Hey all,
(First off, I turned the whiteboard around as I use it for work and wanted to avoid showing any business data that could get me in trouble with my employer.)
I work from home and also use this room as a chill out area when I occasionally get the free time.
I’ve been fiddling with my setup for a couple of years now. I’m in the smallest room in the house (by choice) due to family etc. needing the other rooms. I’m just not happy with my set up but I have no idea how I can improve it.
I’m on a budget and every piece of furniture apart from the desk is a hand-me-down, so I’d rather not go buying lots of expensive furniture if I can help it.
There’s an annoying strip of blue wallpaper around the middle of the room which the previous owners of the house left which I’m planning on removing when I redecorate, but just need to find the time to do it. I’m open to any recommendations when it comes to redecoration advice, too.
Out of shot, there’s a bookcase to the right and a waist height chest of drawers to the left with some books on top which I’d ideally like to change to something that utilises the space better (something taller) but I need the drawer space as every inch of every drawer in the room is filled with stuff I use regularly. I’ve also got three guitars on three separate stands to the left of that chest of drawers that could probably benefit from being in a guitar rack, to be honest, which would free up a bit of space.
Any advice/recommendations welcome! Thank you for your help!
by HankLard
25 Comments
I personally like using the second screen on vertical.
Seems like a small change but might help you.
You can also add some warm lights, make the place more cozy
I like your overall setup and think it looks clean and organized. You could get some lights, led or whatever, to spice it up and make it more cozy as mentioned by u/Orangotango96. I was gonna say move the whiteboard over possibly. Unless you like referencing it all the time, you could add a shelf above your desk and personalize it to make it more personal or attach some lights under it to give a nice glow affect and have a few prints or posters above it.
Painting your desk black could make the black theme flow a lot better. Like u/Orangotango96 said having your second monitor vertical would give the effect of having more space on your set up.
Here’s what I’d do personally:
lights, plants, wall art/shelves, personalized trinkets, wrist rest, paint the walls a dark color, get better window coverings (shutters, or something else that’s clean like that)
What is it that you don’t like? Ergonomics or visuals? Are you unhappy with your monitors? Is this about your other furniture? I would try to identify the thing that bothers you most and replace with something that makes a significant improvement spending most of your budget there. Personally I went monitors, desk, ergonomic keyboard and then some plants and cheap artwork. Then I iterated over all improving a little. Also I took to much time improving my chair and that was a mistake
tbh your setup is pretty neat, maybe you can do something with all the wires, use wireless keyboard and mouse instead. You can use some lights and plants to decorate. The bookcase and chest situation would be replaced with a tall bookcase with drawers, and you can get rid of those guitar racks if you don’t really need them :/
putting the PC on the floor makes it feel less cramped and frees up space for decoration, look for inspiration in this subreddit most of the posts that I personally like are the ones that are not filled up with tech but have small things for decoration that makes it feel like yours and not a copy paste of a generic Ikea setup
Now that’s for the desk part for and extra I would change the curtains to something else can’t say why but I don’t like the ones you have
Def need to update the peripherals, and mousepad. I would also find another way to store the headphones at ur setup. I hate when there is a bunch of stuff cluttering my desktop.
I would personally add some color and lighting (I prefer warmer lighting over rgb). I found some Edison lightbulb hanging sconces on Etsy at a shop called “UrbanEdison” that I really like since the lighting is warmer and it was easy to hang. If you are in a budget, then maybe adding a poster or two to the wall behind the desk may help. A hanging plant would work well in the corner – I would suggest a “String of Pearls” or a “Pothos”. With the natural lighting from the window, either plant would do really well though. Otherwise, maybe a figure or art of some kind (even a framed family photo) on the PC.
These are just suggestions, but I hope it helps :).
What’s the length of that desktop?
Add a few plants
You could maybe stain your desk. Some art/things on the wall
First think I would do is get the tower off the desk and center the monitors. I’d also get some art for the wall above the monitors.
Put the monitors closer to your face and make sure it’s eye level, you may need longer arms to do this, but it will drastically improve your experience.
My opinion, your setup is neither flamboyant nor minimalist. It is just in the middle, just like most of us. Most of the high praise setups you see on here are either ultra clean or ultra over the top, mostly. My suggestion is you first pick which way you wanna go. Then everything will fall into place or place out of place😉.
And please please please share updates.
Mount your screens on the wall and get rid of the cork board.
That tac board or whatever looks real sad.
Personality. Even the wallpaper is boring. A desk mat with a design. Some wall art. Something on your desk that interests you, a car model, plant, lego.
Dualsense
Maybe speaker
To post here, you are required to have a tiny little plant that will die in a week.
A girlfriend
A mouse pad with some art would be a really cheap way to spice it up a bit.
it looks good, maybe get a color theme and lights to go with it.
Get some flight sticks
Here are some suggestions for sprucing up your setup:
1. Consider relocating your desktop computer off your desk to create a more spacious and tidier appearance. If possible, find a stand or mount to keep it off the floor.
2. Inject some vibrancy into your room by adding a touch of (warm) colors. You might want to explore using basic RGB lighting strips and adorn the walls with some stylish decor. These changes can significantly enhance the overall aesthetic of desk/room.