- Good order is the foundation of all things.” - Edmund Burke
- Having a minimal, comfortable and inviting workplace helps us do the best work we’re capable
of. The tools you use and where you place them are fundamental to building a good desk experience.
- Hello, I’m Ron and in this video, I’ll be sharing with you my desk setup, including
the accessories that I use and where you can get them at affordable prices.
- Beginning with my desk, I’m using a custom-built fixed-height desk made with
a light compile wood surface and sealed off with a smooth tempered glass.
I’ve used this desk for more than 5 years now, and I love that I can easily jot down important
tasks right on its surface. Although many people recommend sit-stand desks these days, a
sitting-height desk does a good enough job for my daily work. The most important thing to note
when selecting or making a desk is its depth and width. I’d strongly recommend a desk that is at
least 150cm wide and 80cm deep. This allows for a comfortable viewing distance from your desktop
monitor or laptop while providing you with enough space to place your desk accessories.
- While a good desk is nice to have, an aesthetic, minimal and ergonomic chair is even more important. The chair that I’ve been using for years is the Vitra Pacific
Chair in Ice Blue. With the Pacific, you have complete control over how you sit.
You can adjust the height, the depth, the tilt, and the support of your chair individually to
fit your needs. And you can feel the quality in every part of the chair. That said, this chair comes at a hefty cost and may not be worth the investment for everyone.
- Sitting right on the desk is the Grovemade desk shelf in the medium size. Its minimal
and beautiful Natural Cork legs make the space feel more organic, and its sturdy
matte blue top serves as an accent colour throughout my space. The best part
about this desk shelf is that I can easily place my BELKIN charger on the aluminium mid-shelf, with its power cable passed through the cleverly
designed slot at the back. This allows for a clean and minimal look with no cables in sight.
- The driver of this entire setup is my 2-year-old 16” M1 Pro MacBook Pro which is
simply the best purchase I’ve ever made. The Mini LED display, and super-fast processing make it the ideal device for creatives. I don’t see a need to upgrade to any of the newer
models. After 2 years of using the device, it had almost paid for itself for the amount of work i've done on it. My Mac is connected via Thunderbolt
to the older CalDigit TS3 Dock which provides me with more ports to connect to my peripherals.
- For my monitor, I went with the tilt-adjustable 27” Studio Display with Nano Texture glass.
Tilt-adjustability is a must for when I’m taking a break from sitting and because of bright
light coming into my space, the nano-texture glass does a great job at refracting direct light
sources. Previously, I used a DELL 27” monitor but as my needs changed, I needed a brighter, more
colour-accurate and higher-resolution monitor to work on higher-level design and video-related
projects. That was when I took a chance on the Studio Display. I was instantly amazed at how bright and colour accurate this monitor was. was and its gorgeous 5K display immediately
wowed me. Despite initial reviews about the display having a bad webcam, I found
that the camera was sharp enough and i was impressed by features like CentreStage —
which keeps my face constantly centred in the frame. For most users, however, a 24” iMac
with its 4.5K display and M3 chip is sufficient. - When editing videos, I like to use the built-in
spatial audio speakers. They deliver just the right amount of clarity
and loudness which reduces the need for dedicated speakers. On my desk, I also
have one HomePod in midnight and a pair of HomePod minis for the ultimate surround
sound experience. I pair all 3 of them up when I’m indulging in music after a busy day. By simply moving your iPhone above the homepod, it connects instantly...
- Since my studio display is powered by my MacBook Pro, i needed a stand to dock my MacBook
in place. I’m using a ***Wood* Dock, which allows me to dock my MacBook horizontally and place my
heavy stock note-taking cards right beside it.** - These note-taking cards are my new
favourite productivity tool. I use it to plan out my whole week and write down
important notes at the back. Together with this, I use Analog by Ugmonk which is a to-do
list that helps me get my work done each day. - For my mouse, I’m using the Apple Magic
Mouse in Space Black. This is a mouse that I cannot live without. It’s light, conforms to
my hand perfectly and most importantly, I can easily use gestures like two-finger swipe which
seamlessly switches desktop spaces on my Mac. I know many people hate this mouse, but I find
it to work so well with my Mac that I cannot possibly live without it. For editing, a trackpad
is a must when scrubbing through my Final Cut timeline or precisely zooming in on photos on
Pixelmator Pro. Force touch is also incredible on the Magic Trackpad. I can simply hard press on
a word, find out its definition and view synonyms. For my keyboard, I use the extended Magic Keyboard
with space black keys and Touch ID. I really like the low key travel, customised keys for Mac as
well as Touch ID built right in for easy login. - Moving on to my other desk accessories, meet the
UtilityKit, which is a custom-designed station for my pens and stationery. The tall utility
holder is perfect for holding your pens, highlighters, rulers and long objects in place,
while the more hollow, mini utility holder is designed for small objects like your eraser,
SIM ejection tool, SD cards, thumb drives, mini clips and dongles. In the middle, we have
another tall utility holder with two dedicated pen slots and more space for tools like your
marker. To the right, there’s a dedicated space for your post-it notes and AirPods. There’s also
a space for your phone right in the middle for easy access. The versatile 5-piece design
includes 4 detachable utility modules that fit snugly on the main base. For a long time,
aesthetic and minimal organisation tools like these often cost north of $100. UtilityKit will
go on sale at $39 retail. You can register your interest in UtilityKit from my website at the
link in the description. If we hit at least 300 registrations, we will begin mass production.
- My side desk is more of an empty space, free of clutter. This is where I do work
that requires me to hand-write or draw. Above the desk is a pegboard that I got from IKEA.
It’s perfect for displaying my photo strips, and artwork. It’s also an ideal setup for
keeping my notebooks, cables, AirPods Max and other essentials neatly organised and tucked away
without much visual clutter. Beside the pegboard, I have a cup made by easy life design Directly below, I have a Stagg EKG electric kettle. With precise temperature control, I can dial in my desired temperature for
the specific tea type and with a precise pour sprout, i can control the flow and the speed of the water for a smooth and consistent tea brew. The kettle boils up quickly and is built in with a hold
mode, which keeps my water at the same temperature for up to an hour, so I can
enjoy multiple cups without reheating. which makes it ideal for a workspace.
- Beside it, i have a Figuier candle from Diptyque which I received as a gift this holiday. A candle is perfect for long stints of work that require extra focus and attention
to detail. It gives the space an entirely new atmosphere and fuels me to continue doing my work.
- As for decor, I’ve always been a huge fan of plants. Plants give the entire space a warm and
cosy vibe. Each species offers a different look and texture and breaks through the rigidity of the
space. On my main desk, I have a philodendron fun bun. Its emerald-green foliage and golden veins
make it an ideal exotic plant to have in your home. This plant is low-maintenance and enjoys
climbing and trailing over anything it encounters with its twisting stems and divided leaflets.
- To light the space, I use Phillips Hue Light Strips for my shelves and a Phillips Hue Play to
light my desk. These can all be controlled via the HomeKit app on my phone. “Hey siri…”.
For my desk, I use a standing lamp that i bought online to light up the table top.
- If you liked this video, be sure to check out my other videos and subscribe to
the channel. If you’ve watched this far, I’ve left links in the description to most
of the products I showed in the video. - Thanks for watching, hit the subscribe button
and I’ll see you hopefully in the next video.
