The best home office lighting for computer work

Michael Plater

23 Apr 2024 • 6 min read

A Smoothy Table Light from Gantri lights up a home office table filled with a pair of glasses and some decorative knick-knacks

The best lighting for your computer desk isn’t a single product – the entire setup of your home office contributes to optimum computer lighting. If you’re struggling to light your home office to your satisfaction, then you’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll share tips and suggestions on the best home office lighting for computer work so that you can blend aesthetics and functionality in your workspace.

Why do you need the best office lighting for computer work?

Gantri’s Field Trip Table Light illuminates a large wooden table and chair set

Have you ever been forced to work in a dark computer room and experienced your eyes being slowly microwaved by the computer monitor? Not pleasant, and certainly not good for your vision.

A lack of properly tuned lighting can lead to a whole host of issues while working. Uncontrolled bright light can cause a glare on the screen, making it difficult to view. Bad lighting setups of all types can make it hard to read materials on your desk or set you up for poor web camera lighting during video calls. All of these issues and more can impact your productivity and worsen work-related eye strain – not ideal.

Challenges to home office lighting for computer work (and how to overcome them)

A man is hard at work sewing in their home office table illuminated by Gantri’s Bag Table Light

Setting up the proper lighting for computer work comes with several challenges. Depending on the size and brightness of the space you’re working with, you may need to be smart with your layout. Where your lights are placed in relation to your desk (and where your desk is placed to start with) are two of the most important layout questions to tackle so you can have the best computer light.

The best computer lighting is bright but not opposite the screen

A dark office space can feel uninviting at best, and claustrophobic at worst. Ensuring your office is adequately lit can bring an emotional boost to even the worst of work days. Plus, working in the dark on a bright computer screen can damage our eyesight and make it more difficult to work and read.

As you think about the brightness of your home office, consider the layout you’re working with. Assuming that you, like many, have an office computer setup you should make this desk space the focus of any task or accent lighting fixtures.

The front of your desk (or where your back will face while sitting) should ideally not be facing a bright window. This can cause an intense glare on computer screens and blow out your webcam image – not ideally the best computer light.

How do I avoid glare?

Glare isn’t pretty, and even worse it can be damaging to our vision. It’s even suggested that glare from a monitor can cause astigmatism.

Avoiding glare starts with your computer screen. Take a look at the computer monitor that you’re planning on purchasing or the one you already own. Monitor screens come in two styles: matte and glossy. The rule of thumb is that you will be sacrificing a bit of image quality with a matte screen for the benefit of producing less glare and reflection from nearby light sources.

A glossy screen may be a necessary standard for artists or professionals who require high color accuracy for digital work. If you are primarily working with text, then a matte screen will likely be a much choice better for you. You can also purchase separate matte filters for computer screens which can be “stuck” onto your monitor.

The best way to remove glare, however, is at the source. Lighting your office to avoid glare will go much further in removing pesky reflections so you can enjoy a premium image no matter the time of day.

My office is dark – how can I create better lighting?

If your office is too dark, you should consider your available options. If you have any windows, simply letting some natural light in can drastically transform a space. If you don’t have a window or your window doesn’t get much natural light, you can enhance the overall light level in your home office with artificial ambient lighting. Ambient lighting is one of the three main types of lighting and is a great way to add more light to a space such as your home office. Consider a floor lamp or central overhead light to increase the ambient lighting in your office.

What’s the best home office lighting for video conferencing?

The principles of lighting acclaimed films and setting up a video-conferencing office setup are more similar than you might believe. Cameras interact with light quite differently than our eyes do, requiring more deliberate usage of lighting to create a pleasing image.

For video calls, your brightest light should be directly lighting your face. Most web cameras can’t adjust to the lighting difference of a dark face against a bright background – without adequate lighting on your face, the camera may blow out the background leaving your face in shadow.

Placing a soft, bright clamp or desk light behind your monitor, or off to the side, can help to light your face during videoconferences. Experiment with positioning (and preferably a dimmer switch) to find the angle that works best for you.

Best home office lighting solutions for computer work

Gantri’s Analog Task Light Table lamp lights up a home office table where a magazine is laid open flat

Of course, a great office deserves some great lights! Here are three lighting solutions to inspire your creativity, updating classic styles with modern designer chic. All products are manufactured by Gantri in San Leandro, California.

Focal Wall Light - PROWL Studio, CA

Gantri’s Focal Wall Light hangs above a bedside table and illuminates the space

The Focal Wall Light, designed by PROWL Studio is a beautiful multi-use task light. Inspired by the instruments of tattoo parlors and creative lofts, Focal can be easily employed as both a directional lamp and an ambient light, making it perfect for illuminating an office or lighting your desk.

Wall-mounted lights save you valuable desk space for your home office setup, making this light a perfect choice for smaller offices. As with every one of Gantri’s manufactured lighting solutions, the Focal’s eco-friendly materials mean you can light your office in style and continue reducing your carbon footprint at home.

Aim Clamp Light - Smart Design, NY

Gantri’s Aim Clamp Light is being screwed on the side of a home office table

The Aim Clamp Light is designed by Smart Design in New York. This award-winning directional design is remarkably versatile, able to be mounted to shelves and any surface, which makes it fantastic for lighting an office desk. With Gantri’s museum-quality LEDs, you won’t need to sacrifice lighting coverage for convenience. If you need an easily installable lighting solution that can fit into practically any space and provide museum-quality illumination, the Aim is the perfect light for you!

Lago Table Light - Heitor Lobo Campos, BR

A woman is sitting on a couch with her feet up while reading a book using light from the Lago table light perched on the table beside her

The Lago Table Light is designed by Heitor Lobo Campos in Brasília, Brazil. Desk lamps will never go out of style, and if you have the space for this beautiful piece, it will feel like keeping a flowing work of art on your very own desk. With its elegant minimalist design, the Lago is meant to emulate a flowing body of water wrapped around a glowing light. This lamp can provide excellent ambient lighting with a wide range and is easily dimmable to create your perfect productive haven.