Workplace lighting shapes how we see, feel and perform. Yet in practice, it’s often added too late, treated as a finishing touch rather than a design foundation. At Studio De Schutter, we believe that light should be part of the very first architectural conversation. Materiality, geometry and façade concepts should inform how light defines perception and atmosphere.

The question of proper lighting accompanies almost every office, workshop, and laboratory. Time and again, the term lux at the workplace appears. Official reference values can be useful, but in real life, the gap between theory and practice becomes clear very quickly.

As lighting designers based in Berlin and Antwerp, we experience every day that the question of the right illuminance cannot be answered with a simple number. What truly matters is the interplay of function, atmosphere, and sustainability, only then do workplaces emerge that promote both efficiency and wellbeing. The question “how many lux at the workplace?” may sound simple, but the answer is far more complex than the often-quoted 500 lux. People don’t see in lux. What we actually see is reflected light. Lighting is not just about brightness, but about the task, the environment, the materials, and the colors, in short, about perception.

There are spaces that work. And there are spaces that move you. The difference rarely lies in furniture or colors alone – it lies in light. Good lighting fulfills function. Great lighting creates atmosphere, guides perception, and makes architecture tangible. As lighting designers in Berlin and Antwerp, we show how light goes beyond function and becomes a defining part of spatial identity.