Polls show that 62% of Americans have worked from home during the pandemic, and 3 out of 5 people said they hope to keep doing so as the crisis eases.
That makes the comfort of our remote workspaces more important than ever.
But how can we improve our home offices? How can we make them as inviting as possible, so we can actually get our work done during the day?
It can be as simple as daylighting.
Shine a light on your home office
Daylighting is the simple practice of using natural light to illuminate the interior of a home or workspace.
Research shows that workspaces designed around daylight aren’t just more pleasant. They make us more productive and even healthier; Everything from eyestrain to sleep patterns can be improved by our access to daylight.
That’s why corporate titans like Amazon, Apple, and Google all build their office space to incorporate daylight as much as possible. In fact, it’s the #1 attribute of any corporate office, according to the Harvard Business Review.
You can incorporate daylight into your home workspace in simple ways:
- Choose your workspace with the maximum amount of natural light, ideally with windows up high and on more than one side of the room.
- Be sure to include diffuse lighting, light that’s emitted from a wide area and reflects to fill the whole space. As well as direct lighting, light that’s emitted from a pointed source with sharper highlights and shadows. Diffuse light balances the advantages of an overcast day, versus having only direct, streaming sunshine.
- Seek out North-facing windows for consistent light with little glare. South-facing windows have the best chance of catching winter sunlight, as well as indirect summer sun. East-facing and west-facing windows aren’t as recommended because of glare and uneven heating.
- Place digital screens at a 90 degree angle from incoming daylight to reduce eye strain.
- Help the space glow with light-colored walls, wall-hangings, or art as backdrops.
- If your windows heat up the room during peak sun hours, consider both interior and exterior shading strategies. Outside, trees or awnings cast needed shade. Indoors, use a fabric shade to filter the light or blinds to redirect the rays — and start budgeting for more energy-efficient windows.
- If needed, you can supplement with full-spectrum light bulbs that mimic daylight.
WMGB Home Improvement’s window replacement experts have a range of stylish and efficient windows to highlight the light in your space. From versatile glass block to dreamy bay windows, we have a solution for your (day)lighting.
Call (616) 920-8138 or start an online quote.
We’ll make your home workspace shine, guaranteed.
