I’ve been writing a lot about AWS lately, so let’s take a breather. This is my little corner of the world (I call it my safe space, because the moment I sit here, I forget about the world). It’s where I fix work tickets, panic over uni deadlines, build side projects , and when my brain is fully cooked, it turns into my gaming spot ╰(°▽°)╯.
Here’s the tour.
The monitors. A curved MSI ultrawide in the middle for everything else, and a vertical one on the side just for code. Once you’ve read code on a vertical screen, going back feels like reading a book sideways.
The keyboard. An Ajazz with purple and white keycaps, and yes, it’s mechanical. I love mechanical keyboards, and honestly half the reason is the sound. There’s something so satisfying about that clacky typing noise, it makes even writing documentation feel a little bit fun.
The posters. “The future is yours to create” is my reminder that nobody hands you a path, you build your own. “Be kind to ur mind” is for the days when things don’t go to plan and I start being too hard on myself. It reminds me to slow down, take a breath, and give myself the same patience I’d give a friend. And the four leaf clover is just there for luck, because we could all use a little extra of that.
The cubes. I have undiagnosed ADHD, so fidget toys are a big part of how I stay focused. The Rubik’s cubes and the little maze cube give my hands something to do while my brain works through a problem. Without them, I’d be picking up my phone instead.
The gaming side. You’ve probably spotted the controllers everywhere and the shelf full of Switch games. Gaming is my favourite way to switch off. After a long day of debugging, nothing resets my brain quite like picking up a controller and doing something that has nothing to do with YAML.
Now it’s your turn. Drop a photo of your setup in the comments, or just tell me:
What’s one thing on your desk that isn’t tech, but you’d never get rid of?
What do you do to switch off after a long day of coding?
And if you game, what are you playing right now?
I’d love to see where you all code. :)💜
Top comments (35)
Really love the setup! This is mine and i have a rubix cube as well. what games do you play on your switch?
I love the minimalist look! And the LED clock in the middle is such a nice touch. Also, I see a Switch and a Rubik’s cube in there too, great minds think alike ;). I’m currently playing Bayonetta 3 and I’m almost done with it. I’ve also got Zelda BOTW, but the boss fights were too tough for me so I haven’t touched it in a while 😅
Thanks! Glad you like the clock, it's definitely one of my favorite parts of the setup. Love that we have the Switch and Rubik's cube combo in common too. Nice job on almost beating Bayonetta 3! And totally fair on BOTW, those boss fights are brutal. Stocking up on cooked meals helps a lot if you ever decide to pick it back up.
Here's my work setup! Pretty boring, but it gets the job done. And what do I do to switch off? I play with my 3 years old. Does it count as gaming? :D
Boring?? Working in an attic with those wooden beams and all the books around you gives me movie vibes, like you’re the tech genius working on a secret mission 😎 That’s so cool. I love your mechanical keyboard too, what brand is it? Playing with a 3 year old definitely counts as gaming, probably the hardest level with no pause button 😂 Thanks for sharing Matteo!
Thanks for the nice comment! I don't think I'm a tech genius, but I'll take the compliment ☺️
The keyboard is a Wobkey Crush 80, with Wuque Studio Morandi switches, plus 2 different keycaps sets mixed together. This is my first custom mechanical keyboard and I have to say I love it!
And yeah, there is no pause button with the kid 😅 but still it's the best game I've ever played in my life 😉
Mixing two keycap sets is such a cool idea, no wonder it caught my eye . I know you will enjoy all the gaming sessions with your little one!
Love a good rustic themed setup.
thanks :)
Here is mine, almost like yours 😂
Haha I love this, we’re basically setup twins! 😂 (Team SWITCH(〃￣︶￣)人(￣︶￣〃)) And those topographic keycaps must look amazing with the RGB on in the dark! What keyboard is that?!
yes team switch 👊. The keyboard is a qwerty leaven k68 60% topographic keycaps.
That wallpaper is really relaxing!
Sometimes it makes me want to take a vacation in a far forest 😂
Lately it's just me and my Macbook air in a variety of places— less tied to my main desk setup. Currently in a small room in my co-working space.
I think moving around with just a laptop is really nice, every new spot gives you a fresh view and sometimes a fresh way of thinking too. Thank you so much for passing by, Ben! :)
Is that a Nintendo Switch? :o
It is! The OLED one, and I couldn’t leave it plain so I gave the controllers and the dock a little makeover. Do you play on Switch too?
I do! Though I only used it for YT mainly. The last game I played was Nintendo Switch Sports. Are you planning on getting the Switch 2?
That’s cool! Switch Sports is always fun when you play with other people. I don’t think I’ll get the Switch 2 tbh. For that price tag and those specs, it wouldn’t be worth it imo. My OLED still works fine for me, especially since I mostly use it when I’m travelling or commuting to work.
i'm too shy to share my setup hehe. btw love yours!
Haha thank you so much! 😄 No pressure at all, but if you ever feel brave enough to share it, I’d love to see it. Thanks for stopping by!
I need to update some components, but I have a page with everything: emanuelebartolesi.com/uses
This setup is so clean! The stacked curved monitors are wild, I can only imagine how many terminals you keep open at once. Also love seeing the PiCar-X on the desk, what are you building with it? This is the final boss of setups Emanuele!😂
I just pretty much have a laptop on a couch. But, I'd probably never get rid of my little cat figurine on my desk since I always for some reason look at it when I'm thinking hard about something, lol.
But after a long day, I'll normally watch some shows (my favorite is The Big Bang Theory, I'm on my 8th rewatch) or play Stormworks on my computer.
I love the cat figurine, it’s basically your version of the rubber duck most devs keep on their desk 😄...8 rewatches of The Big Bang Theory is serious dedication, who’s your favourite character? Stormworks sounds like a fun way to switch off after a long day too. Also I noticed you only joined DEV today, so welcome Levi :)!
Thanks! But yeah, my favorite character is Rajesh Koothrappali.
Raj is such a good pick 😂 the early seasons where he couldn’t talk to women without a drink in his hand had me laughing so much. He’s honestly one of the funniest characters on the show. Thanks for passing by Levi :)
Here is my place, with amigurumi.
This is such a calm and tidy space. The amigurumi make this setup feel so cosy! That little orange fox is my favourite. Also love the Earth wallpaper, it fits the clean minimal desk perfectly . Thanks for sharing Roman :)
Love this tour, the vertical monitor for reading docs is a smart touch. I keep a small notebook on my desk for sketching ideas, and it stays even when everything else gets rearranged.
Thank you Brock! The vertical monitor has honestly changed how I read docs, no more endless side scrolling. And I love the notebook idea, there’s something about writing ideas down by hand that just helps them stick