Plant-Filled Gaming Room in Warsaw, Poland
“My goal was ample desk space. I wanted my main PC desk to remain clutter-free and always accessible, while also having room for various side projects”
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Name: Jake
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Occupation: Business Analyst
Room size: 14 m² (151 ft²)
Cost of setup: ~$5K for the whole room, ~$2K for desks and PC
Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself
I live in a quaint, cosy town just outside of Warsaw, Poland.
I have worked in IT my whole professional career; a few years ago I found employment in a large firm as a Business Analyst in Cyber Security and have really been enjoying this position.
I mostly work from home, starting early to sync up better with my colleagues.
Post-work, I squeeze in as much daylight as I can to pursue my passion for biking, which, let me tell you, is a bit of a challenge in months like November!
Take us through your setup
| Item | Model |
|---|---|
| Monitor | 34″ 100hz 21:9 from AOC | Monitor mount | Ergotron |
| Monitor light bar | Yeelight |
| Laptop | Dell |
| Speakers | Edifier R2750 |
| Headphones | beyerdynamic DT 770 for music, Jabra for calls |
| Keyboard | Logitech G915 |
| Mouse | Logitech G502 |
| Desk mat | Feltlabel |
| Chair | Merryfair WAU2 |
My space was being built and re-built countless times in my mind, and in CAD, over several years.
When building our house, I decided to transform the garage into a pantry and my office.
My wife was on board; this arrangement also meant she could have her own workspace (though she took the office, not the pantry!).
After moving from an apartment to our completed home, I finally began bringing my visions to life. It took three years of planning and now a year of execution.
My goal was ample desk space.
I wanted my main PC desk to remain clutter-free and always accessible, while also having room for various side projects — like fixing a bike part, some DIY home repair, or assembling a model kit.
I crafted the tabletops myself from elm, harvested by my wife’s grandfather decades ago (probably well before we were even born).
With limited materials, I focused on maximising size and built everything else to fit.
My main desk has a sit-stand base, ideal for longer meetings or multitasking on home projects.
I’m not 100% happy with how the furniture turned out. I could have made it a bit taller and shallower, but to cut costs, I designed it myself.
There was no one to call out my mistakes.
The amount of sunlight is another issue — my office faces northwest, limiting the light, but fortunately, my small collection of houseplants doesn’t seem to mind.
My workspace includes a locked-up WFH laptop, limiting peripheral connections, so I’ve adapted to working solely on the laptop itself.
I appreciate a minimalist approach — “out of sight, out of mind” — allowing me to easily stow away my work setup when I’m done working.
Editorial Team
Next on my to-do list is to finally hang the acoustic panels I made six months ago, and I’m also looking to complete a corner closet and add more shelving on the wall opposite the window.
What’s your favourite item on your desk?
It’s definitely the Meshlicious PC case.
After meticulous research on part compatibility, cable management, and cooling solutions, it’s been upgraded gradually over the year.
I have it packed to the brim (less than 1 mm clearance for the GPU!) and it works flawlessly for my PC.
Powerful cooling at load, perfectly silent at idle.
I also really like my monitor lamp.
Such a small thing, but my eyes are much more comfortable when looking at the keyboard.
What apps or tools do you use to get things done?
It’s mostly MS Teams these days.
However, when I’m not bogged down with work, I occasionally dabble in Fusion360 for fun or to help myself visualise something.
What books, blogs, or podcasts recently caught your attention?
Recently, my love for comics was reignited because I now have the space to store and admire them.
Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon is my favourite, but the best discovery I made was The Invincible, a comic based on an old hard sci-fi story by Polish author Stanisław Lem.
The Invincible (The MIT Press)
A space cruiser, in search of its sister ship, encounters beings descended from self-replicating machines.
Coincidentally, a game based on this story was recently released, and I can’t wait to play it.
My collection is only just beginning, but I’m adding something new each month.
When I’m tinkering with a project, I often listen to On the Bench, a scale modeling podcast from the land down under.
Any tips for other makers who want to improve their workspaces?
Think about impact.
Focus on what will most enhance the comfort, efficiency, or pleasure of your space.
This way, you will spend your money wisely and and keep clutter at bay.
Editorial Team
What does your typical day look like?
I’ve been working from home long before Covid, so my routine is well established and centred around getting stuff done to prevent work from spilling over into my private time.
I visit the office once or twice a month, as it involves a lengthy commute, and many of my peers are based in other countries.
On weekdays, I like to start my day early, getting out of bed at 6 am.
I immediately grab a cup of coffee and head to my home office to kick off the day.
My work hours are usually from 6:30 am to 2:30 pm, rarely longer.
I used to spend way too much time online at work, and it impacted my health badly, so I I’ve set strict boundaries for myself.
I also try my best to move around while working. I stand or pace as far as my headset’s wireless range allows.
Editorial Team
I rarely bring my laptop into another room, and around 10 am, I usually take a short break to eat breakfast, feed my cats, or play with them.
Fridays are special because of a long, recurring meeting that gives me the chance to spend some time taking care of my houseplants.
I usually water them, but sometimes, I also prune them or treat any bug infestations.
After work, I try to spend some time outdoors doing chores like chopping wood or raking leaves, or, if the weather permits, going for a bike ride.
Weekends are not much different; I might get up a bit later and, instead of firing up my laptop, I’ll pick up a book or watch some YouTube — perhaps even prepare for a DIY project at home or simply relax.
Editorial Team
I also enjoy uninterrupted time to play video games, like Civilization VI and Synthetik, a cyberpunk twin-stick shooter, which makes me wish I had a larger mousepad!
Your tips for working from home?
As mentioned, setting dedicated work hours at home is crucial for me; I strive for a clear balance between work and personal life.
I manage my daily tasks using my Outlook calendar — deadlines, meetings, and recurring admin tasks are all marked and colour-coded, so I can quickly see what’s coming up.
I usually play quiet music in the background and keep my main PC monitor off; this way, I can mute it quickly when necessary but avoid complete silence.
If you’re new to working from home or considering the switch, consider how the lack of human interaction might affect you.
Although I need to focus deeply and can be easily distracted by others, I sometimes miss those casual water cooler chats.
Also, make sure to look away from the PC regularly.
Focus your eyes on something in the distance or let them rest during a meeting to reduce eye strain.
Editorial Team
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