Welcome to ‘The Bunker’

After more than a year in our new place, I finally got round to sorting out my home office.

We moved into our new place in March 2019 and put the priority on kitting out both of our daughters’ bedrooms with everything they need. All the while, the room we’d earmarked as my office became a badly-organized box room that just happened to have a computer desk thrown in the corner.

Finally, we’ve been able to prune down the plethora of storage boxes and transform the room from a dumping ground into my daily place of work.

I specced out what I wanted in advance and, after the room was cleared, ordered everything to come over the course of a weekend.

The whole of one wall is covered by the standard IKEA “Billy” bookshelves. They’re solid, they’re cheap and they last. Also, crucially for me, they’re a piece of cake to put together. Less simple to construct was the office table I also ordered from the Swedish flat-pack people. It took a couple of weeks, and a sore neck, before I eventually set up the height-adjustable desk to the optimal height for my regular 10-15-hour stints at the keyboard.

Kit-wise, I set up twin AOC 23-inch monitors and mounted them on an Amazon-bought desk arm that does the job superbly. For audio output, I set up my Bose Mini SoundLink II speaker, which either runs via Bluetooth from my MacBook Pro (for my main monitor) or via an audio cable via the “TV” monitor, which runs via an HD Amazon Fire Stick.

Audio input is handled by my RODE NT-USB Mini microphone, which I have mounted on a cheap (compared to a brand name version) microphone desk arm, which works a treat. The mic is outstanding for the price, and is small enough to be packed in my kit back and used as a desk mic on the road, if I ever need one. I also added a Logitech C922 webcam, which sits on top of my main monitor so I can shoot episodes of Spinning Back Clique, record video interviews and tape podcasts in video format without having to prop up my laptop on a crate (as I did for four months before finally getting this setup sorted).

There’s also an Amazon Basics USB hub, which lets me hook up my mic, webcam, and wireless keyboard/mouse receiver, with space for the obligatory iPhone charge cable. Chuck in a super-cheap (and old) desk fan that sits on the window sill to keep the airflow moving, and a temperamental HP printer/scanner (the next item due to be replaced) and my office setup is pretty much complete.

I could do with some artwork on the walls to add a little color to the place, but other than that, it’s a pretty nice place to work.