Inspiring spaces

As human beings, we need light. At Wästberg, we believe that this need for light is both physical and emotional. This means that workspace lighting need to cater to both the measurable and the immeasurable qualities of light. The measurable qualities are something we already are familiar with. Lux, lumens, etc – these are terms that can be defined, evaluated, compared and talked about. The immeasurable qualities, on the other hand, are not as easy to define. What are they? We believe that they are deeply rooted, even hardwired, to our relationship to fire as a light source. For more than a million years, fire was humankind’s only artificial light source. We have lived with electrical light for just over a hundred years – a blink of an eye in comparison with human evolution. This is why we create what we call modern-day fires. In everything we do, our ambition is to recreate the essential qualities of our relationship to the fire as a light source. A light source that:
- is close to us.
- we can control.
- shines for us, not on us.

In today’s offices, the lighting situation is often the complete opposite of the above. It is kept far away from us (the ceiling, for example). We cannot control it (despite our varying physical and emotional needs and preferences). And it all too often shines down on us, not for us. Just because the measurable (physical) qualities are fulfilled, it doesn’t mean the immeasurable (emotional) ones are. And to us, the immeasurable qualities are just as important as the measurable – if not more. Our task lights not only fulfil both the physical and emotional human needs for light. They do it in an economically viable, energy-efficient way – providing an almost immediate payoff on investment, and using light only when and where it is needed. By equipping workplaces with task lights, you empower the people using them with the ability to influence and individualise their own immediate surroundings. Both physically and emotionally. This creates true well-being.