Small Bedroom Setup in the Netherlands

Name: Bram van Duijvenvoorde

Location: The Netherlands

Occupation: Content Creator

Room size: 7 m² (75 ft²)

Cost of the setup: ~$2K, but most items were gifted

Social media: Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube

Hey, Bram! Tell us a bit about yourself

Hi! I’m Bram, an 18-year-old creator based in the Netherlands.

A little over 2,5 years ago, I started an Instagram page called @appletodaynow, which has now grown to over 20K followers — and I enjoy creating content for it!

Instagram turned out to be a perfect place to share my thoughts on Apple and technology in general.

At first, I only used my Instagram account for reposting. I would post other people’s images (giving proper credits, of course) and then write a short post elaborating on what they depict.

However, after a year, I realised this was not what I wanted to do. I have always wished to be a creator, and at that time, I was not one.

Instead of hiding behind a logo and copy-pasting other people’s content, I started putting in the work, showing my face more, and building a community.

Right now, I am working on expanding this community to other platforms, such as Twitter and YouTube.

Instagram is still not my main job because I don’t get that much income from it. What I do get from it I immediately invest back.

I actually still have a side job at a grocery store. I work as a cashier, and I do enjoy the social aspect of it.

At my side job, I get to connect and collaborate with my peers, which is a nice change from working for myself.

It is probably also part of the reason why I haven’t taken the leap to become a full-time content creator yet.

Can you describe your home setup?

Since I still live with my parents, I have a workstation in my bedroom. This room is the smallest in the house.

The small size of my bedroom was definitely a challenge. Yet, I managed to make it work by measuring pretty much everything I got before buying anything.

It was tricky to build a nice workstation in such a confined space, but I am pleased with the result.

I can’t really move anything around though, so I am kind of stuck with my current setup arrangement, haha.

I wanted my workspace to be a place where I could let my creativity run wild, but also study for exams.

Therefore, my setup had to look inspiring, yet simple and distraction-free. I created this atmosphere by sticking to nature-infused vibes and avoiding vibrant colours.

For the same reason, I always set a real photo as my wallpaper rather than a design pattern or illustration.

I have also added lots of plants to my setup. These are mostly hung from a black wall organiser I bought from a Dutch store called Xenos. Now I only have to fill up the wall with some accessories.

I would certainly like to improve the lighting in my setup.

There is enough natural light coming through the window during the daytime to illuminate my workspace. However, I do not work at my desk at night since the only lighting source I have at that time is a standard desk lamp.

I’ll most likely buy a set of Philips Hue Play light bars or a light strip to attach to the back of my setup to make working at night more enjoyable and “playful”.

As you may have noticed, I solely use Apple products. They make it so much easier to transfer a picture from one device to another than, say, a Samsung phone and a PC. I can airdrop any file to my other device in a tick, while others have to email it to themselves or upload it to a cloud service.

I’m so comfortable and familiar with Apple products that I’ve never used (or had the intention to use) an Android as my main device.

I guess I wouldn’t even know how to approach a different brand of phone, haha!

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What’s your favourite item on your desk?

My favourite item on my desk is the Grovemade shelf. They sent it to me as part of their promo campaign.

I am astonished by the quality of the wood and the attention to detail. I also like the fact that it was handcrafted rather than mass-produced in a factory.

I use my Grovemade shelf to elevate the monitor and store a few gadgets, including my Apple Watch band and iPad Pro.

Along with this shelf, I received a desk tray that works really well with it.

What does your typical day look like?

My days vary from week to week, which might seem counter-intuitive since I do enjoy having a strict routine.

I just started college at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam where I study international business administration.

I chose this program because I had realised I wanted to discover the creative side of creating content on my own (without an institution hanging over my shoulder to check if I have done my homework). Yet I could definitely use some help with the business aspects.

I am pretty business-minded. I enjoy learning more about this side of my passion. The program itself and college life as a whole have been great so far!

The morning routine is something I intend to follow pretty closely.

I usually get up at 8 am and check my e-mail to see if I have any updates on my projects. Then I’d go downstairs and have my breakfast with a nice cup of coffee.

Following that, I usually start writing the morning post for that day. Most of the time, I already have the edited pictures ready to go, so I just need to add a caption and some hashtags.

Then I get on with my day, which could be going to work, to school, or taking pictures. Fridays are usually dedicated to creating content.

Making Friday a content creation day became the key to keeping my IG page going.

Whenever possible, I try to keep Fridays free of any other commitments.

Even though this doesn’t always work out, I like that I have this “routine glue” to hold my content creation schedule together.

Your tips for working from home?

It has only been two years since I started working from home, and I really enjoy it (As long as I plan my day properly).

At the beginning of each day or week, I make a to-do list. As a result, I am able to actually accomplish things instead of wandering around my desk aimlessly.

I also try to take breaks every now and then. I usually take a breather at around 10:30, 12:30 and 16:00 (if I continue working past 4 pm).

This helps to keep my mind focused. I wouldn’t recommend taking too long of a break though, since you will likely become demotivated after a while.

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Also, I genuinely believe that a good setup is crucial. A good setup is the one that works for you.

This is why I built my workstation that way so that it does not hinder my creativity and productivity, nor does it distract me from the task at hand.

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