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The Desks of The Sweet Setup

April 16, 2020
by Josh Ginter

One of my favorite work-from-home posts over the last few weeks came from the folks at Basecamp. CEO Jason Fried posted a message asking for a photo from each of the employees to compile a long thread of sublime, messy, ergonomic, uncomfortable, and throw-it-together work-from-home setups.

There’s something so personal about peering into everyone’s work-from-home life. Not that you can directly tell what the person’s position is based on how they setup their workspace, but the little personality touches really drive home each individual.

So here’s Blanc Media’s work-from-home setups, complete with a list of the main items in each setup. If you’re anything like us, you’re sure to be curious about a few of the coffee cups gracing these tables.

Shawn Blanc, Editor-in-Chief

Shawn: Ironically, for the first time in about 5 years my desk is not super duper messy. I have been spending little bits of time to clean, re-wire, and simplify my workspace over the past few weeks.

At use in this photo:

You can’t see them very much in this photo, but on the wall behind the desk are a handful of typography posters from awesome folks including Jessica Hische, Cameron Moll, Sean McCabe, and Jeff Sheldon.

Mike Schmitz, Executive Editor

Mike: My setup has changed a little bit since I first wrote about it here. My new setup is built around my 16″ MacBook Pro (my kids stole the Mac mini after our iMac died).

Tech stuff:

Non-tech stuff:

Sound gear:

I also have an iPad setup I’ve been using lately to get out of the basement:

In addition to the 2018 11″ iPad Pro w/ Apple Pencil, I’m using the same Logitech MX Master 2 mouse (you can pair it with up to 3 devices). I’m also using:

Isaac Smith, Production Manager

Seen here:

Jeffrey Abbott, Senior Editor

Jeffrey: This is the usual state of my workspace, with seltzer taking the place of coffee in the afternoons. Not much has changed since my last interview! I’ve upgraded the monitor and also expanded into the custom-built desktop world as a hobby.

Joanna Eitel, Customer Support

Joanna: Basement guest room turned office space! Perk of quarantine time has been to take the time to actually make this space fun and functional instead of finding excuses to work upstairs in the living room or kitchen.

  • MacBook Pro
  • Magic Mouse 2
  • Deskpad – Can’t find exact one anymore but here is one that is similar.
  • My beloved Passion Planner: a medium, 2020 Dated planner in Brilliant Blush.
  • Ikea RASKOG Cart for organizing paperwork, also works as mobile office when I need to work elsewhere in the house.

Josh Ginter, Managing Editor/Photographer

Josh: I have to admit, I completely reorganized my home office just for this blog post. I had lens caps, papers, and boxes strewn everywhere on the floor — it was a total nightmare in here. But here’s the final result after some shifting and dancing:

Up on the shelf, there’s a FujiFilm X-T2 with 23mm and 35mm f/2 lenses along with a Godox V1-C flash I use with my Canon camera.

If I need to get away from the desk, I am testing the multi-iPad lifestyle with the following devices and accessories:

This photo was shot basically in the dark with an iPhone 11 Pro and the awesome ProFoto C1 mobile light. A bit noisy, but I like how it turned out.

Marius Masalar, Contributor/Photographer

Josh: Marius didn’t add any personal commentary to his work-from-home space, so I’ll add some in here for him. Admittedly, I tried to out-do him on desk cleanliness. But I think I came up short.

Rosemary Orchard, Contributor

Rose: Ok, here’s the setup! I’m currently working out of a wardrobe, so there’s no space for anything else!

Chris Gonzales, Contributor

Chris: Our family lives and travels in an RV, so my wife and I don’t have a dedicated “workspace” per se. We usually do our work at the dinette table like you see above, though sometimes one of us will move to the master bed or couch, or even go sit outside in a camp chair when the weather’s nice.

  • On the left is my iPad Air 2 with the Belkin QODE Ultimate Pro keyboard case. This setup has served me quite well for a few years now.
  • On the right is my wife’s 5-generation iPad (2017 model) with the Logitech Slim Folio keyboard case.
  • We charge all our devices with that Anker PowerPort 6 USB wall charger you see by the window.
  • The YETI Rambler “Lowball” 10oz. vacuum-insulated tumbler is great for drinking hot or iced coffee out of.
  • We don’t have regular landline internet, so we rely on our little Verizon MiFi Jetpack 5510L mobile hotspot for connectivity. Verizon service is usually pretty good (depends on which campground/city we’re in) but the device itself isn’t the greatest, especially when four or more devices are connected. Need to upgrade at some point.

  • Not work related really, but on the end of the table is a guzzie+Guss “Perch” clip-on high chair (with the same company’s silicone placemat) where our baby daughter* sits to eat snacks and generally babble at us while we work. It’s about as good for our productivity as you might imagine :)

    (* Baby not included.)

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