Hi! I’m a software developer and UI/UX designer that enjoys getting into the whys and hows of user interaction with the software.
I have been working professionally in this field for a little over three years now and have been working from home for roughly two of those years.
When I was younger, I was completely convinced that I was going to grow up and become an architect.
I would draw pictures of made-up building layouts and designs, read up on famous pieces of architecture and try to understand why a certain piece made me feel satisfied just looking at them.
A nature-inspired workspace in Kelowna, Canada
I’ve always loved creating designs and concepts from nothing and being able to look at what I was creating and pick out parts that could be done better, iterating on each prior design until I was satisfied.
Seeing something I had created and getting that satisfying feeling cemented the fact that I needed to pursue a career that involved both visual and functional designs.
Around my final year of high school, I realised I also had a passion for computers and software.
There was definitely a lot of conflict going on in my head deciding whether or not I really wanted to pursue a career in architecture at this point.
I eventually realised there was more to software development that didn’t just involve writing algorithms and APIs.
Nicholas started working from home in 2018 before COVID-19 hit. “It was something I knew was possible when I first started working in software development. I have always told myself I wouldn’t consider a job if it didn’t offer at least part-time from home. So far, I am two for two companies that are fine with working from home, and I couldn’t imagine working somewhere that didn’t offer this perk anymore”
For whatever reason, it took a while to see that software development includes an entire visual side to it as well, typically referred to as “Frontend Development”.
Digging into this topic further, I learned about User Experience/User Interface design (UX/UI).
It just clicked to me that this was something I could see myself doing as a career.
In many ways, I feel like my setup is a reflection of my interest in functional design.
No single piece takes a trade-off as being overly functional at the cost of aesthetics or vice versa.
Everything I need is easily at arm’s reach while I’m at my setup.
The overall design of this space just came together slowly over time.
I had somewhat of a vision of how I wanted things to look before I started purchasing anything.
The main pieces that directed the design that my setup/living room was going to take were the massive pegboard wall.
It was absolutely perfect, both functionally and visually.
The entire process took about 12 hours. Nicholas did everything himself
It should come as no surprise by now that I am a huge house plant nerd. I have a little over 150 plants between my fiancée and myself in our collection.
Plants all have very specific care needs. Some want more light than others, so having a way to purposefully place plants across an entire wall based on how much light they need was perfect.
The thing that sold me about the pegboard wall was how versatile it was.
I made the pegboard wall myself with three sheets of 8x4″ good two side plywood. It took roughly twelve hours to complete but was well worth it.
