For the IndieWeb Carnival that I’m hosting, the theme chosen for the month of June is “DIY - Something From (Almost) Nothing”
Chapter 1: Previous and Current Status
As some of you might already know, I had a pretty decent setup a while ago. I had my record player, the Technics Amplifier and Cassette Deck to the left, the Mac Mini and external GPU to the right, my microphone that was always in the way and still had some space to show off my typewriter (which was just for flex).
While the photo looked nice and the setup was very nice, I had to change it because of some issues. First of all, I had to to add a new piece of furniture next to the desk, so I had to move the desk more to the left, clashing with my other table, which caused decreased space in front of the desk (I tried a corner setup at some point). Another problem was that the monitor mount was slowly sliding because of the weight on the arms. I now have only the two ultra-wide monitors up and and the computer at the side, with the printer and Hi-Fi on the separate desk on the side. So I was thinking of making a new desk while trying to re-use some of the Ikea Alex drawers I already have. I could just get a new mega expensive desk or a table top and call it a day, but I want to do something better. I mean, at the moment there’s so much chaos and I need to take everything out and make some sense of this area again.
Chapter 2: Need to haves and nice to haves
First of all, I need to think of the things that annoy me as of now and that need to be addressed by the new desk:
- Cable management — Currently the computer needs five power plugs, three video cables and a couple of USB cables (which can mostly go away). The Hi-Fi needs three for the Hi-Fi (maybe more, if I add the other modules as well) and several RCA cables. The printer, luckily needs only power, because it’s wireless.
- Charging capabilities - As I stay a lot close to my desk, I need to charge at least a few devices (mouse, keyboard, phone, watch)
- Lighting — I don’t want RGB lights per se, but I do want to be able to lit the environment in a very dim light, so I could add a dimmable led strip at the back.
- Maybe even nave a hiding space for my dog’s bed, as she always seems to like staying under my desk.
Chapter 3: Inspiration
I’ve looked over the internet over and over and found a ton of varied styles and kinds of desks, varying from minimalist to RGB-purple (always purple, why purple?), to white and nature, so probably the style I will adopt will still be clean
Cole Caccamise made a nice video of a setup using a Hexcal Studio, but that’s insanely expensive. However, it’s a good source of inspiration.
Chapter 4: Planning
From all the stuff I have in my office, I can reuse the Ikea Alex units, which are very good, sturdy and can fit a lot of crap. I’m thinking about cutting and fitting the Lagkapten desk tops that I have, but trying to join them would be janky at least and I don’t know if I really want this. An alternative would be to buy a kitchen counter top and use that. But the ones I found are either ugly, or they have a rounded super ugly bezel which I kinda hate.
Unfortunately, due to the heating elements in my room and window positioning, all my hopes of making a huge desk might be in danger, because the layout I thought for the desk is going to clash with the radiator in the room. Luckily, the room has another radiator, so it’s not cold over the winter, but removing that one is not an option, as the pipes will still be a nuisance.
A solution would be to move the desk a few inches from the wall, but I’m not happy about that. I could also find a deeper butcher’s block, but I didn’t find anything for my measurements or with a decent price point.
So I’m in a stalemate. I’ll keep you posted.
Chapter 5: FUUUUUUUUUUUCK
I’ve let this idea simmer for a while, and the more I return to this project, the more annoyed I get and I get an increasing sentiment of failure. The more I look at the project, it feels more like an Ikea hacking project rather than a DYI project, so I decided to drop the idea (almost) completely. I know I need to put some order into my desk setup and find something that it’s functional and cool, but at the moment I either don’t possess the equipment and skill to do some things and they’re completely blocking my roadmap. I’ve also tried to get help from some professionals regarding some things, but the entire project would become either too expensive, or not feel DIY at all. And some of these professionals are not reliable at all.
So I try to take this not as a failure, but as a lesson and, even though I’m a bit disappointed in the current state of the thing, I know this is not a stop, and it’s only a hop that needs to be crossed at some point. Failure is part of life and there’s a saying that goes like “good poker players know when to fold”. This project has been mentally draining and took a lot of focus and time from everything else. So I won’t admit defeat, but I know I need to do better in the second half.
Chapter 6: Restart and incremental progress
I’ve spoken with a guy that makes furniture for a living, so I was able to make a countertop at 3100mm wide by 750mm deep, which sorts the issue I had mentioned above, where the middle drawer unit was hitting the radiator behind it and I’ve reverted to the initial design, with the powertools and help of my friend Marius. I’ve also got some LED lights and some cable management things from Ikea, and for the time being, it’s a good progress. However, I couldn’t add the cabinet on wheels between the two drawer units, but upon some thinking and measuring, I made a 450x450mm board to which I added the wheels and now houses the hi-fi setup. Although the cable management is a bit on the “rat nest” side, at least it’s all being held up with cable ties and hidden at the back of the desk. Out of sight, out of mind. There’s still some work to do on top of the desk, but it will suffice for now.
Originally, this was supposed to be my entry for this month’s IndieWeb Carnival, hosted by myself with the topic “DIY — Something from (Almost) Nothing”, but as you can see, it didn’t work out as planned so I’ll have to think of something else.
This post is also part of the Agora Road’s Travelogue for the month of June, an effort to promote blogging.
