Working at home can be extremely rewarding – or extremely frustrating. A well-designed, purpose-built office will have lots of little architectural touches that you don’t ever notice – until they’re no longer there. One of those which can be particularly glaring is that of well-considered lighting. At the Scottish Shutter Company, we regularly talk to people who are struggling with their home office, often without realising there’s a solution. But there is – and we’re here to share it.
The Problem with Too Much Light
If you’ve ever tried to read a book in the dark, you’ll understand just how much impact light has on your ability to see what you’re doing!
Yes, we’re joking, but the fact is that so many home office users are doing the same thing in reverse – trying to use a computer screen with too much light.
When multiple things emit light in a room, they all compete for dominance. Looking at a screen when your surroundings are blessed with glorious sunshine can be extremely problematic. It’s the same reason you can’t see your phone easily when sunbathing!
Your eyes find it much easier to see when there’s contrast, and a bright white screen coupled with a bright yellow sun doesn’t give you that.
The Problem with the Wrong Angle of Light
If contrast is an issue, then it has nothing on glare! Light blazing in will bounce off the reflective surface of your computer monitor or laptop screen and make it hard to see anything, thanks to all the reflections.
We’ve all experienced it!
The Problem with the Wrong Type of Light
One of the less understood seasonal problems with sunlight is the low glare that comes with the low winter sun. This phenomenon will increase glare and eye strain unless properly managed, especially towards the end of the day, when the sun’s position can make working at a home office nearly impossible!
The Answer to Home Office Light Problems
The answer to all of these issues is easy, surely – block out the light. Covering your windows makes seeing a screen just fine. But should you have to sit in the dark just to get a little work done?
Of course not. Not only that, but simply blackening the room has its own issues, not least an impact on your mental health. Sunlight works wonders on how we feel, and spending your days getting rid of it simply because it’s inconvenient is too much of a sacrifice to bear. What you really need is a way to control and position the light, deciding how much enters the room and where it touches…
Adjustable Shutters – The Perfect Window Covering for a Home Office
Shutters are an amazing invention – it’s no wonder they’ve been around for a long time before there were computer screens to worry about. When you have louvred shutters on your home office windows, you gain in so many ways:
- Control – We’re about to get into this, but the level of light control you get from a well-fitted shutter is second to none.
- Insulation – It’s not always about light. Shutters will help you keep warm when you’re working late into the evening, and cool when it really is that sunny outside.
- Aesthetic – Shutters are beautiful to look at, giving your home office a timeless quality.
- Privacy – There’s nothing quite like a shutter to dissuade prying eyes.
- Longevity – Far more than other window coverings, shutters last the test of time. A little regular cleaning and extremely light maintenance are all that’s needed to enjoy your shutters for many decades.
- Value – Should you decide to move on to another home (and another home office), then your shutters will show their worth, enticing prospective buyers with their fine qualities.
How Light Control Brightens a Home Office
Being able to adjust the louvres on a shutter means you can angle the light, allowing it to shine exactly where it’s needed. When you find that perfect room arrangement, placing the desk just so, and the screen exactly where you want it, needing to make sacrifices just to accommodate the window location is upsetting – and unnecessary.
A shutter doesn’t leave light leaking around it – as curtains and blinds tend to do. Instead, the perfect fit combined with the solid nature of the louvres means that light is blocked exactly as intended. If you need near total darkness for a short while, perhaps to watch a video, then that’s what you can have.
With shutters, you bring in the warmth and brightness you want, enhancing your working day with that exhilarating warmth, while never letting it overcome and dominate your workspace. It’s the perfect mix for the perfect home office.
Home Office Shutters with SSC
At the Scottish Shutter Company, we install custom-fit shutters for our customers, ensuring that your home office is both beautiful and efficient. Download a brochure to explore the options, or call us to speak to an experienced advisor today, and let us make your working life a relaxing time, free of glare.
