Work-in-Progress Desk Setup in Koblenz, Germany

Name: Dejan Kristo

Location: Koblenz, DE

Occupation: Corporate employee at Amazon/Part-time painter

Room size: 12 m² (129 ft²)

Cost of setup: ~€10K ($11K)

Social media: Instagram

Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself

Hello, my name is Dejan. I’m a Croatian guy, living in Germany since 2016.

I’m new to social media, but I have always been a fan of tech. I’ve been building my desk setup for three years.

I work in a corporate role at Amazon.

I spend most of my time working, so so I’ve always aspired to create a personal space to return to, a space where I can express myself and my passions.

Everything started in 2001 when I was 15, and my father opened what we called an “internet club” (I know, original), where people could come to use the internet and play games.

Unfortunately, after a few years, he had to close the store, and he brought home all the computers.

Back then, I really liked to play Half-Life, but at some point, I couldn’t run it anymore on my computer, so I dismantled four computers to build a new, better one where I could play my game.

My father was obviously not amused by it, but that is when my passion for computers started.

I have also been a painter for many years before I started working for Amazon.

I like building and creating; that’s why my room is always a work in progress.

I feel like the room design is almost as important as my desk setup.

Choosing the right wall colour, panels, shelves, and lights can help bring out the best in the setup.

Take us through your setup

I think the highlight of my room is the desk that I built myself.

It’s a 200×80 cm long, 3.5 cm thick wooden board, mounted on height adjustable legs.

I wanted to make it unique, so I decided to sand it and finish it with epoxy, which made it glossy and shiny.

I also added some black and white colours to create a unique pattern.

It was my first time working with epoxy. It took me three days to complete it, but I am really happy with the final result.

The room itself is quite small with one window that provides enough sunlight.

The hardest part of building my room was definitely the wall behind my desk because of the roof slope.

I decided to use 3D wall panels to cover the whole surface and frame it with wooden rails, behind which I have hidden RGB lights, trying to give it a “floating” effect.

Although cutting and fitting them together was challenging, the end result was worthwhile, and I really like the atmosphere that it creates.

Let’s talk about the stuff I use almost every day.

I have a high-end PC that I built myself, and it is definitely one of my favourite things in my room.

It uses a 4080 Aero OC Graphic Card, 32Gb of DDR5 RAM, and an i7-13700 Intel processor.

It’s all connected to an ASUS Z690 Formula motherboard, powered by an Asus ROG STRIX 850W power supply.

For the cooling, I’m using a Kraken Z73 RGB 360mm liquid cooler with LCD Display.

I just love this beast.

I mostly use it for gaming and casual work, that’s why I have two monitors.

I use the one on the left for Discord and the main one in front of me for gaming/working.

The main monitor is an Alienware Aw2721D and the second one is a “cheaper” Dell monitor I found on Amazon.

My preferred keyboard is the SteelSeries Apex Pro Mini 60%. I like its compact size, it leaves me lots of space on the desk.

The mouse that I mostly use is the Logitech G PRO X SUPERLIGHT, because of its size and because with only 63g it’s one of the lightest mice on the market.

I also use a Shure MV7 microphone, mounted on an Elgato Wave Mic Arm that I can adjust as I prefer.

The next item I’m going to buy is probably a comfortable, relaxing chair from where I can enjoy my LG OLED TV.

What’s your favourite item on your desk?

My favourite item on my desk is a new purchase that I recently made, and it’s a small, cute pixel Bluetooth speaker that can display pixel art.

It is called the Divoom TimeBox Evo Pixel Art Bluetooth Speaker.

All you have to do is download the Divoom App, choose one of the many different designs, or create your own.

I love drawing, and this is one way of expressing myself.

I bought it on Amazon, like most of my stuff, and it cost around €50.

What apps or tools do you use to get things done?

As the setup is mostly used for gaming, the main tool that I use is Discord, which allows me to communicate with my friends.

I also use Adobe Lightroom to edit pictures and occasionally Adobe Photoshop, although I am still learning how to use it.

What books, blogs, or podcasts recently caught your attention?

I find lots of inspiration from an amazing YouTube channel called TechSource.

The host showcases setups from around the world and reviews them, based on creativity and effort.

It doesn’t matter how expensive your setup is or how big your room is; you can have a chance to win his “seal of approval”.

I haven’t tried to be featured on the channel yet because, as I said, my room is a work in progress that started three years ago. However, I feel like I am now getting closer to my goal.

Reddit is also an amazing source of inspiration.

If you are in the mood for something different, here is a podcast that my girlfriend and I recently discovered. It’s called the MrBallen Podcast, and it’s about strange, dark, and mysterious stories.

If you are interested in mysteries, narrated in an interesting and captivating way, MrBallen is the right choice.

Any tips for other makers who want to improve their workspaces?

My advice for other makers is to be patient and never give up.

It may take lots of time and money to create your dream setup, but if you are patient and invest in good quality items, it is going to be worth the wait.

I say this based on my own experience.

When I was young, I always dreamed of having a setup like the one I have now.

It took me many years to get to this point, but I enjoyed the journey, planning, and building it with my own hands.

In the end, you are trying to create a space that makes you happy and sometimes helps you escape from reality.

What does your typical day look like?

My day depends on what shift I’m working.

If I work the late shift, I’m home from work at 11:30 pm, so I don’t really have time to use my setup.

If I’m working the early shift, I wake up at 5 am, drink my coffee, and run to work from 6 am to 2:30 pm.

The rest of the day, after completing the usual daily chores, I try to relax with my girlfriend.

In the evenings, I chill out by playing my favourite games, often joining my gaming circle. We all love playing Call of Duty Warzone.

It’s a first-person shooter, and it’s very competitive. But to me, it’s not the game per se that makes it so fun; it’s my friends and the experience that we’re having together.

Living in Germany for so long means most of the people I meet here are German, which means that I really miss speaking my native language.

Through this game, I’ve connected with many fellow Croatians.

Despite we’ve never met face-to-face, I feel like they’re really good friends of mine. I usually spend about ten hours a week, give or take, playing with them.

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