Fresh New Desk Setup 2023

This video is sponsored by Humancentric. Last year, I went from an L-shaped desk back to a straight desk, and I much prefer it this way. Because the L configuration was just way too big for this space. This has been my primary setup for the past year or so, with only minor tweaks and changes from time to time. And to be honest, the LG 40-inch ultrawide paired with the dual up is a bit overwhelming, and everything feels really cluttered to me. As for this little desk, it's temporary and mainly used for product shots. For as long as I can remember, I've always had an all-white, light setup. But today, we are going to change that. Let's start with the fun stuff, clearing everything out of the way. If you have watched one of my previous desk tour videos, then you know how much I appreciate having casters. And if you're anything like me and you tend to move things around often, this makes it very convenient. To start things off, we would be unboxing a ton of packages, with the majority being sent over by Humancentric. But I also ordered a few extra accessories from Amazon as well. Humancentric is known for their premium desk accessories, so that anyone can create a space that optimizes their productivity. In their newest addition is the workflow standing desk. There are multiple finishes and sizes available. I went with the black frame with a solid maple top. It was also nice to see that the manual was available online after scanning the QR code. Assembling the frame was pretty straightforward with no complications. I have built several desks in the past, and most of them are very similar with only slight differences. I was initially going to go with the white frame, but decided I wanted to switch things up and opted for the black. The maple tabletop is a medium toned color, so I think regardless, any color frame would have been just fine. And of course, you know I had to add a set of casters to it. I got these off of Amazon, and if you are interested, I will leave a link in the description, along with everything else that would be mentioned in this video. Lifting this thing up took a bit of effort. Ideally, it would have been better with an extra set of hands, but my wife was out of town that day, so I stayed up filming and setting this up until 3am after my son went to bed. I caught it a night after that, and unboxed the remaining packages the following day. And finally, the new setup is ready to go. The new desk has the same dimensions as the one before, 72x30, but this one has a thickness of a little over 1.5 inches. And there's no denying that the unique grain patterns and natural color variations of hardwoods give the desktop a beautiful, distinctive look. To adjust the desk, you must first hold down the S button until the current height is shown on the display, and then you can proceed. And unfortunately, you cannot disable this safety lock feature, so even if you are trying to use one of your presets, you will still have to hold the button down. I'm not a fan of this, but it's a good thing I rarely change the height. The desk also comes with a small cable organizer built into the frame. It's very basic, but a nice little addition to tuck away the cables from the motor. But I also added this heavy-duty cable management tray that I got off of Amazon. It's about 51 inches long, and it doubles as a modesty panel to keep the cables out of sight. I also added this steel magnetic vertical cable channel that I removed from the previous desk. I thought about ordering a black one to match the frame, but decided that the white didn't look too bad. Now over back on top, you will find a human-centric vegan leather desk mat and palm rest. The desk mat is very soft, and the mouse has no issues gliding smoothly on it. And I have yet to find a better mouse than the Logitech MX Master 3S. The ergonomic design is unbeatable. It's super comfy, and the new 3S introduces silent clicking, something I never knew I'd be a fan of. For the longest time, I never used a palm rest with the keyboard. It wasn't until I started using mechanical keyboards with their thicker design that I appreciated having one. It allows me to type more comfortably for longer periods of time. And this thing of beauty is the Mode Sonnet, my first custom keyboard that I can't stop drooling over. It's super heavy with an aluminum design and brass accents. I'm running the Mode Reflex switches and the OmniType 9009 keycaps. If you're interested in the exact specs for the Sonnet, I'll leave the build code in the description. For connection, I'm using a custom Limo cable that I purchased from Dispatch Cables on Instagram. The quality is top-notch, and I prefer this one over the coiled cable I previously used. Nowadays, it seems every setup has some sort of desk organizer shelf, but for good reasons. Having a desk shelf or monitor riser keeps the desk space from being cluttered, and allows you to neatly store small items and accessories. With the human-centric desk shelf, you have the option to add a storage drawer, a great place to store those easy-to-lose little items. Empowering the entire setup is the base model 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook. It's plenty fast for me, and I've had no issues editing 4K content on it. I edit this video on it, but I run Final Cut Pro off of a SanDisk 2TB portable solid-state drive. I also use a SanDisk 6TB G drive to store my media. And I really like the look of this laptop riser that's also from Human Centric. I think the combination of wood and aluminum looks really good. My only complaint would be that it was made a bit heavier for extra stability. It also works great with an iPad as well. In between the display and the MacBook, I have the Nomad Base 1 Max. It's a solid chunk of metal with a glass panel design and looks really sleek. And just the other day, I learned that if you have the 2nd generation AirPods Pro, you can charge it on any Apple Watch charger. Did you guys know that? Because I didn't. Okay, so when Apple first introduced the studio display, my thoughts are, it's overpriced for a 27-inch. I would never buy it. I love using an ultrawide. Fast forward a few months later, I ended up with two. It's hard not to admire the solid aluminum chassis with its exceptional build quality, the color accuracy, and the ultra-sharp 5K resolution. There's really nothing comparable on the market except the Pro XDR display, but I'm not ready to sell my kidney yet. And I ended up getting two because I wanted a bit more space for multitasking. After going through a variety of monitors and configurations, it's safe to say that having a horizontal and a vertical is my ideal setup. I got one of the studio with the VESA option and mounted it on a Ergotron HX monitor arm. It's heavy duty and can hold monitors up to 49 inches with no problems at all. And the entire setup only requires one cable connected to my MacBook, thanks to the Brydge Stone Pro Thunderbolt 4 dock. It features 11 total ports, 90 watts of power to keep your laptop charged, and transfer speeds of up to 40 gigabits per second. If you have a lot of accessories and peripherals, I highly recommend picking up a docking station like this one. It helps keep everything tidy. And for all of my voiceover recordings, I am using the Shure MV7 microphone mounted on the low profile Elgato Wave mic arm. This is the best mic arm I have used, but I may need to mount it elsewhere because right now it's barely clearing the studio display. One wrong move and I'll probably regret it. The chair that I'm currently using is the Phantom Gaming Chair designed by Herman Miller in collaboration with Logitech G. I also have the Embody chair in another room, but honestly, I think I prefer the Phantom. I like the firm seat cushion and it has plenty of adjustments to refine your ideal angle of comfort. And this is my first chair with the headrest and I kind of like it. Oh, and the fact that you can tilt back and lounge is something I'm a fan of as well. I also upgraded the casters to these Enso ones. They look much better in my opinion and glide a lot easier too. And last but not least, I got this cool rocker footrest. It's made really well with a solid wood platform, powder coated tubular steel frame, and a non-skid surface. Having a footrest is supposed to relieve pressure on the lower back, and after using it for almost a year, I'd say it was worth the purchase. And that's it guys. I hope you enjoyed this video and hopefully, I was able to offer some sort of inspiration for your space. Until next time, take care.