I have decided that with a bit of my fundraising money I'd set aside some for a decent light in my room. The room itself is lit by a single warm and dim lamp from the ceiling and I never open my blinds; the floor is dark blue carpeting so you can imagine it's not reflecting much light back up. I do have a single bright desk lamp but it doesn't spread light very well everywhere.

I was thinking of getting a large floor lamp, something like this:
http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/90139875/

We have one elsewhere in the house and it gives off a good amount of light. I'm not a particular fan of it, but I'm really reluctant to buy something that's a bit more decorative since those tend not to be useful for working under.

Anyone have any suggestions? What do people here use for workshop lighting?

I'd say open the window blinds and get a light that shines toward your work area. The lamp that points up will only slightly lighhten up the room. I have found there is no better substitue for sun light, but when it's cloudy a 60-100 watt clear bulb is a good substitute. I'm not a fan of flourescents...seems hard on my eyes.

Julie

I'd say open the window blinds and get a light that shines toward your work area. The lamp that points up will only slightly lighhten up the room. I have found there is no better substitue for sun light, but when it's cloudy a 60-100 watt clear bulb is a good substitute. I'm not a fan of flourescents...seems hard on my eyes.

Julie

Should have been clearer... the blinds will be blocked by some of my storage tubs. No way around that for the moment, which makes lifting the blinds a daily chore that I'd like to avoid. That, and I tend to work at night...

I've experimented a bit with my desk lamp and discovered that I get the most light spillage if the lamp is directed up towards the ceiling.