Article

Home office: desk setup !

Hey, currently for over a 1,5 year I left my job and full time work at home to carry out some projects ...

Pierre Brisorgueil

Dec 14, 2020 • 8 min read

Hey, currently, for over 1,5 years, I left my job and full-time work at home to carry out some projects. As many have discovered after the various confinements and migrations to telework, it is not necessarily that simple. I think I have achieved good efficiency, by dint of tests but also rigor and organization.

In a series of articles entitled Home Office, I will try to give you complete feedback on my experience. I clarify that nothing is sponsored in this article apart from the Amazon affiliate links. I only share the content of my research and choices.

We'll start with your office. Working properly requires a dedicated, undisturbed location, comfortable and pleasant. Depending on our work, we still spend many hours a day there. Some would say bullshit, give me a table and a laptop, it's a youthful error 🙃. I worked for three years on a growing team in open space and two years at home without counting my hours and weekends. I tried everything. Even if we are used to working in an open space, being speedy, with noise and over-connected, it's not sustainable over a very long period. No extreme is right on any subject. There is always a happy medium, an excellent balance to be found, just like having a "friendly" office. There are days with, days without. When you arrive in a bad mood, having a pleasant and quiet office changes the day's efficiency.

Place

First, the location, privilege a great dedicated room, otherwise, choose the quietest place possible. It is better to separate it from the bedroom or at least avoid having the screen facing the bed. If you are in a standard living room, avoid focusing on the room instead of putting yourself on the wall. Another important point would be to have a window in your field of vision to breathe.

Comfort

There is something for all needs, all budgets, I would prioritize the chair. Then come a screen, desk, and the accessories.

Chair

I would categorize this into three sections. I will not take the lowest prices at the entry-level, but I would target those from IKEA, the relatively affordable and right comfort level.

The mid-ranges between 300 and 500 €, for me they are all equal, very similar comfort, a little better than entry-level, only the style/brand changes the price.

noblechairs - L’évolution de la chaise de jeu!

Nous recréons l’expérience d’assise et introduisons des matériaux de classe mondiale et un confort dans un design stellaire. Découvrez nos chaises primées aujourd’hui!

Logo

I took this one in promotion :

noblechairs Hero Chaise de Gaming - Chaise de Bureau - Cuir Synthétique PU - Êdition Noire

And the top of the range where > 1000 €. In my opinion, there is only one reference, Herman Miller. But they are regularly on the classifieds sites around 500€ in good condition, resold by companies.

Screen

I am not a specialist, so I will not go into detail. However, for me, mainly text processing and a small design but not as an expert, I suggest targeting 4k at 60hz. So I turned to the more affordable, and it turns out that the Samsung brand was a winner. I tested two of which I'm satisfied (in promotion around 300€):

If I had to suggest a multiscreen setup, which I don't have today, I think I would go for a 32 inch in the middle, and probably two curved verticals on each side.

Desk

There is a strong tendency towards lifting desks; I have no clear opinion on the question, depending on working hours. However, I think it is good to remember that this does not solve going for a walk or doing sports. I prefer to take my sports break every day. It does not mean that I reject the idea, I have not tested it today. But I thought that I could easily switch only my desk's feet if I wish later 😊. Nothing too complicated in the meantime, a nice wooden board from your local supplier, and 4 feet. Here are some links to examples.

Wooden desk:

Glass desk :

Accessories

For this part, little to say, it depends on your tastes :). I still recommend two things, to have an independent keyboard and mouse if you have a laptop. But also a base to put it at the level of the external screen.

Here is what I selected:

And in the end, I must have a noise-canceling headphones, it is life-changing!

Decoration

We have a good location, the right office, and suitable equipment. All that remains is to make it pleasant. Nothing crazy, I advise you to add a small lamp, a small plant, a photo frame, and you're done. But it is possible to go further. In my case, I wanted to have invisible cable management and some decoration/lighting effects. Here are some suggestions, but it's up to you to let your creative genius shine :). Pinterest and Instagram are the sources! Here is my realization and the material used. The cables are managed by a fixed shelf upside down from the wooden.

Another example of the glass desk :

Hoping to have helped some in their choice/creation :).