vd Brink Home Automations

Home automations with Home Assistant, ESPHome, Node-RED and more tech

Home office: Desk setup hardware


On this page, you can find the main hardware products I use daily in my home office. These are the items that genuinely make my work life easier and more enjoyable.

Final result Final desk setup in standing mode

Table of Contents

NOTE: Links on this page can be affiliate links. You pay the same price and support my blog.

Amazon shop list

Products from this page that are available on Amazon are listed on (Amazon US) and Amazon NL. Not everything on this page is available through Amazon. Some items, like the desk, monitor, and chair, are excluded because they have been replaced by newer models or were purchased somewhere else. Where a newer version exists, I link to that instead.

Desk

My old desk was a fixed setup built from wood panels. I wanted to switch to a large standing desk to avoid sitting all day.

I ended up buying the YOUP02 from the Dutch shop www.goedkoopinrichten.nl.
It has dual motors and four programmable height presets. I chose the 200×80 cm walnut surface, which is a single solid piece. It is also available in sizes from 120×80 up to 200×100 cm.

YOUP02 Cognac Walnut

My wish list for my new desk was clear:

  • Walnut top
  • 180-200 cm wide
  • 80 cm deep
  • Electric standing/sit desk
  • At least two programmable height presets
  • Black legs
  • Minimal visible wires


Finding the right desk took a while because there are many companies selling standing desks.

After filtering the options, I had to choose between these:

YOUP02 Cognac Walnut YOUP02 Cognac Walnut

For more discussion and desk comparisons, check out Reddit - StandingDesk.

Monitor

The monitor is a Philips 49” curved screen with a 5120 x 1440 resolution. It has an aspect ratio of 32:9 and a curvature of 1800R. It’s the size of two 27” screens next to each other.

This is by far one of the best purchases I’ve ever made, and I still love using it every minute I use it. The big advantage over two separate 27” screens is the flexibility to split your windows however you want. You can use three equal windows, or one large window in the center with smaller ones on the sides. You get all of this on one large display, without bezels breaking up the view.

Philips 49 inch monitor

The model I have is the Philips P Line 498P9Z/00 (model from 2021). Newer versions are now available with improved specs while keeping the same dimensions and advantages.

Philips 49 inch curved monitor

Same monitor but newer models:

  • Philips 49” curved monitor - 49B2U5900C (Amazon NL)
  • Philips 49” curved monitor - Evnia 49M2C8900L (Amazon US)

Monitor cable

The Philips monitor has one DisplayPort 1.4 port and three HDMI 2.0 ports. The MacBook M4 Pro has Thunderbolt 4 ports (USB-C) with DisplayPort 2.1. To drive the full 5120×1440 resolution at 165 Hz, I use a DisplayPort cable for the best possible signal quality.

Thunderbolt 3 to DisplayPort cable

Monitor arm

To keep a clean desk, I was looking for:

  • A monitor arm that holds the screen steadily and attaches to the desk.
  • No monitor arm in the middle of the desk, so the monitor keeps a floating effect.
  • Enough strength to hold the weight of the 12 kg 49” screen.
  • Good cable management and no bulky parts sticking out at the back. Otherwise, I would have to move the desk away from the wall and lose space.
  • Easy pull and push adjustment without unscrewing bolts.


I ended up with the ACT AC8340.
It is built from solid metal, holds up to 20 kg, meets all my requirements, and is reasonably priced.

ACT AC8340


Alternative, similar design:

Laptop

My daily driver is an Apple MacBook M4 Pro 16-inch. It is powerful enough for demanding tasks and still great to take on the go. MacBooks consistently outperform Windows laptops on both performance and battery life.

Apple MacBook M4 Pro


I use these accessories for my laptop
120W universal USB-C charger Vertical laptop stand MacBook Pro 16" black cover case
Xiaomi 120W USB-c charger Vertical laptop stand Macbook 16' case

Keyboard

My keyboard requirements were clear: wireless, silent, smooth typing, large Shift and Enter keys, volume controls, and a numpad. Think Apple Magic Keyboard, but with a numpad plus media and brightness function keys.

The Logitech MX Keys S (QWERTY) was the obvious choice. It exceeds my wish list, switches between three devices, lights up when your hands approach, and charges via USB-C.

Logitech MX Keys S

MX Keys S
YouTube product video about the Logitech MX Keys

Chair

My current chair is the IKEA Millberget. It is comfortable enough, but it has limited adjustability.
Since getting the standing desk, there are weeks where I stand for most of the day, which takes some pressure off finding the perfect chair. That said, I’m still on the lookout for a fully adjustable black leather-look chair.

Ikea Millberget office chair

Mouse

My mouse is a basic wireless model with silent clicks and a scroll wheel. It is simple, but it has worked well for years.

Basic soft-click mouse


Alternatives/future replacements:

Accessories

Check out the accessories page for the other hardware and decorations I have on and around my desk. That page includes:
Monitor light, Desk mat, Camera, Microphone, Headset, Laptop charger, Laptop stand, Laptop case, Headphone stand, Desk clock, Stretch display, Retractable USB charger, Footrest, Floor protection mat, Floor heated mat, Moss terrarium, Mug coaster, Wireless phone charger, Walnut phone stand, Cat tower.

Final result

Future improvements

There’s always something to improve. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right product that ticks most of the boxes, or ideally all of them. The items below are still on my wish list.

If you know a good source for any of them, let me know!

Clock

Still searching for a walnut wall clock that fits the room. The ideal one would be very minimalist: no numbers, no gold, and a walnut tone that matches the desk and acoustic panels.

wall clock

Alternative:

Docking station

I’m looking for a docking station that connects either my work laptop or my personal laptop to the monitor and all peripherals with a single cable.

Minimum requirements:

  • Main monitor output: 49” at 5K @ 165Hz
  • Future second monitor output: at least 4K @ 60Hz
  • 60W+ power delivery to charge the laptop
  • Wired network connection
  • Support for multiple USB peripherals
  • Ability to wake up the MacBook

The CalDigit TS5 looks like the ideal option, but the price is steep. Is it worth it?

CalDigit TS5 docking station


Know a good alternative that meets those requirements? Let me know!

Camera

A 4K camera with auto-zoom and auto-follow would be a solid upgrade: sharp and clear for video calls.

Chair

There are many good chair brands, which makes choosing difficult. These two are my current top picks, but I’m open to other suggestions.

Mouse

When I replace my mouse, it will be a Logitech MX Master 3S or 4 because of the grip, buttons, and scroll features.

Logitech MX Master mouse

E-ink frame

I’m looking for a full-color e-ink display with a minimum size of 13” to rotate photos every few hours. Devices with a Spectra 6 screen already come close to very good photo quality.

Do you have experience with a good product like this? I would like to hear from you!


Have other upgrade suggestions for my home office? Share them in the comments!

The next part covers the accessories that add the finishing touch.


Home office:
Overview | Mood board | Virtual design with AI | Room decoration | Desk setup hardware | Accessories


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