You have many projects in mind when you move, especially in an apartment that you no longer rent but that you own. You no longer depend on anyone to mold it to your liking, and you have complete freedom. That’s what happened in my case, and with an incentive: I started having my own freelance office instead of having to place the implement in the living room.
Going through all these steps, a lot of ideas came to my mind, which I will have to execute step by step over the months. Next I’ll tell you how my office has evolved and what plans I have for the future with it.
A large, simple and functional desk
I could do with a smaller table, but I like having a bit of free space to dedicate to other devices that pass my review table.
As I’ve said on other occasions, my work computer when I’m at home is a Mac mini M1. With it I use a Magic Mouse and a Magic Keyboard, and as a monitor I have a 27-inch LG 27UL500-W with 4K resolution (a screen that today can be very good for 256.54 dollars on Amazon ).
They complement a USB-C connected Logitech Streamcam for video conferencing and diffusion video, basic Creative Pebble speakers (also connected via USB-C) and a Samson Q2U microphone. To raise the monitor and thus have a correct posture in my armchair, I have an IKEA ELLOVEN base (29.99 dollars), which gives me additional storage space to hide the keyboard.
At the furniture level, everything rests on a solid wood board and two trestles between which I hide the wiring using two shaped boxes… let’s say chapucera. I could settle for a smaller office (and save space in what is now my office), but we have a question of
The lighting is simple: a lamp on each side of the desk with IKEA smart bulbs able to dim their brightness via HomeKit. I’m not one for colored lights, although I haven’t tried it yet as I’ve been told the effect is attractive.
Future plans: more connectivity and more productivity
He is implement meets my needs but has certain limits. For starters, the Mac mini’s connections mean I have to remove the USB-C ports to connect some external drives or chargers, or disconnect the speaker jack if I want to put my headphones on. diffusion. The ideal would be to be able to use all these accessories without having to connect and disconnect their cables.
How can I fix this? With a Dock that can be connected via USB-C and has Thunderbolt 4 speeds to cover all my needs, although the price of this move is already several hundred dollars. An example: the Kensington Thunderbolt 4 Dock costs 362 dollars at the moment, and it is at a promotional price when it normally costs 429 dollars.
Another thing I wonder is add a secondary monitor to be able to more comfortably see several applications that I need to have open at all times. For that, I can buy another LG 27UL500-W monitor like the one I have, although I might consider a more capable one like the 32-inch Samsung M8.
The Apple Studio Display also crossed my mind: it would simplify my desk and offer full compatibility with my Mac, but its panel is too old to accept its very high price, so for now I have it last option.
Little by little, month after month, the goal is to adapt this office to my daily work. I will never achieve anything perfect (not me or anyone else), but I can get closer to that perfection with devices that fit my budget. Oh, and before I say it: yes, I plan to put a plant.
