Arrange the perfect space for smart working from home.

Although things have improved a bit compared to some time ago, it is not so unusual to find hybrid jobs that allow you to organize your own activities while working from home.

What is smart working?

We start from a simple definition provided by the Observatory of the Politecnico di Milano, which defines smart working as “a new managerial philosophy founded on a return to people being given flexibility and autonomy in choosing their spaces, their working times and the tools they use, against a backdrop of taking more responsibility for results”. That means realising a well-defined space in your home where you can perform your work tasks. The spaces available must often be reconsidered so that home management can be adapted in the best way possible as well. Ideally, the support of a professional would be recommended in correct planning of the work space, so that they can carefully assess the domestic environment and its characteristics to determine the best light source and furnishing arrangement and create custom solutions.

How and where to arrange spaces for working in comfort from home?

A first piece of advice is to assess the characteristics of the rooms in your home and choose a location to dedicate to work. It really is important to identify a dedicated work area where you can organise everything you need, in order to avoid having to move constantly from one area of the house to another. Those without a stable location can however make do with the dining table in the living room. One potential solution is to purchase a small desk to place under a window or, if you are planning your home, to have this area already feature as a part of your living room. In any case, it’s best that the desk used be perpendicular to the light source, which should preferably come from the north. The light from this point is indirect and more even. Otherwise, it will be important to screen the direct light with special curtains and protections, to prevent troublesome reflections on the screen. It is a good idea to remember to set up the appropriate electrical sockets, in terms of number and power, since you may need an additional light source as well as the computer and phone charging.

(Credits: CReA laboratorio d’interni snc)

 

Choosing the right lighting for your work space.

When you make an office space for working at home, you have to make sure that the environment is well lit, for comfort and performance. Ideally, you should always take advantage of the natural light that comes through the windows. The choice of artificial lighting is also important because it ensures a direct source of light where you need it. Indirect light illuminates the walls and falls indirectly onto the desk: it provides the room with diffuse and even lighting. That’s important, because it doesn’t tire your eyes. LED bulbs are a good, smart solution because they allow a saving of up to 80% compared to the consumption of a conventional bulb with the same luminous flux. To achieve correct lighting that lets you work to the best of your ability and increase readability, the lux level of the lighting should be between 500 and 600.

LED lights for the home: some details

There are several parameters for evaluating and measuring light sources:

– LUX = unit of measurement for illuminance, i.e. the light perceived by the illuminated object.

– LUMEN = unit of measurement for luminous flux.

– DEGREES KELVIN = measure the temperature of the light.

The most widely used measurements are as follows: 2700 K is a warm, white light that our eyes perceive to have a golden hue. 3000 K is brilliant white, comparable to the colour of a halogen bulb. 4000 K is identified as natural white, preferable for work environments (e.g. this temperature is recommended for lighting kitchen worktops, because it makes the details stand out better, so it is also perfect for lighting work spaces). It’s also important to pay attention to the quality of the LED bulbs that you purchase. If low-quality, they can strain your eyes over time as well as break prematurely. In addition, low quality causes colour to change over time, or some LEDs may burn out, leading to annoying flickering.

This could even be imperceptible, but interfere with your vision all the same. To check for these defects, you can try pointing your smartphone towards the light source. If you see alternating black bands, that means lower-quality LEDs with lower performance. The LED transformer too can guarantee light source quality, because it maintains a constant flux and correct current intensity.

 

PROJECT YOUR WORK AREA CORRECTLY

For a correct design of the working space, however, the support of a professional is recommended who, by evaluating the domestic environment and the characteristics of the room, will be able to determine the best arrangement of the light sources and furniture and create tailor-made solutions for the space and your needs.

 

Discover our proposed solutions for Smart Working at this link.