Many homeowners are still finding themselves working from home, and creating the perfect home office or corner to work from is a priority. Sure – getting a comfortable ergonomic desk chair and stylish desk is up there on the priority list – but what about the lighting? The backdrop for Zoom calls?

When thinking of updating your current work from home setup it’s important to acknowledge the practical aspects of the arrangement too. And this includes lighting. Having a well lit workspace will enable you to focus on the task at hand and not be straining your eyes.

Part of setting up your home office is examining where any glare comes from and installing lighting to counteract and therefore reduce this glare.

The home office is not the only place in the home where we encounter glare on screens. In family or living rooms glare is quite common due to the sheer nature of these rooms and their setups. Glare occurs when there is too much light entering your eyes, and can cause eye disorders and headaches.

Let’s discuss how to address glare on televisions and computer screens with proper lighting!

 

Lighting Principles to Reduce Glare

Firstly, it’s important to understand how to reduce glare in general terms, before applying this to a specific room or screen type.

Indirect lighting is the best form of light to reduce unwanted levels of glare. This type of lighting throws more light upwards rather than down. Light should be bouncing around the room rather than being fixated somewhere specific. Use multiple light sources to help with this.

Using dimmers in your home are a “quick fix” for reducing glare because you can turn the lighting levels up or down depending on your preference or activity.

It is important to avoid using metallic or shiny materials in rooms where you have glare. These shiny surfaces will only increase the amount of glare and make it even more difficult for you to reduce it.

 

TV’s

 

Let’s take a look at how you can reduce glare on televisions!

To begin with, you should position your TV away from any light sources that produce reflective glare. Positioning the TV on a wall with windows or adjacent to them can help with this. However, if your TV is facing your windows, this could be a reason for the glare created. Explore different furniture arrangements for your family or living room before settling on one and try to think it through in terms of glare.

As an advocate for good lighting, I cannot recommend different light sources enough for rooms with TVs in! This doesn’t mean the room needs to be completely lit to 100% all of the time, it means you should have the flexibility to adjust the lighting to suit any eventuality.

Generally, you should have one or more ceiling fixtures, with supplementary task lighting like floor and/or table lamps. If you have scope to do so, using ambient lighting also helps to bounce light around the whole room to reduce glare.

If you’re using wall sconces, choose fixtures where the main bulb is shielded from direct eye view. For any of the fixtures in living or family rooms, avoid using those with bare or exposed bulbs to reduce glare.

 

Computer Screens

Position your computer screen away from direct sunlight to minimize glare, and use task lighting such as desk lamps or floor lamps to increase light levels. 

Have you experienced glare on the screens within your home? How have you tackled it? Or perhaps you have used the tips and advice shared within this blog post! Either way – I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!