What is important at the right lighting at the workplace?

The emitted light of a lamp has its own color, the so-called “light color” or more correctly, the “color temperature“. Kelvin is the unit of measurement to measure this color temperature. Light colors below 2800 K are referred to as extra warm white, between 2800-3300 K as warm white and between 3300-5300 K as neutral white and over 5300 K as cold white or daylight white.

But the color temperature says nothing about the brightness of the lamp or the light source. The physically correct value for this would be the Lumen value, measured in lm. It is one of the most important values when buying lights, because it reflects the brightness. By 2009, each of us knew how “bright” a 60W bulb is. Since the ban on inefficient bulbs and lights by the EU, a lot has changed for the consumer. Watt is the unit for the power consumption of a lamp.

This means it has never really given us any information about the actual brightness of a lamp. Still, we intuitively knew how bright 60W were. Our rule of thumb is: 800 lm is about the same as the light of an old 60W bulb.

Do you work a lot in the evening, or is it important that the colors are reproduced as naturally and as real as possible on prints and on the PC?

Then the color rendering index also plays a role in the choice of a lamp: the color rendering index reflects the relationship between color stimulus and color impression. Lamps of different lighting technology but the same light color (K) can produce different color impressions. The colors of one and the same object can therefore have different effects on the human eye depending on the light source. However, this value is rarely found on the packaging.

Another value that is often used to calculate the perfect work lighting is the Lux value.

For office work, the legislator recommends values from 500 Lux. Lux is the intensity with which a light source strikes a surface (depending on the distance). It is therefore the measure of the brightness of the light at a certain spot. Since the calculation depends on several individual factors, this value is not to be found on the packaging, and if so, then usually only as a guide (calculation at one meter distance). Our recommendation for you: the more difficult the tasks, the more lux your light should have, but at least 500 lux. This can be calculated by a light planner or sometimes also employees of a specialist lighting retailer.

Make sure you have enough daylight in the workplace

The best work light is still daylight. Working in the open air would be ideal, but unfortunately not all of us are allowed to, even if it would’nt be a problem from the technical side thanks to notebooks, tablets, WLAN and Bluetooth. Make sure that as much daylight as possible is shining on the work space.

The importance of natural light has already been confirmed in science and plays a major role in the lighting concept “Human Centric Lighting“. When typing and working on the PC, it should at best fall from the non-writing side to the workplace, so shadow shadows are minimized.

Experts often recommend light from the front. However this makes little sense when working on the screen, since the light doesn’t arrive on the keyboard but can dazzle you in the worst case. Also make sure that there are blinds or curtains to prevent too much sunshine.

Recent discoveries of largely unexplored receptors in the eye support the thesis that daylight enhances concentration and power to perform. And we can work more effectively and longer with exposure to daylight (even daylight-like light). A very interesting aspect among furnishing tips for office lighting.

The importance of an ergonomic posture

However, our furnishing tips for office lighting also include the topic of posture. When working in an office, always ensure an ergonomically correct posture. The adequate distance to the PC and the correct table height can reduce stain of the eyes. An upright sitting position and the correct angle also prevent tension.

Bad news for couch potatoes: In the long term, your joints and muscles will be grateful for a decent work place – especially when it comes to longer lasting work.

Use several light sources

Correct lighting in the workplace is always a mix of direct and indirect lighting. Direct means, the light shines directly at the work surface, as in the form of a desk lamp like the Tolomeo lamp by Artemide which can be flexibly adjusted in terms of height and reach, so it can be individually adjusted to you and your work space.

Indirect lighting means that the space around the work space is subtly illuminated to relieve the stain on the eyes. It can also be enough daylight. In the evening, this is usually a ceiling, wall or floor lamp.

In addition, a bright, friendly pastel color on the walls and furniture surfaces that are as non-reflective as possible, such as matt finishes and muted furniture colors, can positively influence the lighting situation and enhance a relaxing working environment.

Depending on the tasks to be carried out, individual lighting must be chosen.

The desk lamp is best put on the side of the workplace. If natural light is available from one side, the desk lamp can also stand vis-à-vis. If you do a lot of written work, a placement on the opposite side of the writing hand makes sense. If you do filigree work, the illuminance should be over 1000 lx, and sufficient indirect lighting is also important here, since the eye have to concentrate.

Also in the kitchen, the local workshop, or the in-house painting studio value should be placed on a good workplace lighting, as these rooms have special light requirements and you often spend a lot of time there. If you still need advice, you should contact experts from the lighting industry, such as lighting designers or lighting specialists. Otherwise, we hope that our furnishing tips for office lighting will help you.