Functional Essentials of an Aesthetic + Minimal Cozy Desk Setup when you are WFH: Part 1 – The Desk

I recently fell down a rabbit hole of the ‘cosy aesthetic desk setup’ …..and when I say I have combed through HOURS of videos and websites, I have watched almost every video I could find to try and make my desk setup cosier.

I am obsessed, LOL.. and I thought I would share the fruits of my obsession with you if you too, would like to save time and get something nicer for your own setup.

So I am starting A SERIES…

• Series: Cosy + Minimalist Aesthetic Desk Setups

Every week I will post a new setup component (except for when I have my What I read – Monthly posts).

Here’s what’s to come:

1. Desk
2. Lamps + Lighting
3. Cable Management
4. Keyboard + Mouse
5. Headphones + Holders + Accessories
6. Monitor / Laptop Holders + Stands
7. Charging Stations / Docks + Portable Power Bank Chargers
8. Office Stationery: Productivity + Paper Goods
9. Standing Desk Movement + Clean + Reset
10. Clocks + Productivity Timers + Chairs
11. Deskpads + Final Decor + Ambience

(Why COVET AN ‘AESTHETIC’ DESK SETUP?)

I spend a lot of time at my desk – I work and I research a lot as I am WFH (Work From Home), so I am always sitting or standing. I initially got into looking into standing desk options and realized that some people had SERIOUS setups going on that were functional and pretty.

Some people are also small business owners, or are Hybrid workers, and need a space that they spend a lot of time in. Others, are students, or gamers who want something warm and inviting. After seeing many of their spaces, I can see why you wouldn’t really ever want to venture out of your home.

So of course, if you are spending a lot of time there, you want your space to be great!

I saw lots of ‘vibes’ online which can be categorized into:

1. Cosy = mostly the gamers who are into Studio Ghibli it seems… with variations on the theme of beige, white, pink and green being predominant
2. Minimalist = They are all mostly white or beige setups with barely anything on their desks.
3. Carbon Tech Guy = Think all dark grey, black, and more black, and mostly guys have this kind of setup, I haven’t seen many women into this vibe.

They may differ in vibes and looks, but the main thing is their spaces are set up perfectly to be functional for what they need, and they look AMAZING (even if they aren’t my personal style). They are also crazy clean, and very organized, which is the whole point of this, so working from home isn’t as labourious.

NOTE:

While I very much encourage you to buy directly from the companies themselves, I 100% feel your pain when you say that Amazon is your only option.

I get it. Trust me.

If you aren’t near a big city or in a remote place, that doesn’t mean you should have to do without. Or maybe you can grab the ideas and DIY it yourself; a lot of their setups looked very DIY-able if you have the space and ability to do so.

So, I am going to be putting Amazon or direct company links to everything (nothing is sponsored by anyone here… I am just trying to save you hours of scrolling and info-gathering), and a short note on if I owned it, what I think about it, etc.

The Amazon links WILL be affiliate links, so if you do end up having NO option but to buy from Amazon in the end, please consider using my link!

Otherwise, no worries. 🙂

WHERE TO START?

There is a lot of ground to cover but let’s start with the desk.

There will be many parts to this, and I will give you what I see repeatedly pop up over and over again and what has endured through their hundreds of videos. I sometimes see paid partnerships or sponsorships from brands for certain things, but by the next video it is gone.

So I am also looking out for longevity in choice. I will also note afterwards, what I personally use / do and why.

AESTHETIC MINIMAL DESK

SITTING DESKS

If you don’t want a standing desk, then any desk will do. Many people do the IKEA route with the ALEX dressers, and a butcher block from the kitchen store on top of it. It looks great, clean, and functional.

Then you just add drawer pulls or change out the colour of the top (sand it down and paint it something else), and it looks totally different.

Here is a beautiful version of this by Micheala Diane Designs (tutorial linked):

 

MOTORIZED STANDING DESKS

Many of them opt for standing desks that move up and down with a button, here are the most popular options that looks the absolute nicest in my opinion:

• IKEA Trotten – Simple, basic. I mean if you don’t really care (or can’t afford) aesthetics, go for this.
• ROVE Athena – This one looks the very nicest to me, with the fluted base in a beige colour. No organization though like drawers or storage in the base.
• FLEXISPOT Q8 – They have many other models, some cheaper, but this one I liked because it has an actual drawer!!! AMAZING. /sarcasm
• BRANCH 4-LEG – The legs look cute, and with 4 of them it looks more like a desk – better than the standard ugliness in the cheaper versions.
• Special mention: Eureka Ergonomic stand-up desk. This one is actually pretty cute, I won’t lie.

DIY OPTION?

This Reddit thread mentions that you can just DIY a standing desk by yourself and stop overpaying, but when I looked into it, it is more for someone who understands the industry and can recommend what should be chosen from the array of industrial sounding frames and names.

You can apparently just buy the frame from companies like ROL Ergo, Timotion, OMT, Jiechang that is motorized, and build your own desk top for it, or around it. Here is an example of a simple standing desk frame that you can purchase for about $200 USD.

Apparently almost all of the standing desk companies out there do this. And then market the hell out of it, while charging a hefty markup. If you are not someone who can invest the time and effort into this, then you can just pay for a motorized standing desk.

SPECIAL DIY MENTION

Shoutout to this QUEEN Maggie May who built her own standing desk and it is phenomenal. Just look at this beauty.

She used the Bezo electric leg frame to do this, but I suspect you can use any of them as long as you AutoCAD the plans well.

This is the only standing desk I would ever shell out for. Storage, a drawer, made of solid, beautiful wood… GAH.

Apparently she is currently in the midst of publishing the blueprint so you can do it yourself, but this is the standing desk we all deserve and love. You can see the entire TikTok here.

My Take ON DESKS

I do use a sitting one. But I also have a standing desk. Confused? Don’t be.

OPTION A: Use a small altar table

I have a sitting desk where I put my laptop with cables and so on, and I have a “standing desk” that isn’t one. I was originally using a very small Japanese altar table set on top of the desk (foldable):

This is not an ideal setup. I just put my laptop on it, my microphone beside it, or my mouse, no cables, and that is it. I used it to raise up my laptop so I would stand for an hour, then sit down for an hour, and switch.

If you really want to go cheap, just get some plastic boxes and stick a laptop on top. It isn’t pretty but it works.

I liked the altar table option because it was the perfect height, but I could also fold it away, or use it to store things underneath the top if need be.

OPTION B: USE a dresser WITH A TOE KICK

I found a dresser that didn’t go to the bottom of the floor, and had an opening underneath it for my feet (imagine, you are standing at a dresser, your feet need to go somewhere, so they should go under a space, also called a “toe kick”.

Here is an example of a 19th century antique dresser:

(They do this in kitchens too, where they don’t build the cabinets down to the floor, they leave a little space in front for your feet and build the base a bit back so you can stand comfortably and aren’t hunched over the sink.)

So anyway.

I found this antique dresser, it has plenty of drawers, and I measured the height for me specifically, to make sure I would have my arms and hands LEVEL at the table or hovering above so I wouldn’t be hunched.

I put my keyboard on the dresser, and my laptop goes on a riser so I can see the screen looking straight on (rather than down).

I stand there for an hour, then take the laptop down from the dresser and switch back to sitting at a desk, back and forth, back and forth.

It isn’t perfect, but I am refusing to pay lots of money or any money at all, for an option I am not pleased with (no drawers, no organization to speak of). I would really only shell out for Maggie May’s DIY option, if I am being frank with you.