Aesthetic and Functional Desk Setup in Canada

Name: Stephen James

Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Occupation: Risk Analyst

Room size: 7 m² (75 ft²)

Cost of setup: ~CAD4K ($2,8K)

Social media: Instagram

Website: Stephen James

Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m Stephen, an amateur runner, coffee enthusiast, and aspiring creator. 

I’ve worked in a corporate setting for the past 14 years, and my current role focuses on risk management.

I enjoy what I do because it draws on my experience as a business analyst and gives me the opportunity to develop continuous improvement initiatives, including some programming and automation.

While I’m grateful for my career and the professional skills I’ve developed over the years, it’s merely a role I play — just one part of who I am.

As I’ve gotten older and work continues to occupy an outsized amount of my time, I’ve become increasingly focused on diverting more of my energy and soul towards things that define and drive me.

I grew up with a keen interest in writing, photography, drawing, and exploring. One of my earliest jobs was developing photos for the local newspaper, contributing as a journalist, and working with the editor to learn how to craft headlines and structure articles.

Over the past year, I’ve tried to lean into my passion for creating and writing by building a website to highlight some of my personal projects.

The genesis for creating a personal website was a desire to take more ownership and control over the content I create.

While social media has given us all an incredible opportunity to connect and showcase moments from our lives, we ultimately have little control over how platforms operate or how others interact with our content.

I’m still in the early phases, but if you’re interested in the musings of an elderly millennial on coffee, technology, growing older, and living more intentionally, check it out!

Take us through your setup

For a pocket of time during Covid-19, I was able to work from home, and while my company has since returned to the office full-time, that experience planted the seed of what it might be like to curate a working space in my home.

I was fortunate to have a spare bedroom in a quiet corner of my home, and over the past few years, I’ve designed and iterated on a space that feels cosy, productive, and reflective of my interests.

The main workstation is built around a 6 ft Husky adjustable-height workbench.

My height rules out most standing desks, but I did want something that would allow me to dial in a comfortable seated position.

In addition, as my room isn’t too large, I was OK with a worktop that had a slimmer profile.

While it may not fit the bill for those who want the largest possible surface, at 24 inches deep, it’s sufficient to hold my essential items.

Lastly, the solid wood top and heavy-duty steel legs make it nearly indestructible.

One way my setup may differ from many others I’ve read on this site is that I do not work from home, so my use of this room is strictly in the evening or on weekends.

Because of this, I haven’t leaned as much into tailoring the equipment to accommodate long hours (see the Apple keyboard).

That being said, I’ve invested in some pieces such as the Ergotron monitor mount and airCentric3 task chair — both feature-rich and ensuring I don’t feel worse for wear after a few hours of work.

Rounding out the room, I have a couple of Husky tool chests that double as an amazing space to organise my photography, tech gear, and gadgets, as well as an additional worktop.

I’m an automotive enthusiast and grew up modifying my car and competing in import car shows, so I really appreciate the industrial, sturdy, and functional aspects these pieces bring to my space.

In keeping with this theme, you might notice the blue metal pegboards throughout the room, made by a company called Wall Control.

While these are typically marketed towards garages or commercial kitchens, I absolutely loved the variety of colours they come in and how well they complement the rest of my furniture and décor.

Speaking of colours, you’ve probably also noticed I’m not afraid to highlight a variety of hues throughout my space — whether through the artwork I’ve collected over the past years, or the functional pieces like the gloss blue tool chests and teal bookshelf speakers.

A lot of the décor in the room, including the replica Eames Lounge Chair and artwork, was collected over the past decade.

These pieces have been enjoyed in other parts of my home and have a special place in my heart, so it’s felt amazing to bring them together in this smaller, more personal space.

What’s your favourite item on your desk?

My iPod Classic (6th generation) with 160GB of storage.

I purchased this new in late 2013 for $299, as rumours were already circling that Apple might discontinue their iconic click-wheel media device.

At that time, streaming music was really starting to gain traction, but many of us had already amassed a significant catalogue of MP3s and digitised copies of physical media.

I distinctly remember buying it with the intention of having a device to enjoy my digital library on for many years to come, and I’m pleased that’s been the case.

To this day, the device still holds a charge well, and I occasionally sync it to add some new music using iTunes on my old 2008 MacBook.

Lately, I’ve been really interested in the online community devoted to upgrading and modifying iPods to make them more future-proof and accessible.

I think this particular iPod has too much sentimental value to crack open and tinker with, so I’ve had my eye on the secondary market for a potential new addition.

There’s just something about the aesthetic and functionality of this device that really resonates with me, and I’m grateful I’ve gotten so much use out of it!

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

I recently purchased an Apple Vision Pro and have been immersed in exploring how it can be used for productivity and entertainment.

This headset wasn’t available in Canada until this past summer, so I had already spent several months reading reviews and getting a sense of how others perceived the hardware and experience.

Still, I wasn’t prepared for how captivating and fun it’s been to interact with the digital world in this way.

I’ve always been a tech enthusiast but rarely an early adopter, and while the future of AR/VR — or this specific product — is uncertain, I don’t regret taking the plunge this time.

As someone who grew up watching shows like Star Trek, I find it incredible that we can now surround ourselves with floating windows — moving and scrolling through them with a flick of the wrist — or turn a dial and instantly transport into a different environment.

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

Last year, I started working my way through Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars series.

Many people are aware of Disney’s 2012 film adaptation, but the novels — beginning with A Princess of Mars, published in 1912 — are a gateway into a much broader universe full of strange creatures and noble (if improbable) heroes.

What I’ve loved about this series is its unapologetic grandiosity and a type of storytelling that feels unfiltered and unselfconscious.

There’s a lot of intelligent and thoughtful sci-fi/fantasy media out there, but in the same way we sometimes just want to watch John Wick shrug off an army of attackers and save the day, these novels offer a welcome escape.

It’s incredible to imagine growing up over a century ago, reading these novels, and wondering in awe if such a world and its characters could actually exist on Mars.

Burroughs manages to capture the kind of boundless imagination that we often leave behind in childhood — a place where anything, even a human leaping hundreds of feet, seems possible.

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

This is a tough question!

There’s a lot of content I come across online that inspires me when it comes to certain design or product choices (including this site).

One of the challenges you might encounter is balancing functionality with aesthetics — and doing so in a way that feels authentic to you.

I love the look of ultra-minimalist setups with no cables or cords visible, but that doesn’t resonate with me enough to want to emulate it in my own space.

My studio isn’t a place where I make a living.

Rather, it’s a space to explore and lean into my creativity and passions.

I’ve tried to incorporate things that I love, that inspire me, and that remind me of the experiences that have brought me to where I am today.

The most important advice I can offer is that there’s no finish line.

Find a way to be happy and satisfied with your setup at every stage, and don’t fall into the trap of thinking it’s not good enough — especially compared to what you see online.

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