What’s more personal than your own workstation setup?

Creating the perfect setup is a thing that I genuinely enjoy doing. Choosing the right desk, chair, monitor, and accessories can make a huge difference in comfort and productivity, and I honestly love the process of researching and assembling everything, giving it a personal touch.

Here in Milan I’ve moved a few times. It’s not easy to establish a perfect setup when you’re renting apartments for short periods. And most importantly, not being my own landlord means I can’t always make the changes I’d like. All of those factors brought me to not invest too much effort on that on the last three years.

On my previous apartment, as an example, my set up was quite basic. And with basic, I mean a lot basic: my desk was a picnic table I’ve stolen from my parents’ house, since the previous apartment didn’t have a desk in it. And my chair, well, the classic plastic IKEA chair stolen from the living room. I’ve bought the cheaper monitor on Amazon, a cabled cheap keyboard and mouse combo, and used my old laptop as a second screen. It worked, but it wasn’t exactly ideal for long working hours.

At that time, I was on my first real job after university. Having moved in Milan only a few months before, and didn’t knowing where I’d have been the month afterm, I didn’t want to invest too much in a proper setup.

Then two years later, I moved to my current apartment. To be honest, I was quite lucky on that one: I’m near the city center, in a nice area, with a good rent price. The apartment is not too small, and despite living still with two roommates, I have my own room, and it is a spacious one. Most importantly, I had the lucky chance to find here a desk already in place. And honestly a good one. I think it is something from IKEA, a nice white wooden one, with a good size and a clean design. It can even be highened with some legs extension when neede, becoming a standing desk (even if it is quite tricky to do so). But the point is: I finally had a proper space to work on, so without the need of buying expensive new furniture, and asking even to the landlord for permission.

On the first two years here, I kept using my old monitor and peripherals. Even with those new possibilities, upgrading my setup wasn’t a priority for a while. Recently though, I decided it was time for a change. It was a combination of factors. On the first place, I started to feel unconfortable while working from home with the old setup and peripherals. The monitor was not at the right height, the keyboard and mouse were not ergonomic at all, and the chair was just not made for long working hours.

Secondly, I had a bit of luck on the working side. After a few years at the same company, I resigned and moved to another company, which provided me a dedicated budget for the home office setup. Not a huge one, but enough to make a difference. It was the perfect excuse to invest in a better setup.

The new setup

After some research and consideration, I did few upgrades! Look at how polished and professional it looks now:

Here’s a breakdown of the components:

Desk & Chair

My desk is a spacious, minimalist model with enough room for a monitors, a laptop, and accessories. I use an ergonomic chair that supports my back during long work sessions. An investment I highly recommend, and that in my case came for free since I’ve taken it from my previous office 👀

Monitors & Computer

I run a pseudo dual-monitor setup: one 27” display for main tasks, and the MacBook Pro monitor opened as a side space, for notes, reading, and chat. There’s a small stand for the monitor to match the height of the main display. I prefer having this arrangement over like an assembled pc, for flexibility reasons: once I finish to work, I can switch to my home laptop and continue my personal project there.

###Peripherals A mechanical keyboard with tactile switches and a wireless mouse make typing and navigation a pleasure. The vertical mouse is a must, to avoid any kind of wrist problem.

Audio & Lighting

For calls and music, I rely on noise-cancelling headphones. Adjustable LED desk lamps provide soft, even lighting, reducing eye strain and improving video call quality.

Music & Decor

I recently bought a new turntable, and it’s been a fantastic addition to my workspace. There’s something special about vinyl that digital music just can’t replicate, and it adds a nice aesthetic touch to the room. And to finish, a white mat over the desk ties the whole setup together.

That’s it guys! That’s my setup that will accompany me over 2025, and hopefully the next few years as well. I’ve everything that I need for work and leisure, all in one place. If you have any questions about my setup or want to share yours, feel free to reach out!