I’m very honoured to be able to share a bit of my personal life and workspace on a platform like this.
My profession is probably best explained with a quote:
“Engineering is the profession in which a knowledge of the mathematical and natural sciences, gained by study, experience, and practice, is applied with judgment to develop ways to utilise, economically, the materials and forces of nature for the benefit of humankind.”
As a civil engineer working for an environmental consulting firm, the materials that I specifically utilise are usually natural and archaic — think water, dirt, rocks.
At our firm, we do everything from CAD design for dams and water systems to environmental assistance with catastrophes like the BP oil spill.
I do most of my work on a computer. My company allows us to work at home from time to time. This policy was emphasised further in 2020 when the pandemic hit.
This was when I decided to make my first office desk setup at the last house I was renting.
An L-shaped desk setup of a civil engineer
It was an adequate setup and allowed me to do my job remotely. But it wasn’t until my girlfriend and I bought our current house that I decided to really invest some time (and money) into my at-home workspace.
The world of engineering isn’t typically seen as a very imaginative profession. Most of my fellow colleagues are of the methodical, analytical-thinking variety.
Our projects are routinely dominated by function rather than form.
It’s simply the distinctive engineering way. However, I see no reason why form and function can’t cohabitate.
The synthesis of these two design philosophies is what ultimately led to the creation of my home office setup.
My setup was conceived out of my strong appeal for vintage and mid-century modern design.
Sometimes, I feel like I was born in the wrong era. Although I’m relatively young and never had the chance to experience the novelty of ’50s and ’60s design, I feel an innate attraction to it.
The now-outdated yet brilliantly complicated technology matched with the simplistic and asymmetrical geometries of this period gives me a nostalgic sense of inspiration — a serene aura to prime my mind for working from home.
Overall, the setup cost about $2,7K (including tech and décor but excluding the laptop — it was paid by Ty’s employer)
Taking a look at my workspace, the first things you will probably notice are the L-shaped desk and the chair. Not the office chair, but the Eames chair in the corner — probably one of my favourite parts of the room, even though it’s not technically part of my workspace.
My girlfriend’s grandfather won the chair in an architecture convention raffle. When he offered it to us after he said he didn’t have a need for it, we were both quite thrilled to take it off his hands.
The chair now sits in my office, serving as a functional piece of the mid-century period and doubling as a comfortable spot to relax away from work.
1956 marked the first year of production for the Eames chair. It’s famously described as “a special refuge from the strains of modern living”
Another thing you may notice in my workspace is the lack of RGB lights.
Once a fan of the flashy lights and multitude of colours, I can’t say they don’t have an appeal to them. But since my passion for gaming has dwindled in recent years while my workload has steadily increased, I felt it was time to make a different space.
My ambitious goal was to create a budget-friendly yet sophisticated space that incorporated my individual style with mid-century class, showcased in an exhibition-like manner.
I wanted the space to feel like a gallery of sorts.
The bookshelves that are on either side of my desk are full of different “artefacts”.
The vintage movie projector, camera, microscope and record player make it quite obvious the era I drew my inspiration from.
Brass figures and abstract stone objects also make an appearance on the shelves. Scattered throughout the rest of the bookshelves are vintage books. While I haven’t read most of them yet, I intend to one day.
My actual workspace consists of my L-shaped desk, two monitors and my desktop PC that I keep under the desk.
