bulbs are great for achieving a softer, focused light for your work space
• Evenly distributing your lighting will minimize shadow and glare
• Use interior design with light wallpaper and mirrors to help brighten your space

Learn more about how to choose the perfect light bulb for your office.

Where should lights be placed in a home office?

The answer here will depend a lot on what you already have in your space. Do you have a large window that provides ambient light? Is your ceiling full of recessed lights? Assess your situation and review where your lighting might be lacking. You may simply need to add an easy-to-install plug-in sconce or two near your desk for task lighting.

However, if you’re starting from nothing, here are a few home office lighting ideas for ideal placement:

• Start with overhead lighting, like pendant lights
• Add a few wall sconces to balance the entire space
• Finish with a table or floor lamp for task lighting

The most important thing to remember here is that you want to avoid creating glare that bounces off your computer screen and shadows that may obscure your workspace. Avoid placing home office light fixtures directly behind you or in front of your computer screen.

What can I use instead of an office light?

If you don’t like bright overhead lights as home office lighting ideas, you still have options. Some workspaces benefit you most if they’re warm and inviting — letting your creativity flow. For these types of workspaces, consider wall sconces with fabric shades or acrylic shades that diffuse the light with a soft glow. You can also customize a table lamp or two (if your desk is big enough) with a directional shade, like an angled metal shade that ensures the stream of light is focused exactly where it needs to go.

How do I light an office with minimal natural light?

A small, windowless room can be the most difficult place to work. But you can transform it with the power of lighting and interior design. In addition to creating a layered lighting design, add mirrors that bounce the light around and make the space feel larger. We also recommend placing a few plants around the room to create a vibrant environment that brings the outside in.

What's the best home office lighting for computer work?

If you spend a lot of your time staring at a screen, you want home office lighting ideas that balance the cool light from your computer. Look for neutral white bulbs with kelvins (K) in the 4000K-4500K range, and choose shaded light fixtures to prevent eye fatigue and reduce glare against your computer screen.

How can I mix and match new lighting with existing office ceiling lighting?

The most important part of redesigning your lighting while mixing in new fixtures is to ensure the existing and new fixtures match in as many ways as possible. You want the same color and temperature for your bulbs, the same finish for your metal hardware, and matching shades for lamps and sconces.

Looking for more home office lighting ideas? Find inspiration in our gallery!