Offices may differ in design, but proper lighting is a common thing every office owner should consider. If a workplace does not have a lot of natural light, then artificial lights are even more important. Today, modern offices have taken a step forward to introduce modern lighting techniques that favor all aspects of office space. With modern office lighting fixtures, you are able to bend, pivot, adjust, dim and brighten your way to the perfect working environment.
Desk Lamps for Office
Society may be moving away from paper toward digital records, but desk lamps continue to have a role in the workplace or in the home even if you’re rarely hunched over your desk, staring at a pile of paper these days. You need a lamp that can deliver the right amount of light exactly where you need it to work comfortably, prevent headaches and eyestrain, and boost your energy. While most homes and offices come with overhead lighting, and you may even be lucky enough to have your desk by a window, a desk lamp can deliver focused lighting just where you need it.
The best desk lamps take full advantage of LED lighting technology, creating lamps that are both stylish and energy efficient. The great quality of light you receive from LED makes these lamps enjoyable to use anytime you need a bit of extra light.
Top 5 Office Desk Table Lamps
Phive LK-1 Metal Swing Arm LED Desk Lamp
An architect’s lamp has a lot of history behind it (the movie company Pixar has used one as a mascot for a long time), and the Phive LK-1 is one of the best cutting-edge table lamps you can find for a price this low.
They’re used by architects, artists, fashion designers, and animators to illuminate big drawing boards, and recently they’ve found their place on the tables of many office workers, writers, repairmen, digital artists, programmers, and other IT professionals. We highly recommend this lamp for all the professionals in these industries.
Having a light source right above your screen reduces eyestrain, and will keep your workers awake, alert, and feeling refreshed. The worst possible thing for an office is that the only light source is the PC screen (a mistake many home office workers make). The Phive LK-1 has a beautiful, minimalist design and perfectly illuminates one desk and anything on that desk, regardless if it’s paperwork or a PC screen.
Features:
- Adjustable 360 degrees swivel head, easy to rotate.
- High quality LED light with a great diffusion panel; in short, no monitor glare.
- 6 levels of brightness and 4 lighting temperature modes with a memory function that lets you save your favorite setting.
- 50,000 lifespan, 24 month warranty.
- Low energy consumption.
- Intuitive controls
PHIVE LED Desk Lamp, Architect Clamp Task Table Lamp
This ultra wide desktop lamp is made for bigger offices, bigger drawing boards, or desks that feature multiple screens. It’s quite similar to the Phive LK-1 but delivers up to 2x the lighting coverage. Most serious offices today feature 2-monitor displays, due to the numerous benefits this setup brings. The increased productivity and easier multitasking you get are reasons enough to have 2 monitors on your desk, and Phive quickly jumped in to satisfy this demand too.
While it’s not adjustable to the level most other lamps are, there’s nothing you’d rather have over your multi-monitor display or a wide workbench. This is the one drawback this lamp has, it’s not mobile or flexible and requires a dedicated working spot with a bit of clearance from the wall; most offices and workbenches won’t have a problem with this, but some small home offices don’t have the luxury of a big, spacious room and would better be served with the Phive LK-1 that doesn’t have to be mounted behind the table.
Features:
- Ultra-Wide, the light covers a big desk or two monitors.
- Integrated 20W LED light doesn’t glare off monitors, and reduces eyestrain.
- Saves up money and space, instead of having 2 lamps for your big multi-monitor desk or workbench, you can do with one.
- Adjustable 4 color temperatures and 5 levels of brightness.
- Memory function, remembers the last mode and brightness before you turned it off. While this seems like a small thing, workers are often frustrated with having to manually reapply their settings to the lamp.
- Minimalist, modern design.
Verilux SmartLight Natural Spectrum LED Desk Lamp
Natural daylight is the best possible light a worker can get and offices should be wide, spacious and have lots of windows. Regrettably, in the real world, not everyone can get a corner office, and many workers are working in badly-lit offices or cubicles. This is where a Natural Light (Natural Spectrum) Lamp comes in, as it provides an artificial light that’s as close as we can get to a natural light.
These lamps have been used for quite some time in SAD therapy, and have slowly made their way into offices. Using these lamps keeps workers happier, awake and more productive. Like the TaoTronics lamp, Verilux has an USB charger and can be used to charge portable devices.
Features:
- Natural Spectrum LED Light – provides an almost identical light to sunlight and brings out the colors of creative work, like art, digital art or fashion design.
- Reduces eye-strain.
- Adjustable neck.
- USB Charger.
- One-year warranty.
TaoTronics TT-DL044 vs. Verilux SmartLight
The only downside Verilux has compared to the TaoTronics lamp (besides lacking the wireless charging option) is that the TaoTronics is made out of sturdier metal and will likely last longer; for offices that are lacking in natural light and aren’t afraid of having a plastic lamp on every desk, the Verilux wins out.
Traditional Bankers Lamp, Brass Base, Handmade Emerald Green Glass Shade
For the vintage office look and feel, the Banker’s Lamp is the only real choice. Banker’s Lamps, made by the company Emeralite almost a hundred years ago, were revolutionary. Any clerical desk job, such as a banker, accountant or lawyer, had one of these retro lamps on the table. The original lamps cost about $300 to $1200, but faithful reproductions can be had for under a $100.
While the more modern lamps are the norm these days, a classic office deserves a classic, great looking lamp, and smaller offices with venerable, traditional décor are prime candidates for this simple, yet beautiful lamp. The air of elegance about them will make customers trust you more, so it’s best used in hotel receptions, banks, accountant’s offices, or law offices.
If by, some chance, one of these gets damaged in transport, the manufacturer will send a replacement for free.
Features:
- Hand-made Glass Lamp Shade
- Ornate Brass Base
- 1-year warranty
TaoTronics TT-DL044 Eye-Caring Metal LED Desk Lamp with Fast Wireless Charger
These days, everyone has a smartphone and many companies use their own company phones or other portable hardware like tablets to optimize their workflow. This is why you’ll see many desk lamps with USB ports and wireless chargers included. This lamp is a great match for any company looking to include portable gadgets to better communicate (or the home office owner looking to de-clutter his table).
Having these lamps simplifies logistics problems of having to find a free charger, and can, on average, save quite a bit of time for the company. Be advised that the wireless charger only works on phones that support wireless charging; the slow 1A USB charger is the backup option that works in the case your device can’t be charged wirelessly.
While commercial buyers will not like the slower charging, companies should know that slow charging extends the lifetime of LiPo batteries most portable devices have; this is a bonus point for logistics, meaning the company needs less new batteries per year.
These lamps fit in perfectly with call centers, warehouses and home offices.
Features:
- Qi-Enable Wireless Charging can charge a phone in as little as 30 minuts.
- 5 color modes and 5 brightness levels
- Uniform, glare-free light
- 5V/1A USB port, slow charging
- Flexible, sturdy metal body
Floor Lamps for Home Office
Floor lamps for home offices work to round out the decor of the room and provide a casual source of ambient illumination. Often placed in the corner of the room, these floor lamps bring contemporary style into a space that is typically only used as a work area. From energy efficient LED floor lamps to traditional arc lamps and designs with far-reaching adjustable arms, there’s a floor lamp fit for your office here.
Smart Lamps & Lighting
A smart light bulb is one that has an integrated sensor or a wireless connection that allows it to be controlled by a smartphone or other mobile device. It can turn on or off, dim or brighten, adjust its color temperature and change the bulb’s life to save energy. A smartphone app will allow the user to set up automatic light schedules. These types of light bulbs are more expensive than conventional ones.
Many companies have developed applications that use the functionality of integrated sensors or wireless connections to control a light bulb from a distance, and these lamps are getting more and more popular.
Best Smart Lamps
Philips Hue A19 LED Color Smart Bulb Starter Kit
We’ve tested and rated the best smart lamps for office and home office lighting. The Philips Hue system is our number one, and it’s not a huge surprise that it’s the most popular model on the market.
This is a great starter kit if you want a simple, easy-to-install system for a small area in your home office, and it also comes with the Hue Hub which lets you easily connect all of the lights and control them with your smartphone.
There are also options to connect the lights to Alexa or Google Assistant for hands-free control. With millions of color options available to choose from, you can’t get bored with the Philips Hue.
Wyze Bulb
A more affordable option, the Wyze Bulbs are a great alternative to the Philips Hue. What is interesting about the Wyze Bulbs is that they actually don’t need a hub to be used. Instead, they have a built-in Wi-Fi connection that allows the user to connect to their smartphone and control the lights directly from there. This can also be done with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
With the Wyze Bulbs, you can create a dimmed or bright atmosphere, and therefore, they present themselves as a very attractive and affordable option.
Best 5 Lighting Fixtures for the Workplace
Flat LED Light Fixtures
Hyperikon 2×4 FT LED Troffer Dimmable Panel
The Hyperikon LED panel is a great choice for any office looking to upgrade their outdated fluorescent lighting; it’s extremely easy to install these and you can basically retrofit an office with these in a weekend. Compared to the older fluorescent fixtures, the Hyperikon weighs half as much.
The bluish white light (5000K, 5000 Lumens) is a neutral, office friendly light that won’t bother anyone. Visual artists might want a 6500K version, which simulates daylight. The Hyperikon 2×4 Led Panel is not for home offices, and you’ll have trouble installing one into the ceiling.
Features:
- 125 Lumens per Watt, meaning this is one efficient Panel compared to most fluorescent lights that hover around 70 Lumens per Watt.
- Eligible for rebate.
- Specially made for maximum efficiency due to their concave shape.
- Dimmable.
- 5 year warranty.
Hykolity 6 Pack 2×2 FT 40W 5000lm Lay-in LED Troffer Panel Light
Hykolity (a pun on “High-Quality”) offers a 2x2ft Panel Light that aims to solve the same problem Hyperikon solves: replacing old, inefficient and migraine-inducing fluorescent panels with LED ones. Since both of these are made to quickly upgrade an office, they’re very quick and easy to install.
If you’re torn between which one of these two you should be looking at, a simple “check your drop ceiling dimensions” will easily solve that question. If you want to buy some for a home office, there’s an affordable 2-pack which is easy to install into a regular ceiling with a surface mount kit.
Features:
- Rated for over 50,000 hours of use, which translates into roughly 20 years @ 8 hours per day.
- No noise, uniform light.
- Extremely easy to install.
- Can be installed into ceilings or drywalls.
- Qualified for rebates.
LED 2×2 FT Panel Light, Allsmartlife Flat LED Troffer Panel Light
Allsmartlife came in with the most versatile offer; their LED panels can be quickly installed into T-Grid ceilings in most offices, schools and hospitals, but they offer alternative mounting options including suspended mounting, surface mounting and sheetrock mounting. These panels come in 2x2ft and 2x4ft dimensions, so you can choose which one you’d like to install.
The 4000K light temp is a warmer, pleasant color that will let your workers relax, but isn’t ideal for working with colors (painters, digital artists, photographers and other such visual art workers won’t like this light).
Features:
- Rated lifespan of 50,000 hours of use
- Dimmable.
- Extremely easy to install.
- Can be installed into ceilings, sheetrock or drywalls.
- Certified by DLC and Lighting Facts.
Suspended lighting fixtures
Hykolity LED Architectural Suspended Direct Indirect Linear Channel Light
Sometimes you need a more direct light than a flat LED panel can give you; the suspended Hykolity LED Architectural hangs down from the ceiling and focuses light on the workstation. LED lights are quickly replacing all the fluorescent ones in most offices around the world; LED is cheaper, safer, more efficient and doesn’t strain the eyes as much.
The great thing about these lights is that you can select the warmth, ranging from an orange-ish 3000K to a blue-white 5000K. The one big downside we’ve had is that they’re not linkable, and each one needs its own wiring done. That would’ve been a big plus and simplified the already easy installation process.
Features:
- 50,000 hours of use; very efficient at 110 lumens/Watt.
- Smooth dimming controls.
- Selectable color temperature.
- Easy to install, chain included.
LEONLITE 4ft 0-10V Dimmable LED Linear Light, 4600lm Linkable Suspension Lighting Fixture
Leonlite comes in with a very simple to install, linkable suspension lighting fixture. It’s quick and easy to install, and the fixtures are linkable with one another; a feature that Hykolity misses. Unlike Hykolity, Leonlite doesn’t have an adjustable temperature setting, it has the industry standard 4000K cool white. Leonite’s light fixtures are listed for safe operation and hold the DLC certificate, meaning you’re eligible for state and nation wide rebate programs.
Features:
- Units can link together and make a long, bright fixture that’s great for huge office floors.
- Energy saving.
- Certified and eligible for rebates.
- Smooth dimming.
- 50,000 hours work life.
Which should you choose, the Leonlite or the Hyquality, depends on how big your office is, are your desks in a long row or does your office use cubicles, is having an adjustable color temperature important to you, and how important rebates are for you.
How to Choose Lighting Fixture for the Workplace
Offices are more and more reliant upon computers and visually processed information. For this reason, office lights have never been more relevant or more important. Good lighting at the workplace will make your staff feel happier and healthier, cutting down on leaves and costly down time. Studies show that bright, airy offices help to motivate staff, and increase productivity. Good lighting also makes for a safer office, where potential hazards can easily be seen and avoided.
Several different functions need to be taken into consideration when assessing the lighting in an office. Not only does illumination support visual perception, but it also has emotional and biological effects. Since initial visual perception is achieved by illumination, ceiling fixtures should be chosen individually according to the room condition. Floor lamps and table lights can be used as well to intensify the lighting, particularly in areas where visual display equipment is situated.
Ceiling Light Fixtures
Since commercial office light fixtures are typically installed either in or on the ceiling, the ceiling construction in the office has a big impact on the types of fixtures that can be used. For example, for a offices with drywall ceilings LED panels and recessed fixtures make the easy choice, bur for open ceilings pendant mounted fixtures are a better option. Dropped ceiling lights are usually either recessed into the grid, mounted on the panels, or suspended below panels.
LED panels
LED panel lights one of best lighting options for indoor settings. There are four kinds of standard installation: LED panels, recessed, suspended, mounted, and build-in. LED panels can be mounted to the walls or hanged on the roof or mounted on the surface of other objects, which makes it suitable for a wide range of applications.
Suspended ceiling light fittings
Suspended linear lights are a great fit for offices with higher ceilings. They offer direct, indirect or dual light distribution. Another type of suspended lights are office pendant lighting, that works well above individual desks or in clusters above a conference table.
Light Control System
Lighting control systems are designed to save energy in an office building by responding to how each area of the office is used. Adding a lighting control system into an office redesign or fit out means you can get the most out of any new lighting that has been installed in terms of performance and energy saving capabilities.
As well as making the most out of natural daylight, lighting control systems will help you to save money by regulating the lighting in different areas of your office. Areas that aren’t in constant use, such as corridors, toilets and meeting rooms, will benefit from a lighting control system as this will ensure these areas are only lit when they are in use. Occupancy control sensors ensure that the areas are lit when in use and that lights are switched off when they are not needed.
Lighting control systems add a level of flexibility to lighting that is vital in modern offices. Dimmer switches can be installed to control light levels in meeting rooms where projectors are used.
Blinds and window dressings can also be considered as lighting control systems. Perforated blinds maintain the view outside of a window whilst redirecting sunlight onto the ceiling. This makes them a good choice when redesigning an office.
What to Look for in an Office Lighting System
Adequate lighting system must possess certain well defined characteristics:
Sufficient Quality
Choosing the right level of light in the workplace can prevent workers becoming tired and losing concentration on their tasks. Illumination, measured in Lux, should be at a minimum of 500 for computer workstation brightness and generally speaking, an increase in Lux boosts visual performance and positively influences information processing.
Sufficient Quantity
The number of fixtures needed to light a space is highly dependent on the fixture type, the mounting height and the finishes in the room. As a rule of thumb, general lighting can be achieved with one fixture every 8’ or so in a drop ceiling office. For linear pendant light fixtures, where the fixtures are typically installed in continuous rows, its more about selecting the right light source and configuration based on where the lights will be installed to reach the target light levels.
Brightness
Brightness of light means the light reflected from an object. It also controls contrast which affects seeing. The great contrast prevents seeing.
Intensity
The lighting system should provide the right degree of intensity. The light should be well spread over the workplace and should not cast shadows. The spreading of light should be uniform over the entire work surface.