For a number of years now, I’ve shared my desk set-up to the world. As I work from home, my office is both practical but cosy and personal. In an office, you may be limited to personal possessions (in fact, at my previous employer, they made you clear your desk at the end of each day into a locker) and, although I try and keep clutter down, I still want to have everything to hand.
The room is compact, but that’s more than enough to get me and everything I need inside. However, that means I had to opt for a deep, rather than wider, desk. This is what it looks like…
And here’s what all these things are…
- My MacBook Pro 14 M4 Pro, sitting on a laptop desk mount stand. There’s just two cables coming it – USB-C connector that plugs into my monitor, and the MagSafe power cable. I could use just the USB-C but, when my monitor is powered down, it would mean that MacBook would get no power, so the MagSafe ensures this remains powered 24×7.
- Creative Pebble Pro Bluetooth and USB-C speakers. I connect with USB-C for my work laptop and Bluetooth for my gaming handheld. I use these speakers for video calls and general laptop output
- Attached to the front of the desk (front, right), is a 4-port, aluminium USB-3 hub – it’s a quick and convenient way to plug in USB-A devices to my gaming handheld (see number 10!)
- My LG UltraFine 31.5″ 4K monitor. There’s no stand, but a multi-direction arm that clamps to the edge of the desk, freeing up space. It has a 2-port USB-C hub and speakers
- BenQ ScreenBar Halo. This is a high-end, remote screen light, complete with a remote control down on my desk. Balancing a webcam on the top has always been precarious but BenQ released a magnetic adapter in the last year for just this purpose
- A Logitech StreamCam sits on top of the ScreenBar, plugging into the USB port on the rear of the monitor
- A Stream Deck+. Intended for streamers, it’s also got a life outside of that too. Everything from simple shortcuts to video editor controls, the tactile buttons and touch screen of this version makes it a worthy upgrade
- An Audio-Technica AT2020USB+ Microphone, shock mount and pop filter.
- A Belkin BoostCharge PRO, keeps my iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods wireless charged with ease. Whilst working, my iPhone magnetically snaps to it on landscape mode, making use of the standby mode
- An Asus ROG ALLY gaming handheld. The USB-C cable you can see plugged into the top of it runs to an Asus dock, which allows HDMI and USB connection, as well as power. I can switch my LG monitor over to the Asus and use it on there. Even when not gaming, this is a good quality, fast, Windows machine.
- An OG Apple HomePod. This has a great sound and I mainly use it for listening to music, connected directly to the Apple Music app on my laptop. All other sound is directed through the monitor speakers.
- An Elgato Wave Mic Arm LP. LP stands for “low profile”, so the arm sites more horizontal than the usual “up and over” of most microphone arms. This is great. I just push it to the side when I don’t need it. It’s also incredibly well built too, with magnetic cable covers.
- Mug coasters, made from recycled vinyl singles – in this case, all of them from Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds. A great Etsy find.
- Nordik Vegan Leather Desk Mat in blue
- Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Apple Magic Trackpad 2. I prefer the trackpad over the mouse (yes, I do have one), and is still my original, now 7 years old. The keyboard is new, now sporting the Touch ID (which has allowed me to keep my laptop closed)
- My chair is the rather comfy Humanscale Diffrient World. All mesh and very simply built, I’d recommend it
- My rather splendid sit/stand desk, with adjustable height controls. This is the DeskRite 300, but with the added extra of replacement, brushed steel, inserts. However, what’s under the desk is also of interest…
- Underneath, at the rear, is a metal cage/tray, which is used for tidying cables, as well as to store the monitor PSU.
- A 7-port, powered USB hub also sits inside the cage. This plugs into a USB-C port in the back of the monitor
- Next to the cage, is an under-desk mounted 7-way power strip. This means that only a single cable goes from the desk to the floor, which on a desk that can be raised and lowered, is a God-send
- An Eve strip light lines the outside of my desk (well, the rear part of it so they’re not visible from the front). Controllable from both my phone but also my Stream Deck.
- Govee Glide Hexa light panels add a dash of colour to the wall. I often have these set up to light up based on music but otherwise can be used to add a warm glow to the room.
Underneath the desk is hiding the following…
- Stream Deck Pedal. For when I need to slam my foot down to end a Zoom call. But. yeah, configured for all sorts of uses depending on what I’m doing.
- A half cylinder foot rest cushion. Foam filled and with a non-slip coating on the outside, I’ve had this for years and has served me better than anything metal or plastic equivalent.
- An anti-figure mat. I use my desk a lot in the standing position these days for calls, so use a special soft mat to reduce leg fatigue whilst I do this.
- An APC UPS. 400VA, 8 outlets and surge protected, all my network kit is running through the battery backup outlets. The remaining outlets are used for powering things on my bookcase (see below).
This is the view to the left of me. I find having a white board always useful for quick notes. Under that is an Ikea SKÅDIS pegboard and accessories.
On the radiator shelf is an assortment of fidget toys, as well as the following…
- A Logitech Performance Mouse MX. I’ve had this for many, many years, but still works 100%, albeit with replacement rechargeable batteries in it. It’s connected to my Asus ROG ALLY
- Apple AirPods Max or an aluminium stand
- A Pomodorotimer, which visually shows time remaining and is nicely analogue, but is battery driven with an adjustable alarm time
To my right, is a couple of bookcases, with various additional items on top.
From left to right (ignoring the rock-salt lamp and fake plant for now), we have…
- Synology DS223 NAS, with 2 4TB Seagate IronWolf HDDs
- Eve Motion, which is a motion and light sensor. I use it for a number of things, including automatically bringing on the desk lights when I enter the room. This has taken over from the under-cupboard and ceiling lights as the only light source (other than the MonitorBar) in the room.
- Netgear Orbi RBK753 router
- Eve Room – a very compact, connected, air quality sensor
Further to the right, and out of view is a Nordik Leather Valet Tray. This usually contains..
- My wallet, which houses an Apple Tag
- Apple AirPods (4th Gen), in a Titanium ESR case
The rock lamp, btw, is attached to a smart plug, along with an oil-filled heater in the room. It means that when I have the heater on, the lamp is on too, which serves as a useful reminder – I only have it only for short bursts on the coldest days.
Finally, I have this small shelving unit, which I’ve recently installed for various hubs and boxes…
On the top shelf is…
- A 3-way mains power socket, which clamps on at an angle. It also has 2 x USB-A and 2 x USB-C plugs too. The cable you see spilling over the front is plugged into a spare socket and is used for quick charging of various USB-C items.
- A Philips Hue Bridge. Had this so long that the lights on top are barely visible anymore!
- An Apple Watch charger inside an Elago dock. This connects to a full-fat Apple USB-C plug to give a full speed charge. I use this in preference to the one on my desk when I need to charge my Watch quickly.
On the middle shelf…
- An ancient TP-Link switch. Old but it still works. Most importantly, it’s 5 port and support speeds up to 1Gb. This is connected to various decides on this shelf, along with the NAS drive on the bookcase.
- A Meross hub, which connects to a smart thermostat that I use in my office.
And, finally, the bottom shelf…
- A Starling Hub, which connected my Nest devices to Apple Home
- A Raspberry Pi, Model 4B, running Home Assistant, which allows me to add additional integrations to Apple Home. The Pi is inside an official case.
Having already maxed-out the TP-Link router ports, I may be looking for a replacement at some point. But, otherwise, there are no current plans for changes.
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