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Home office setup essentials that earn their desk space
16
items A practical home office setup for anyone working from home full time, or trying to make one corner of a room work a lot harder. It covers the desk basics, the ergonomic pieces that stop the aches, lighting and sound, and the small tidy-up bits at the...
I'm a Gold Amazon Influencer and I've made over 1,100 product review videos, so I spend most of my week looking closely at what actually holds up and what just photographs well. I'm also a mom of three working from home, so a setup has to survive rea...
It's grouped so you can start small and build up. You really don't need all of it at once.
Contains affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
I'm a Gold Amazon Influencer and I've made over 1,100 product review videos, so I spend most of my week looking closely at what actually holds up and what just photographs well. I'm also a mom of three working from home, so a setup has to survive rea...
It's grouped so you can start small and build up. You really don't need all of it at once.
Contains affiliate links, so I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Sections
4
Desk basics that do the daily work
Get your screen to the right height
Comfort for the hours you actually sit
Light, sound and the finishing touches
Desk basics that do the daily work
The things you touch every single day. If the budget is tight, this is the section to spend it on first.
The upgrade most people notice within about a week. Quiet clicks, a shape that suits long days, and a scroll wheel that flies through long documents. Worth knowing the MX Master 4 is out now, which usually means the 3S sits at a better price.
Logitech MX Master 3S Wireless Mouse (Graphite)
Low-profile backlit keys that connect to three devices at once, so one keyboard covers the laptop, tablet and phone. It's the natural partner to the MX Master mouse, but it stands on its own if you only want one upgrade.
Logitech MX Keys S Wireless Keyboard (Graphite)
Sharper and better lit than almost any built-in laptop camera, which matters if you're on calls every day. It clips to a monitor or sits on a tripod. 1080p rather than 4K, and for video calls that's genuinely all you need.
Logitech C920x HD Pro Webcam (1080p)
Turns one laptop port into HDMI, ethernet, USB and card slots. If your laptop has two ports and you want an external monitor, this is the piece that makes the rest of the setup possible. Boring to buy, annoying to live without.
Anker 555 8-in-1 USB-C Hub with DisplayPort
Get your screen to the right height
Raising the screen to eye level is the cheapest fix for neck and shoulder ache. Choose a stand if the laptop is your screen, or an arm if you've got an external monitor.
A single piece of solid aluminium, so there's no wobble and nothing to adjust or tighten. It sets one fixed height, which suits most people but not everyone. If you want to change the height, get the Nulaxy below instead.
Rain Design mStand Laptop Stand (Aluminium)
The budget version of the same idea, with adjustable height and a fold-flat design for travel. A sensible first step if you're not sure an ergonomic setup will suit you. It's lighter than the mStand, so it moves around more on a busy desk.
Nulaxy Adjustable Laptop Stand (Foldable)
Clears the whole desk surface under two screens and lets you set each one properly. Check your monitors are VESA 75x75 or 100x100 before you order, and check the weight per arm. That's where most returns come from.
HUANUO Dual Monitor Desk Mount (13-32 inch)
The one-screen version, and the cheapest way to fix a monitor that sits too low. Height and tilt adjust easily once it's clamped on. It's a mechanical arm rather than gas-spring, so you'll tighten it by hand rather than nudging it with a finger.
VIVO Single Monitor Arm Desk Mount (up to 32 inch)
Comfort for the hours you actually sit
Where the aches actually come from. Start at the bottom with your feet and work up, and you may find you don't need a new chair after all.
If your feet don't sit flat on the floor, your lower back takes the strain instead. This is the cheapest thing here that changes how you feel at the end of the day. Shorter people tend to notice it most.
ErgoFoam Adjustable Under-Desk Foot Rest
Makes a mediocre chair usable for long stretches, and it's a lot cheaper than replacing the chair. Worth trying before you spend on the SIHOO below. It does raise your seat height, so check your desk still clears your knees.
Everlasting Comfort Memory Foam Seat Cushion
Adjustable lumbar support, headrest and 3D armrests at a sensible price. It sits in the gap between a dining chair and a designer office chair, which is where most home setups actually live. Assembly takes a while, so give yourself an evening.
SIHOO M57 Ergonomic Office Chair (Mesh Back)
The big one, and the only thing here that changes how you work rather than just how you sit. Memory presets move it between sitting and standing in one press, and the frame stays steady at full height. This is the E7 Pro, the successor to the E7 that...
FlexiSpot E7 Pro Electric Standing Desk
Light, sound and the finishing touches
The bits people forget until the room gets dark, the calls sound muffled or the cables win. None of these are urgent, and all of them are noticeable.
Sits on top of the monitor and lights the desk without throwing glare onto the screen, which a normal lamp will do. It's the priciest small thing here, and it's the one that makes evening work easier on the eyes. Note this is the Halo 2, the newer ve...
BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2 Monitor Light Bar
Clear audio for calls and recording with no interface needed, just plug it in. Worth it if people regularly ask you to repeat yourself. It's a big mic that takes up real desk space, so it's overkill if you're only on the occasional call.
Blue Yeti USB Microphone (Blackout)
Proper noise cancelling and 40+ hours of battery for a fraction of the premium brands. Genuinely useful if you share the house with family during the day. The cancelling isn't quite Sony or Bose level, but it's close enough for most rooms.
Soundcore Life Q30 Noise Cancelling Headphones
The cheapest thing on this list and the one that changes how the desk looks. Zips the cable mess into one neat wrap. Do this last, once everything else is in place, or you'll be unzipping it again.
JOTO Cable Management Sleeve (4 Pack)