Had almost the same issue last year when I redid my office. Thought recessed ceiling lights would be perfect—clean look, no clutter. But nope, glare city. Ended up getting a couple of adjustable desk lamps and aiming them at the walls instead of directly down. Softens everything nicely without reflections. Funny how the simplest fixes usually end up being the best...
Interesting you mention the recessed lighting issue—did you try adjusting the bulb type or wattage at all? Sometimes swapping out a bulb can drastically cut down glare without losing brightness. But yeah, bouncing light off walls is a smart move. Did something similar in my own workspace recently: I had this sleek pendant fixture that looked amazing but was annoyingly harsh when directly overhead. Instead of ditching it completely, I raised it slightly and switched to a warmer, lower-wattage bulb. Made a huge difference in comfort and reduced eye strain.
Funny thing is, people often underestimate wall colors too. Did you find that changing your lighting setup made certain paint colors look different? I've noticed that even subtle tweaks in lighting angles or bulb types can totally alter how wall shades appear throughout the day. Had a client once who nearly repainted their whole room before realizing the real culprit was overly cool LED bulbs making everything feel clinical and washed out.
You're right though—often it's the simplest adjustments that make the biggest difference. Glad you found an easy fix without needing to redo everything again... trial and error, right?
Good point about wall colors shifting with lighting—I noticed something similar in my living room. Switched from cool LEDs to warmer bulbs, and suddenly the beige walls looked way cozier instead of flat and dull. Did you experiment at all with dimmers? I found adding a dimmer switch gave me more flexibility throughout the day, especially when natural light changes. Might be worth considering if you're still tweaking things...
I've thought about dimmers, but honestly, I'm still a bit skeptical about how much they'd actually help. Your point about flexibility throughout the day makes sense though—natural light shifts a lot in my home office, especially since I have east-facing windows. Mornings are bright and energizing, but afternoons can feel kinda gloomy.
I did notice something similar to your beige-wall experience when I swapped out my bulbs. Initially, I had those super-bright daylight LEDs because I figured brighter equals better productivity, right? But after a few days, it felt clinical and harsh. Switching to warmer bulbs definitely made things feel more comfortable and less sterile.
Maybe dimmers could add another layer of control... I'm just hesitant because I've never installed one before and wonder if it's worth the hassle. Did you find the installation straightforward? If it's simple enough, maybe I'll give it a shot. Either way, good call on experimenting with lighting—it's surprising how much difference small tweaks can make to a space.
Installing dimmers is actually pretty straightforward—I did mine in about 20 mins with a quick YouTube tutorial handy. Honestly, the hardest part was finding the breaker switch in my messy garage... totally worth it though for that afternoon lighting slump.
