Lighting is the next important element. A traditionally lit room probably won’t have a good enough light for working, but the addition of an Anglepoise-type lamp at the desk is all you need. As well as checking that you have enough light to see clearly, you also need to ensure that it doesn’t shine onto the screen and cause reflections. The same is true of strong sunlight if you sit near a window, you may have to add a blind – vertical, roller or roman are the most versatile – to stop glare.

Storage is a more difficult part to plan. If your home office is simply a central place for running household affairs or a homework zone, this will be fairly straight forward. If, however, you are creating a working home office from scratch, having only worked in an office before, it is almost impossible to tell what you will want to hand and how much storage and filing you will generate. Start with listing what you think you will need and then treble it.

It takes a smart handling in the arrangement of the things in a small home office. With a good planning little effort you can hide these things away from everybody’s sight and create a clean and tidy home office look. This neat environment will help you to enhance your work performance and give the best result.

If you are installing a PC into an often used room, such as a kitchen, and you want to be able to put it away, then consider converting a tall cupboard. It will have to be deep enough to take the computer with the door closed, but you can incorporate a pull out or pull down surface for the keyboard and work. You will also need to make sure that the shelf is strong enough to bear the weight, and that it is the right height to sit at, with room underneath for your knees once the desk is pulled out. Check, too, that you are not in everyone’s way when you are actually using it.

Offers omni directional and semi directional light for all types of lighting and generally fluorescent. Concealed strip lighting works well in alcove units and under kitchen wall cupboards.

Table lamps

Give out a soft omni directional glow for general and accent lighting.

Track lighting

Individual light fitting take their power supply from a continuous track suspended from the ceiling.

Up lighters

Semi directional and directional light shining upwards. Beam can be bounced off a wall or ceiling for general lighting.

Wall lights

Light can be distributed in any direction. Halogen lamp wall fittings cast a gentle wash of light across a wall. Again there is a good range from traditional to very modern styles. It is useful to have separate switches with dimmers on lights like this.

Wall washers

The wall is covered with an even stream of light. Usually ceiling mounted, recessed or mounted on a lighting track, the light is directional. Add reflectors to angle the light.

You have to know first what kind of lighting effect you need for the room. Once you determine the purpose, find a light source which offers the exact effects you need. If you use the right light source, then there is no doubt that you will get a very satisfying result.

Ceiling lights

Not recessed, ceiling lights are shaped more like a globe. They are generally omni directional.

Desk lights

Task lighting that concentrates directional light over a specific area. Look for ones with an adjustable arm so you can direct the light.

Down lighters

Directional light shines downwards. Normally recessed or semi recessed in to the ceiling. Can be either a broad floodlight or narrow beam.

Pendant lights

Offer a good light source but can look obtrusive. Light distribution depends on the type of shade, of which there is a huge choice. Fit a dimmer switch to control the intercity.

Spotlights

These can be ceiling, well or floor mounted or attached to a lighting track. Flexible and adjustable with light directed in a beam they made good accent lighting. Different bulbs are available for differing light effects.

Standard lamps

These offer omni directional and semi directional light depending on the lamp shade.

1. The light source: the amount and type of light that the bulb emits.
2. The light fitting: its aesthetic appearance and how it controls and distributes the light.
3. The position of the light fitting

You also need to keep in mind purpose of your lighting as this will affect the type of light that you buy. The four types are:

• General or background: to replace or boost natural light and give a general level of visibility.
• Task or localized: for specific areas and tasks.
• Accent: to highlight objects to emphasize their color, texture and shape. This can be a narrow beam or broad spot.
• Information or utility: to improve safety; lighting like this is often found in areas of total blackness.