Get Inspired With These 5 Developers’ Work From Home Desk Setups

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Get Inspired With These 5 Developers’ Work From Home Desk Setups


With a majority of Singapore retreating indoors (again) this June due to the pandemic, it seems as if working from home may be here to stay for a long, long time. Whether you like working remotely or not, there is one thing that most of us can agree with - having a proper work desk can work wonders for productivity!


If you find your Work From Home office in need of a makeover - or don’t have a proper work desk and are desperately in need of one - here are five cool developer desk setups to fuel your inspiration.

1. Clean minimalist setup

Credits: fxrxz


If you’re someone who identifies as a neat freak, the last thing you want is to have a work desk with cables sprawling all over! In this minimalist home office, messy wires are kept under wraps thanks to the SIGNUM cable management from IKEA, with the only visible cable being one wrapped in a mounted surge protector at the bottom. The work desk also maintains a monochromatic colour scheme which appears easy on the eyes, with a pop of colour coming from the IKEA Karlby wooden table top - one which the owner took the time to sand down, polish, and fit with a sturdy Jarvis table frame.


The oldest part of this desk setup is the Alienware AW3418DW with a curved ultra-wide monitor and mounted on a monitor arm from Jarvis. Adding contrasting white details details to the sleek setup are accessories such as the NZXT H510 PC case in Matte White, as well as the Silver Apple Magic Trackpad 2 placed next to the keyboard.

2. Work-and-play setup

Credits: Lin Min Htoo


The owner of this cosy Work From Home setup is Lin Min Htoo, an Algorithm Engineer at Advance.AI. Lin describes himself as a home person, hence his desk setup caters not just to his full-time job but also personal entertainment such as watching Korean dramas or playing online games!


Our eyes are immediately drawn to the comfy ergonomic chair, the ErgoTune Supreme which can be customised to suit the body’s proportions. Lin praises its amazing lumbar support and how its airy mesh material makes it cool and comfortable when coding for long hours. He also prefers standing in the morning at the Omnidesk Pro 2020 to get the blood flowing, and even paired it with an anti-fatigue mat for maximum comfort.


Other features which deserve a special mention are his trusty headset - the Sony WH-1000XM4 with superior audio quality and noise cancelling, allowing him to focus his full attention on tasks at hand. Typing is extremely essential to coding, and Lin also has the Logitech G512 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with GX Blue (Clicky) keys which has a tactile feel for fast and comfortable typing.

3. Ergonomic desk setup

Credit: Alex Kpot


If you like to shift between sitting and standing, get yourself an Ergonomic desk so you can easily shift positions in the middle of work. In the above desk setup by Alex Kpot, he features this Autonomous Smart Desk with a generous height range and simple controls for greater convenience. It’s also important to consider factors such as its maximum load (which in the case of this desk is 265 lbs in just 50 dB), so you can easily and quickly adjust the height of the desk.


Another interesting observation from Alex’s home office is how white surfaces reflect lighting from the LED wall lights and desk lamp, providing a well lit-up environment with the absence of harsh, direct lighting. This prevents your eyes from tiring out easily, especially when you’ve been staring at screens all day!

4. Fixed multi-screen setup

Credit: Mushi Luke


While Mushi is currently pursuing his Master’s, he was a developer at independent media publisher The Smart Local until 2019. Currently, he also works on software development projects from his impressive home office. The image below illustrates his desk layout from a top-down view.


Credit: Mushi Luke


The three monitors are used for different purposes - Monitor 1 for debugging, Monitor 2 as a reference screen, and Monitor 3 for communication. He also has a Windows OS for Windows Dev Environment Tools and PC gaming, a Macbook Pro, as well as an iPad for notes and reminders.


According to Mushi, having a fixed multi-screen layout for workflow helps him increase productivity and reduce time wastage. He also finds split screens or small screens to pose certain limitations. For example, most Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) are overly cluttered with tools and panels, which makes actual working screen real-estate very small - sometimes too small to use with split-screens for reference. A fixed layout also allows for muscle memory and reduces the time finding what you need.

5. All-Apple setup

Credit: 9to5Mac


Here’s one for developers who are #TeamApple!


Sitting on top of this work desk is a base model iMac Pro paired with a refurbished 21.5″ 4K LG UltraFine display. The owner also has a second monitor for convenience, allowing him to sling windows or leave certain apps viewable. He also uses the Apple Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse for typing and precise input, as well as the Magic Trackpad for apps that require lots of panning and zooming.


The 11-inch iPad Pro on the edge of the desk is used for scripted podcast recordings which are done using the PromptSmartPro teleprompter app. Other accessories on this desk include Beats urBeats earphones, an old Apple Remote for controlling the iPod Hi-Fi, and a second-gen Apple Pencil.


Which of these five developer Work From Home work desks are your favourite? Feel free to share this article with your friends and colleagues, and let us know if you have other work desk inspirations we should know!


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