Home office reno and desk set-up

[Mj2k]

Another element arrived this evening - the Logitech MX Mechanical wireless keyboard for IOS. Love how it becomes backlit as soo9n as your hand approaches, but there are lots of other tricks I need to learn, as well as customising some keys to suit my workflow.

Everything I hoped it would be, and I really can't see the Apple keyboard getting a look in now.

I’d love a mechanical keyboard, but used to sit next to someone in an open plan office with one years back & just the sound reminds me of him! Was even worse as he was a 2 finger typist so you could hear how slow he was going. Loved the old school keyboards, but intrigued the higher action is more productive; engaging and enjoyable most certainly.

So from left to right you have vape, ASMR mic, Sky q, light controller, multi dock and then a stand for the Mac. What is the stand, as looks like it could be a nice space saver for me?

I find when my Mac is closed the True Tone & night shift doesn’t work properly, is that offset for you as you have a Mac display that has the sensors? I have mine open slightly, with a thin folded microfibre cloth to stop the cat treading on it & closing it.

Sonos now going on a stand behind the eames, hopefully hidden just to add some background noise as too loud even in level 1 next to me.

Toying with the large space being filled with large Silverstone circuit from here: https://www.trackscapes.com/collections/all

Likely to add a smaller thruxton / brands (where I’ve driven) or frankly a ring one as it’s just more interesting as a design even though #neverbeen.

Seems the Benq needs 6cm behind the monitor, so will have to measure that, my monitor mounts at the top for VESA so makes it wobbly af, it’s all pushed back on the arm for stability with cloths at every joint to remove any wobbles, so hoping after all the reading up it could actually work…if not it is new monitor time.

If we go halves, you only owe me £100 so far but this is pre monitor upgrades Tony!


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[learningtofly]

I’d love a mechanical keyboard, but used to sit next to someone in an open plan office with one years back & just the sound reminds me of him! Was even worse as he was a 2 finger typist so you could hear how slow he was going. Loved the old school keyboards, but intrigued the higher action is more productive; engaging and enjoyable most certainly.

So from left to right you have vape, ASMR mic, Sky q, light controller, multi dock and then a stand for the Mac. What is the stand, as looks like it could be a nice space saver for me?

I find when my Mac is closed the True Tone & night shift doesn’t work properly, is that offset for you as you have a Mac display that has the sensors? I have mine open slightly, with a thin folded microfibre cloth to stop the cat treading on it & closing it.

Sonos now going on a stand behind the eames, hopefully hidden just to add some background noise as too loud even in level 1 next to me.

Toying with the large space being filled with large Silverstone circuit from here: https://www.trackscapes.com/collections/all

Likely to add a smaller thruxton / brands (where I’ve driven) or frankly a ring one as it’s just more interesting as a design even though #neverbeen.

Seems the Benq needs 6cm behind the monitor, so will have to measure that, my monitor mounts at the top for VESA so makes it wobbly af, it’s all pushed back on the arm for stability with cloths at every joint to remove any wobbles, so hoping after all the reading up it could actually work…if not it is new monitor time.

If we go halves, you only owe me £100 so far but this is pre monitor upgrades Tony!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

How do you find the Sonos in terms of integrating with your set-up? I did give a soundbar some serious thought but in the end decided against it.

Spot on in terms of my various items on the desktop - the microphone is a Blue Yeti Nano, btw (Blue is actually part of Logitech, and competes with the likes of Rode and Shure in terms of quality). The laptop stand is this one from Ugreen. No issues whatsoever with the laptop closed - in fact, I never open it. However, change is imminent in terms of how the desk is laid out as I have an important component still to arrive. That component will enable the speakers that I'm planning to be nicely positioned too.

Oh, and... LOLZ!

[learningtofly]

Couldn't sleep ("new normal" keeping me awake), so stuck my head into the office. Looks so nice at night but some key changes still to come!

[Mj2k]

How do you find the Sonos in terms of integrating with your set-up? I did give a soundbar some serious thought but in the end decided against it.

Spot on in terms of my various items on the desktop - the microphone is a Blue Yeti Nano, btw (Blue is actually part of Logitech, and competes with the likes of Rode and Shure in terms of quality). The laptop stand is this one from Ugreen. No issues whatsoever with the laptop closed - in fact, I never open it. However, change is imminent in terms of how the desk is laid out as I have an important component still to arrive. That component will enable the speakers that I'm planning to be nicely positioned too.

Oh, and... LOLZ!

Sorry to hear the new normal wasn’t onside last night.

Sonos isn’t integrated at all, it’s a stand alone speaker integrated through the house vs anything to do with my office. Think it’s the Play 3 where they start with an Aux input and that’s way too large.

I’ve tried BT speakers before with the Mac, but found the speaker turns off through lack of input noise & it just annoyed me - perhaps my choice of trial speaker, who knows.

I found a VESA mount to centralise the monitor better, and allow a halo to fit, but then really need the desk & monitor central against the wall for artwork to work above it.

Have now realised why my desk was offset in the first place, bloody stabiliser bar at the exact height of the sockets. So if I shift the desk to the left I can’t use them & don’t want to run an extension across half the room to bring power from the opposite corner.

So until I change my desk, my office upgrade has hit a bit of a wall for now. Feck!

[learningtofly]

Sorry to hear the new normal wasn’t onside last night.

Sonos isn’t integrated at all, it’s a stand alone speaker integrated through the house vs anything to do with my office. Think it’s the Play 3 where they start with an Aux input and that’s way too large.

I’ve tried BT speakers before with the Mac, but found the speaker turns off through lack of input noise & it just annoyed me - perhaps my choice of trial speaker, who knows.

I found a VESA mount to centralise the monitor better, and allow a halo to fit, but then really need the desk & monitor central against the wall for artwork to work above it.

Have now realised why my desk was offset in the first place, bloody stabiliser bar at the exact height of the sockets. So if I shift the desk to the left I can’t use them & don’t want to run an extension across half the room to bring power from the opposite corner.

So until I change my desk, my office upgrade has hit a bit of a wall for now. Feck!

I’ve barely slept since I got back from hospital, Matt - it’s partly physical, partly psychological. I’m very, very tired at the moment though.

Don’t give up on centralising the desk just yet. If you got a short extension for that socket, you’d only have to pull the desk out by about 2-3 inches to clear the single plug that would be in there. Could it work for you on every basis? Otherwise, it would take an electrician less than half an hour to shift the socket for you and you’d just have to make good the wall.

It was the speakers you were using, btw.

[Mj2k]

I’ve barely slept since I got back from hospital, Matt - it’s partly physical, partly psychological. I’m very, very tired at the moment though.

Don’t give up on centralising the desk just yet. If you got a short extension for that socket, you’d only have to pull the desk out by about 2-3 inches to clear the single plug that would be in there. Could it work for you on every basis? Otherwise, it would take an electrician less than half an hour to shift the socket for you and you’d just have to make good the wall.

It was the speakers you were using, btw.

Hope you can get some rest soon mate, but yeah it’s probably a combination of factors and the newness of it all. Am sure you will get there, just be patient - wasn’t long ago you were in a very worse way.

The desk is somewhat fashion over form and unless pushed to the skirting board has a bit of movement, so would have to get the socket shifted. Only just decorated too, joy.

Monitor is not central on the desk either, and as it has a hole for cables to go through, can’t use the existing arm mount as nothing for the front to clamp onto if I removed the plastic vent for the cables.

Will have a think about approach and a new desk may have to be the start point. Nothing wrong with what I’ve got, just want to tweak.

Thanks on the speakers, was prob me being at the lower end of the price spectrum when I was initially spending.

[blackal]

Most large companies as part of their newstart training modules - have an interactive posture module.

What they recommend makes sense, but Bifocals/varifocals make some of the orientations impossible.

Last company I worked for, I completed the module and 2 days later the "Health and Welfare Advisor" (or whatever title she had) arrived at my desk on another matter and clocked me hunched over in the seat with my head tilted way back....................

I managed to stifle any involuntary groan when I got to my feet.........

[Bootsy]

I find myself getting obsessed with cable management - not sure it's a healthy trait!

[learningtofly]

I find myself getting obsessed with cable management - not sure it's a healthy trait!

Me too. In fact, I'm about to get behind my desk and route everything through the cable tray that I've installed!

[Tuna1138]

Toying with the large space being filled with large Silverstone circuit from here: https://www.trackscapes.com/collections/all

Likely to add a smaller thruxton / brands (where I’ve driven) or frankly a ring one as it’s just more interesting as a design even though #neverbeen.

The Trackscapes would look great in the space you have for them, they would fill the blank space nicely/subtly.
I have a few from Matthew (Believe I was his first ever customer on ebay) good value for money and excellent quality.

[learningtofly]

The Trackscapes would look great in the space you have for them, they would fill the blank space nicely/subtly.
I have a few from Matthew (Believe I was his first ever customer on ebay) good value for money and excellent quality.

Not my thing, tbh. I have some ideas for the blank wall, but will firstly be moving the helmet racks to another part of the room (and repositioning the TV).

[blackal]

There is a lot to be said for not sitting facing a wall at your desk/monitor (I know that ain't always possible).

I think some of it is for your eyes to focus on various distances during the session rather than only 3ft away?

[wileeeeeey]

There is a lot to be said for not sitting facing a wall at your desk/monitor (I know that ain't always possible).

I think some of it is for your eyes to focus on various distances during the session rather than only 3ft away?

At my last eye test the optician told me my eyes hadn’t gotten worse but I’m obviously sat at a screen all day without letting my eye muscles exercise to look near and far. Advice was to try and have a range of things to look at near and far and a desk by the window helps a lot with this.

The other thing he said everyone does post-covid is have a gigantic water bottle on the desk meaning they rarely leave the desk and give their eyes some exercise. His advice was to bring two cups of water max to the desk and keep going back to the kitchen to refill.

[Neil.C]

I see a lot of bland cream/white walls which looks very institutional.

Anybody thought of some nice colourful wallpaper or similar for a more comfortable ambience?

[Mj2k]

I see a lot of bland cream/white walls which looks very institutional.

Anybody thought of some nice colourful wallpaper or similar for a more comfortable ambience?

All our bedrooms are the same neutral colour, just a shade off white, ivory lace I believe. Neutral walls are very calming for me.

Thinking about it, the whole house is that colour aside from the lounge which is a warmer shade of a similar neutral, and a hallway in a neutral light grey.

We use hue lighting colours to change the ambience across the house, can warm or cool a room depending on mood at that time.

[learningtofly]

I see a lot of bland cream/white walls which looks very institutional.

Anybody thought of some nice colourful wallpaper or similar for a more comfortable ambience?

I mentioned earlier that on this occasion I'll be painting at the end of the project, Neil. My room will be anything but bland!