A functional work setup is not all about ergonomic office chairs and height-adjustable desks; it also involves lighting. A workspace setup is never complete without a desk lamp, which comes in handy to offer task, ambient, or accent lighting, depending on your specific needs.
Desk lamps are used for task lighting, providing light for a specific activity such as reading, writing, or working on a computer. Proper illumination lets you see clearly and comfortably and eliminates fatigue and eye strain, ensuring a safe environment for office tasks. Aside from task lighting, desk lamps can also be used as a layering light in an office by combining with floor lamps and ceiling lights, creating a relaxing ambiance. Also, modern desk lamps can be used for decorations to achieve a modern workplace.
In any office, the perfect lamp is key to a productive work day. While many people may think that all lamps are created equal, this could not be further from the truth. In order to find the right lamp for your work setup, it's essential to consider a variety of factors. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know in order to make the best purchase for your needs. So, whether you're looking for a new desk lamp or just want to learn more about this essential piece of office equipment, keep reading!
Desk lamps are available in different designs and power options, including those that are battery-powered or use different power sources. Here is a rundown of the different types of desk lamps on the market:
Types of Desk Lamp Based on Functionality
Adjustable Desk Lamps
Adjustable desk lamps, as the name implies, can be adjusted to achieve the desired height or brightness. Others also feature adjustable lamps such that you can tilt the light up or down depending on your specific illumination needs.
Swing Arm Adjustable Desk Lamps
Swing arm desk lamps allow you to focus the light to a particular angle to illuminate whatever you're working on. It features a swing arm, which allows you to bring the light closer or further from whatever task you're working on. It's perfect if you're working on several drafting or drawing projects, as it lets you easily focus the light across your working space.
USB Desk Lamps
These desk lamps are fitted with multiple in-built USB ports, allowing you to easily charge your devices. Some modern desk lamps facilitate wireless charging, which only functions with specific phone models.
Organizer Desk Lamps
Aside from providing task lighting, organizer desk lamps allow you to keep your workspace clean and organized. It integrates storage spaces where you can keep your notepads, pens, marker pens, and more that tend to pile up on the desk, making it appear cluttered.
Clip-On Desk Lamps
If your workspace is quite squeezed or you rarely need a lamp on your desk, the clip-on desk lamp is a perfect option. The lamp integrates a clip or clamp, which allows you to attach it to the edge of your desk whenever you need task lighting. You can easily dismantle it from the desk when you don't need lighting at your desk.
Magnifying Desk Lamp
Magnifying desk lamps are best used when working on tasks that require excellent vision, such as precise drawing, stitch jobs, or assembling computer chips. They feature a magnifying glass at the center of the light ring to concentrate light on a particular spot in the working space.
Types of Desk Lamps Based on Design
Mid-Century Modern Desk Lamps
Mid-century modern desk lamps are perfect for the mid-century style office or home workspace. This lamp design appeals to a wide range of people thanks to its minimalistic appearance coupled with the use of natural materials in the construction.
Mid-century modern lamps are perfect for adding a touch of vintage style to any space. They can be used in conjunction with other mid-century modern furniture or accessories to create a cohesive look, or they can be used to add interest to a more traditional space. Their simple design makes them versatile enough to work with almost any decor style.
Traditional Desk Lamps
Traditional desk lamps are perfect for the 21st-century office, integrating a timeless look. They are elegant with a simple yet stylish design.
Contemporary Desk Lamps
Contemporary desk lamps stand out with their clean lines, neutral colors, and geometric shapes. Their dull, simple appearance makes a bold statement that can easily blend into any décor style. Whether your office is decorated with mid-century modern furnishings or ultra-modern pieces, a contemporary lamp will fit right in.
Gooseneck Desk Lamps
A gooseneck lamp is a type of light fixture with a long, flexible neck that can be positioned in various ways to direct light. The name comes from the goose-neck-like shape of the lamp's neck.
Gooseneck desk lamps are ideal for task lighting because they can be easily positioned to direct light where it is needed. The long, flexible neck of the lamp allows you to position the light exactly where you need it, and the compact base takes up very little space on your desk.
Industrial Desk Lamps
Industrial desk lamps feature the warm industrial style, achieved by integrating heavier construction materials such as concrete, cast iron, and exposed light bulbs. These desk lamps achieve a warm and inviting ambiance.
Tiffany
Tiffany desk lamps aren't pretty common, considering they can be worth a small fortune. These desk lamps are constructed from colorful, patterned stained glass with cast iron achieving a timeless look.
Banker's Lamp
The lamp gets its name from the fact that it was popular among bankers in the early 20th century. These lamps are characteristically green-shaded, and they often have a brass base.
Types of Desk Lamps Based on Style of Light Bulb
Choosing the right style of light bulb is essential to achieving the desired function of the desk lamps. There are numerous light bulb options available, depending on the type of lighting you'll want to achieve. Here's a quick look at the different types of desk lamps available.
Incandescent- Incandescent light bulbs are quite common owing to their affordability. While affordable, these light bulbs have poor energy efficiency and a shorter life span.
Compact Fluorescent (CFL)-CFL bulbs are more energy-efficient (up to 70%) energy efficient compared to incandescent bulbs. However, they can be a bit dull and aren't best used in closed-off lamps as too much heat reduces their lifespan.
LED Bulbs- LED bulbs are incredibly energy efficient plus have long lifespans, lasting up to 20 years. They offer different brightness levels based on the number of lumens on the bulb.
Fluorescent Bulbs-Very few desk lamps support fluorescent tubes, making them less used for task lighting. Depending on the style of the desk lamps, the fluorescent tube might have either two prongs that pop into place or a screw-on base. Note that choosing a desk lamp that supports fluorescent tubes won't support other types of light bulbs.
Xenon Bulbs- Xenon bulbs are essentially incandescent bulbs filled with xenon gas. They have a longer life span compared to standard incandescent bulbs, plus they don't heat up pretty fast. The biggest drawback of these bulbs is that they have special fittings or sockets, which makes them incompatible with standard bulbs.
Halogen Bulbs- Halogen bulbs are like xenon bulbs, only that they feature halogen gas to enhance their life span and make them more efficient.
Considerations to Make When Choosing the Correct Desk Lamp
Now that you're conversant with the types of desk lamps as well as bulbs, you'll need to choose the correct lamp to achieve sufficient lighting in your workspace. An ideal desk lamp should provide clear, bright light, moderately focused beam with minimal glare, and also be adjustable to illuminate a range of tasks. Here are a few factors to consider when choosing the correct desk lamp.
Functionality
Before buying a desk lamp for your workspace, you'll want to ask yourself why you need the lamp. As mentioned earlier, desk lamps do not only function to provide task lighting but also to create ambiance and add decorations to an office. How will you be using the desk lamp? Is it relaxing, reading, working, etc.
If you're considering a desk lamp for task lighting, an adjustable desk lamp with either incandescent or LED bulb is probably your best bet. However, in reality, the best desk lamps should offer a combination of accent, ambient, task, and decorative lighting jobs.
Essentially, an ideal desk lamp should fulfill your specific lighting purpose, whether it’s purely task lighting or decorative purposes.
Size of the Workspace
Another factor to look out for when purchasing a desk lamp is the workspace’s size, taking into consideration the size of your desk and the type of work that you perform on the desk. Essentially, you wouldn’t want your desk lamp to be too small or too large for your workspace. If you’ve got a huge working area such as drafting tables, you’ll need a tall desk lamp-and preferably one with an adjustable stand that can reach across the work surface.
The taller the lamp, the more the working space will be lit. On the contrary, if you have a smaller workspace, you’ll need a shorter desk lamp such that you achieve the right amount of light. Clip-in lamps or desk lamps with smaller bases are perfect for smaller office desks. A common rule is that the desk lamp doesn’t take up more than 20% of the entire work surface.
Adjustability
From height-adjustable office desks to adjustable chairs, the modern workspace should be flexible enough even with the lighting. Adjustable desk lamps allow you to focus the light to an ideal point by adjusting its height and angle.
With an adjustable desk lamp, you can fine-tune the positioning of the beam for particular tasks to attain the preferred illumination and consequently reduce glare. There are several features on desk lamps that allow adjustability, including boom arms, swing arms, swiveling heads, and goosenecks, among others. An adjustable desk lamp is highly preferred as you can position the light beam anywhere you need it without really having to physically pick up the lamp and move it across the work surface.
Style and Personal Preference
Desk lamps come in various styles, including traditional, mid-century modern, contemporary, gooseneck, Tiffany, and more, as highlighted above. With several styles to choose from, you'll want to settle on a desk lamp that complements the style of your home or office, whether it's rustic, traditional, contemporary, etc.
Choosing the lamp style also comes down to personal preference in addition to your office or workspace style. With a stylish desk lamp that matches your office décor, you can achieve the best of both worlds in terms of decoration and task lighting. An ideal desk lamp should combine the task lighting with a classy twist to bring out the style and mood you wanted to achieve.
Bulb and Energy Efficiency
Another crucial factor to consider when choosing an ideal desk lamp is the type of supported bulb along with its energy efficiency. When choosing the supported bulb, you’ll want to pay attention to two crucial features: color rendering index (CRI) and color temperature.
The color rendering index (CRI) is a measure of the ability of a light source to render colors accurately. The CRI scale is from 0 to 100, with 100 being the ideal value for neutrals and vibrant colors. Sunlight has a CRI of 100, so it is the standard against which other light sources are judged. Most incandescent bulbs have a CRI of around 90, which means they render colors very accurately. However, many fluorescent bulbs have a much lower CRI, often in the 60-70 range. This can result in colors appearing more muted or washing out under fluorescent lights. a CRI between 85 and 100 is recommended.
The color temperature, on the other hand, measures the light's appearance, described as "cool" or "warm." Bulbs with a color temperature between 2700K to 4500K are generally perfect to work under.
When it comes to choosing bulbs, incandescent bulbs offer clear and bright light with good color temperature and CRI but are not energy efficient plus have a shorter life span. LED desk lamps, on the other hand, are not only versatile but also energy efficient with great CRI and color temperature. Preferably, go for LEDs with at least a 5-10 watts rating as they are perfect for task lighting with no eye strain.
Cost
What's your budget? When looking to buy a desk lamp, your choice should be dictated by your budget. Cost is definitely a consideration when choosing a desk lamp. You want to find one that is affordable but also provides good quality light. Of course, your budget should be guided by in-depth market research to establish the average prices.
Benefits of the Right Desk Lamp in Your Work Setup
Here are some of the benefits of using desk lamps:
Task Lighting
Desk lamps illuminate your entire workspace without creating undue glare and contrast that can cause eye strain. The right desk lamp focuses the light exactly where you need it to support a variety of tasks, whether it involves paperwork, computer work, reading, etc. With a desk lamp, you can regulate the amount of light you want for a particular task without disturbing everyone in a room.
Comfortable Workspace
A desk lamp allows you to achieve a comfortable workspace by providing sufficient illumination and eliminating eye glare. A desk lamp offers layering light which combines with floor lamps, overhead lights, and natural light to achieve a great ambiance for maximum productivity.
Convenience
Modern desk lamps come with additional features, including USB ports and wireless charging spots providing great convenience in charging your devices. Additionally, some desk lamps integrate shelves and storage compartments where you can store pencils, pens, and other small items, enabling you to keep your workspace organized.
Decoration
Desk lamps are available in different styles, including contemporary, traditional, retro, modern, etc. As such, they can be used as decorative elements in your workspace. Just make sure you choose one that blends with your office décor to achieve an overall classy look for a positive mood while working.
Where to Place a Lamp on a Desk for Maximum Light
A desk lamp should be placed slightly above your head with the beam directed away from your eyes. The ideal spot for a lamp is on the opposite side of the desk from where you will be sitting, as this will provide the most even distribution of light. If possible, try to position the lamp so that the light shines directly onto the work surface. This will minimize shadows and make it easier to see what you are doing. As such, it should be placed on the left side of the desk if you're right-handed and the right side of the desk if you're left-handed.
The general rule of thumb when positioning a desk lamp in your workspace is that the distance between the desktop to the desk lamp's bottom should be 15-inches. Besides, the desk lamp should be long and flexible enough to direct light right where you need it.
When positioning a desk lamp on your workspace, ensure that it illuminates the desk and keyboard without causing glare on the computer screen. The lamp should be angled at 45 degrees on either side of the monitor to avoid screen glare and eye strain.
Closing Words
A desk lamp is an essential part of any workspace set up to achieve the desired task lighting, whether for reading, crafting, typing, and more. Aside from task lighting, desk lamps also provide ambient lighting as well as act as decorative elements.
When it comes to choosing the best lamp for your workspace, you'll want to first know the ins and outs of desk lamps. Desk lamps are available in a wide range of designs and functionality; therefore, you should first understand the specific purpose of getting the lamp in the first place. The right desk lamp should fit its purpose, be of the right size in relation to the workspace, provide the right amount of light, be adjustable, and match office décor and personal preferences.
