Clean and Minimalist WFH Setup in Sweden

Name: Joakim Widell

Location: Trollhättan, Sweden

Occupation: Project manager within mechanical design

Room size: 9 m² (97 ft²)

Cost of setup: $12,3K

Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m a mechanical engineer with a passion for technology and product development.

My interest in these areas started early on — by the time I was 13, I was building my own PCs, saving up from summer jobs to afford it.

Right now, I manage projects and programs focused on mechanical design at a major telecommunications company in Sweden.

Although I don’t have any side projects at the moment, I’m eager to dive into 3D printing soon.

Take us through your setup

A lot of thought went into the setup; planning began as soon as we signed the contract for the house (almost six months before moving in).

We decided straight away that this space would be my home office and battlestation, located away from the bedrooms of the rest of the family for those late-night sessions in front of the PC (which accounts for about 50% of the total cost of the setup).

I’ve been building the setup piece by piece over a couple of years, but it wasn’t until I got this space that it all came together.

I’ve tried a lot of different layouts in the past: one monitor, two monitors side by side, vertically stacked — always incorporating at least one ultrawide screen — but this combination of one ultrawide and one monitor in portrait mode is my favourite so far.

It enables me to focus on the main screen while having documents, chats, emails, etc., easily available at a glance on the portrait screen, without causing neck pain (which I got from the vertically stacked combo).

I’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from different setups I’ve seen online, especially on subreddits and YouTube.

But ultimately, it was trial and error — adjusting the placement of monitors, speakers, PC, and laptop — that made everything come together.

Since I work remotely, it was important for me to create a space that I associate with work. It makes it easier for me to focus when I enter the room, compared to having, for example, my desk in the living room.

Another benefit of having a dedicated room is the ability to close the door to be fully immersed in work (or gaming, for that matter), or to keep toddlers out when needed.

The room is pretty much square, with one north-east facing window that provides some diffused natural light, and a wardrobe in one corner for some closed storage— perfect for soldering equipment, keyboard switches, and 3D printing filament.

The key feature of my workspace is the two-metre-wide desk and minimal visual clutter, which helps me stay focused on the tasks of the day.

I’m really happy with how it turned out after milling the worktop, adding a chamfer on the bottom and a radius to the top to create the impression that it’s thinner than it actually is.

It’s a 23 mm (about 0.9 inches) thick worktop from a local hardware store, but the chamfer gives it a sleeker look.

I did the milling in the garden, based on my own ideas of how I wanted the worktop to look and feel.

I’ve had issues in the past with worktops bending under the weight of my setup, so I wanted to ensure this one would last while still looking sleek.

I also wanted a natural feel with the oak, and the ability to sand and re-coat it in case of any spills, or if I ever wanted to change its look in the future.

The standing desk legs are the FlexiSpot E7 Pro, and I couldn’t be happier with them.

It’s very stable, even in standing mode, with my rather heavy setup on it.

I’d been eyeing FlexiSpot for quite some time, but they didn’t ship to Sweden. Then, suddenly, they opened their Swedish shop and I placed an order on day one.

I’m looking to improve the plant situation in my space; currently trying to figure out the ins and outs of growing monsteras. Hopefully, I can add one to this space soon.

Since it’s an old house, I’m also planning to replace the old switches and outlets with more modern ones to match the overall feel of the room.

What’s your favourite item on your desk?

My favourite item by far is my custom mechanical keyboard.

I got into the hobby about two years ago, and this is my second custom keyboard.

I’d been eyeing the keyboards from Mode Designs since I got into the hobby, and finally splurged on this one during the summer.

I sourced the components from different places: the barebones from Mode, switches from Akko, and the keycaps from Oblotzky Industries.

I was looking for a specific sound profile when choosing all the different components for this board — namely “creamy” and “marbly” or “thock” if you will.

This board, with these switches and the keycaps from GMK, really hits the spot for me. I could type on it all day just for the sound it makes.

I’m especially happy with the fact that I can change the switches with the hot-swap conversion I did to get the hot-swappable ISO layout.

With everything included, plus customs and VAT, this board set me back over $700 in landed cost — which, in itself, is totally stupid, but in my opinion, worth it!

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

I honestly have no special tools to get things done.

These days, I consider myself a PowerPoint engineer and work mainly with PowerPoint and Excel.

To keep track of tasks, I’ve tried a lot of different apps and software, but recently I’ve gone back to pen and paper to give myself a break from the screen once in a while.

I realised that it’s also a good way to keep the to-do list handy, no matter what work I’m doing at the moment.

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

To be completely honest, mostly Reddit and YouTube.

I think I have hundreds of posts saved on my Reddit account where I’ve found something to draw inspiration from — just a little bit here and there.

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

Let it take time.

As I mentioned, a lot of planning went into my setup — more time than actually realising the final result.

Try to find a few sources of inspiration and take the things you like.

It’s your setup, and you should make it the way you want it.

Also, don’t be afraid to experiment.

Before landing on this setup, I went through many iterations, trying different combinations of items and products.

You can always change and try something else.

What does your typical day look like?

I’m not a morning person, but I usually get up at 6:30 am to wake the kids and get them to pre-school.

Once the kids are at pre-school, I start my day with a lot of coffee and by going through emails and some daily admin.

I try to do all the admin at the start and end of the day so that I can focus on other tasks during the day.

I try to switch between sitting and standing at least once a day, but in reality, it’s closer to once every two days.

I blame the Embody chair for that.

I also use my setup for gaming when the kids and my wife are asleep.

I usually spend a few hours here playing games and catching up with friends.

As an engineer by heart, my favourite games are Factorio and Satisfactory, with an honourable mention to Valheim for the amazing co-op experience.

I’ve been working from home on and off since the pandemic, increasingly so since moving to a new city while staying at my job.

Your tips for working from home?

The best tip I can give is to take breaks.

It’s really easy to end up working all day without any breaks when you’re working from home.

Taking a few breaks during the day and going for a walk at lunch are really good for maintaining focus.

I also make it a point to shut off my work laptop completely when I’m done for the day — that way, it’s not as easy to just “check something real quick” in the evening.

I also make sure to have no notifications on my phone from any work apps after office hours to keep the lines between work and free time clear.

Otherwise, I find it easy for those lines to blur and to fall into bad habits when it comes to work-life balance.

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