MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Trying to gather ideas to improve the lighting in my home office. At the moment I've got a block of 4 spotlights in the middle of the room, one one fitting. On the desk at the edge of the room it's really shadowy, especially if I'm looking at books or paper. I've tried a desk light but that created more shadows not less.
Any ideas? Downlight spread around the ceiling? Big fluorescent tube over the desk? Candles?
Ceiling access is good from the loft so not too tricky to put in whatevever...
Any wisdom?
Lots of GU10 spots in the corners
either a tube or a spotlights over your work area,
a serious note, can you alter the colour/dim , as sometimes the ability to bright or darken slightly reduces strain on the eyes
Lots of GU10 spots in the corners
Lots of dimmable GU10 spots in the corners.
I know there will be pushback against this from some quarters, but consider smart bulbs? Being able to control colour temperature is a killer app, bright white when you need really clear lighting and warm white when you want something more cosy.
Big fluorescent tube over the desk?
I wouldn't. Harsh light and costs a fortune to run relative to LEDs.
^ Which goes to show how everyone's different; Personally, I loath GU10s with a passion - they dazzle when in my field of vision, and create harsh shadows. I just use an old anglepoise with the rest of the room lights off, but if I needed more illumination of the desk space itself I would (an have in the past) go for something a bit more diffuse directly above the desk. In years past, that would have been a fluorescent tube, but now I'd probably use an LED panel.
You could always try an uplighter directed at the ceiling above the desk to create an even shadow-free illumination (or just to test the best location for a ceiling fitting).
Daylight LED batons from Screwfix are cheap and almost eliminate shadows, at least in my office, when ceiling mounted. Cheap too and not too ugly, they kind of just blend into the white ceiling when not actually lit.
I recently got one of these and I like it - it has adjustable colour temperature and brightness so it can be set to your personal preferences.
I have a LED angle poise desk lamp from Amazon, for room lights I have a Philips Hue 2 spot light which has a remote (I don't have a Hue bridge) so you can dim and shift the colour while working which I find useful in the winter months.
It's got spots at the moment...Gu10. Albeit they are in the wrong place, but I would agree with the harsh shadows comment. Quite like the idea of the light from an LED baton. A bit more diffuse. But doesn't it make the place look a bit industrial / hospital / school?
This is mine before I did the final fit to mount it flush. I wasn't sure where to run the cable in and didn't want to cut a channel in the ceiling until I was sure I was happy with it.
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Spots and desk lamps create uneven lighting and glare. And make you look shiny on Teams calls, and no-one wants that.
A controllable LED panel would provide a much better light, and aren't expensive. This Ikea one is £65 and would be sufficient for a small to medium size home office. Brightness and warmth controllable by remote or phone.
We install panel lights in new build offices (including the one I work in) and they do give a very effective and comfortable work light.