Hybrid Work & Racing Simulator Setup in England

Name: James M

Location: England, UK

Occupation: Logistics Manager

Room size: 9 m² (97,5 ft²)

Cost of setup: ~£7,3K ($9,7K)

Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself

My name is James, and I have always wanted to create a space to enjoy my hobbies.

I recently moved house with my partner, and I realised this was the perfect opportunity to use a blank canvas and create something of my own.

Historically, I haven’t had the full opportunity to create a space entirely for myself, and due to this, I put many hours into the design, sourcing of equipment, and researching every last detail to ensure things met my needs.

With my job as a manager in a global logistics company, I regularly work from home, and so my setup needed to meet both my work and home requirements.

Although my budget was healthy, it wasn’t unlimited, and so I needed to create a space which brought both worlds into harmony with as little compromise as possible.

The goal was to try and combine a way to connect a work laptop alongside a triple-screen setup for my sim-rig.

With all of this in mind, I aimed for a modern and clean setup.

Take us through your setup

I would say the biggest feature of my setup is that I can connect my work laptop to my screens whilst also having the ability to move my racing simulator to my desk for an immersive experience.

Doing all of this while using one set of peripherals and keeping cables as tidy as possible was the main challenge.

From a completely empty room, it took around four weeks to put together (whilst we were renovating other aspects of the house), which included new carpets, cutting the desk and shelves, painting the room, and putting everything together.

I took a lot of inspiration from other setups on Maker Stations, alongside Reddit and Instagram posts, to get my imagination going.

The wall panels are very on-trend right now, and combining these with a matching walnut-coloured oak desk and walnut-coloured oak shelving really brought the look together.

Being a Formula 1 fan, I wanted to add a touch of papaya to the room — hence the window blind and wall clock, which complement the other wall colours nicely.

Despite all the improvements, there is still plenty to do.

The back wall behind my desk only has one piece of wall-decoration (a wall-mounted Lego Ferrari F1 Car), and my sim rig sits on caster wheels on the other side of the room.

I would like to add specific shelves to the back wall to include more plants and personal touches.

The ideal change, which I am going to review next, is to face the sim rig into the corner of the room and have this as a dedicated racing rig.

This will save time moving it across the room most evenings and having to re-align three screens each time.

Despite the excellent Ergotron mounts, it can still be a bit cumbersome at times.

What’s your favourite item on your desk?

My favourite items on my desk have to be my Razer Deathstalker V2 Pro and the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro.

One of my biggest hobbies throughout school and college was playing FPS games, and having the opportunity to order such items brought back a real sense of nostalgia…

I still play FPS games from time to time and enjoy the features these devices bring.

I also chose them because they had to be wireless, so that I could use one set of peripherals for both my work laptop and personal setup.

This meant the keyboard, headset and mouse all had to be wireless to allow for a seamless switch from work to play, with minimal cables on the desk.

Also… I think they look pretty good!

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

I don’t usually use any tools or software, as I’m not a particularly creative person.

I do play a lot though, and my favourite games are iRacing, Euro Truck Simulator 2 and, for nostalgia’s sake, Counter Strike 2, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, and Planet Coaster.

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

Plan everything first: measure three times, cut once.

Although I planned everything as meticulously as possible, I still wanted to make tweaks and small changes as I went along (such as staining the desk a darker colour and using part of it as floating shelves).

The second part is to take as long as required with cable management.

It’s not bad if you purchase one too many Amazon kits to get the clips or quality you want — as ultimately, this is what can make or break a setup.

Yes, it’s extremely exciting to get your new setup running, but it’ll be much more enjoyable to use when things are neat and tidy.

I spent the best part of 20 hours on routing cables for my PC, sim rig, three screens, docking stations, Xbox and peripherals to a state where it’s as clean as can be for this type of setup.

Most of the cables — even when bending down — are hidden under the desk and behind drawers (neatly).

All plugs go into two separate four-way adaptors, both glued to the underside of the desk to provide further cleanliness and remove any form of clutter.

This all comes down to planning and taking your time.

Your tips for working from home?

Take regular breaks, and leave the house if you get the opportunity (on lunch!).

The promise I tell myself is to regularly leave my room — even during working hours — to ensure I take a mental break.

I could very easily spend all day and all evening within these four walls, since my hobbies and work life both heavily revolve around the same room.

The second tip is to not cheap out of peripherals or computer chairs.

If my budget had stretched, I would likely have chosen a Herman Miller — but unfortunately, it didn’t.

The chair, however, is still an ergonomic chair with plenty of adjustment.

Please — choose substance over style in this category!

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