Compact Minimal Desk Setup for WFH and Gaming

We wanted to turn this flex room into a game room and wfh setup while keeping whatever pieces we can. So of course, I was in charge of “teching” it out and making sure this space matched the minimal aesthetic of the room.

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Affiliate Links to Products Mentioned:
Orbitkey Desk Pad: amzn.to/3DxonO7
Shure MV7X: amzn.to/3uFGkWo
Blue Compass Mic Arm: amzn.to/38lsAc6
Anker USB 3 Hub: amzn.to/3tV0Xih
USB 3 Extension Cable: amzn.to/36LmrFD
Logitech G915 TKL: amzn.to/36LmBNf
Logitech G305: amzn.to/37cfD3S
Vivo Monitor Arm: amzn.to/3IXYqYP
Vivo Standing Desk frame: amzn.to/3qUMcKv
LG 1440p Monitor: amzn.to/3LtBoL2
Cable Organizers: amzn.to/3LDKsxf

Amazon Affiliate Links to Gear I use:
Sony A7S III: amzn.to/3jD0fxC
Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB Tripod: amzn.to/2O7V8Yn
13in Macbook Pro non-touchbar: amzn.to/2F4uz27
Philips Hue Light Strip: amzn.to/2VZq2EV
Godox SL-60W: amzn.to/37LsdT0
Rode VideoMic NTG: amzn.to/2RKHVrL

The desk had to match the theme of the rest of the room, natural wood, white, and dark neutrals like a dark gray, or black. And because I loved having the stained butcher block top on the standing desk in the studio. We repeated the process by buying a Butcher block countertop from Lowe’s, and rather than stain it, we cut it down to our desired size, sanded it down, and applied some matte polyurethane, giving it this nice natural look to it that matches the rest of the decor in the room. The desktop was then mounted to some cheap standing desk legs from Amazon, and I reused some monitors that were luckily the same size. Because this desk would be used for video work and gaming, a 1440p 144hz monitor and 4K monitor combo gives us the best of both worlds, between frame rate and resolution. The monitors are mounted on vivo monitor stands straight off the most exclusive, fanciest retailer on the internet. Amazon, and the Shure MV7X microphone is mounted on a blue compass mic arm. Cables for everything used on the desk is mounted to the underside of the desk using these cable organizers with adhesive backing.

The PC is on the other side of the room, where it can be on display and it increases the amount of usable space on and underneath the desk, and thanks to the massive sectional taking up that wall, we were able to basically, hide the cables by routing it behind the desk all around the sectional to the PC. Because of that, we had to purchase DisplayPort cables that were ridiculously long. I think the ones I bought were 40ft. But because the PC was over on the other side of the room now, it created a new issue, how would I plug in any devices I wanted to use like a keyboard, mouse, microphones or flash drives? Well, The same way we solved the display problem, a really long usb 3 extension cable coupled with a usb 3 hub to plug peripherals into. And it’s honestly worked well. I finished the desk off with the orbitkey desk mat which I think matches the vibe of this room perfectly.

During the day, it looks like a regular desk but at night, when the lights turn on, the vibe changes dramatically. Behind this desk is a Lifx Z light strip, which allows me to change the color to anything I want through my phone or a voice assistant like google or Alexa, but for this room, I’m leaving it at a static warm white. If you’re using a Windows PC, and looking for great wallpapers. I’d recommend Wallpaper engine, it’s a one time purchase on steam, but gives you access to a ton of really cool and animated wallpapers created by other wallpaper engine users. It’s great for landscapes, cars, tech, and anime girls. If you’re into that, good for you, but for this setup, we’re going for a more chill and inviting vibe so we’re picking wallpapers to match that.

With any project, there are always things that I’d probably do differently if I were to redo this. Let’s start with these standing desk legs. Most of the known brands have standing desks that have the motor sitting like this, flat across the bottom of the desk frame, but this compact cheapo desk frame, has its motor sitting up and down preventing me from being able to push in my chair all the way in. If you buy super long cables, make sure it supports the spec you’re looking for at those lengths. I found that Displayport cables at long lengths were more reliable than their hdmi counterparts. Also, know how big your monitor will be for your desk. This desk is only around 40inches in length. If I wasn’t recycling old monitors, I think I would have gotten 24in monitors to sit side by side instead of 27in ones with one in front and one awkwardly angled on the side. And lastly, plan out your room thoroughly. It helps you imagine how it would look in the end. If you just buy things without thinking it may not end up looking the way you think.