Office lighting that is 1. bright enough to keep off overhead fluorescents 2. warm enough to feel inviting 3. affordable

Question

Laura Messersmith · Answer

Piper LED Table Lamp (30") | West Elm: This lamp is similar to a pair I bought a few years ago also from West Elm and for that exact same purpose.

I like this lamp because the distribution of light is vertical so it falls across the desk, rather than being concentrated in one place. If you're on camera frequently get 2 and put them on either side of your laptop so you're evenly lit.

It's also nice and bright. I'm old school, so I still think in incandescent terms and the lumens delivered at the upper setting (1200) is roughly equivalent to the brightness of a 100W bulb.

Extra features I like - dimmable settings so you don't have to be full blast, a USB port to cut down on cords, and a small foot print to save precious desk top space.