Designer’s Smart Desk Setup in Bulgaria

Name: Vasil Enev

Location: Plovdiv, Bulgaria (Lesser-known fact: It’s actually the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe, with its history stretching all the way back to around 6000 BCE)

Occupation: Multidisciplinary Designer

Room size: 10,35 m² (110 ft²)

Cost of setup: ~$5K for the desk, PC, and monitor + ~$8K for completing the room from scratch, including the ceiling construction and lighting, flooring, paint, cable installations, furniture, and accessories.

Social media: Instagram

Website: Linktree

Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself

Hey readers and creatives.

I’m Vasil Enev, and firstly I want to say thank you to Trish from Maker Stations for the great opportunity to share my journey and setup progress.

I hope to inspire anyone looking to build or upgrade their stations.

My current occupation is as a Senior Product Designer, and I’m working with an amazing team!

I’m entirely self-taught and have been designing for 10+ years.

On the side, I recently started publishing tutorials, tips, and design inspiration content on my social media accounts.

As a kid, I was always amazed by technology.

Thankfully my aunt, who was a maths and IT teacher, had one of the first computers of that time.

I remember the big chunky monitor looking like carry-on luggage that constantly stole my attention.

I enjoyed it so much that it was hard to get off that monitor — especially when there were games on it.

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Hand in hand with that, I was naturally skilled in drawing, and I always had the itch to experiment and create — I was the guy that everyone in painting class came to for help with their artworks, hah.

This was right when technology started advancing at unbelievable speed, and I remember getting a pirated version of Adobe Photoshop CS2 from a friend.

I already had my first PC, and that’s when it all started.

For a few years, I casually learned it at home after school and created fan-based content for video games, forums, and friends.

One day, I found this contest website called 99Designs, and I wanted to test my skills and probably earn my first money. That’s when my design journey actually kicked off — I was 16 years old at that time.

I started competing on the platform and got my first win for a logo design.

I can’t forget the joy and feeling of it, so I continued.

I won 34 more contests, and clients repeatedly came back. Let’s call these my freelance years.

I built my portfolio, and I was contacted to join a full-time job at a company at 21.

I had my doubts, but I let my instincts guide me, and here I am, many years later, still doing what I love.

Take us through your setup

In 2022, I had the opportunity to get my own apartment.

It was one of the achievements in life that I wanted to check off, so I started looking for apartments in my area.

A close friend suggested I take a look at a new building they were just finalising construction on.

The place was a nice two-bedroom apartment, and I felt that was the place from the first time I visited.

There was an immediate connection, and I already knew how it was going to look.

Working on an apartment from scratch wasn’t easy, and I learned a lot through the process, but I had a vision of what it should be and the style I wanted to implement.

One of the rooms was dedicated to my home office, which I’m happily sharing photos of.

The desk is made of an IKEA kitchen countertop and legs, plus the ALEX drawers that are timeless and so functional.

It was equally fun and stressful drilling those.

I liked how the turquoise colour complemented the black and walnut materials.

Additionally, I wanted to smartly connect and control the lighting throughout the apartment, as well as the switches and appliances.

My go-to choices for it were Aqara, Yeelight, and Mi since their Zigbee hubs were compatible with Apple HomeKit.

My computer is quite powerful for my needs, perfectly balancing work and play, and ultimately, I’ll be looking to explore Mac in the near future and complete the ecosystem.

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What’s your favourite item on your desk?

One of my favourite items in the room is the pegboard, which keeps me organised and allows me to display things nicely.

It’s one hand away, and you can experiment with switching the layouts for it.

It’s equally functional and decorative, and I suggest that everyone should get one!

The specific model I have is the IKEA UPPSPEL pegboard in black.

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

The apps I can’t go a day without are Figma, Adobe Illustrator, and Photoshop.

In previous years, I heavily relied on XD, but Figma rocked the game with collaboration over design files, and creating a design system is unlimitedly powerful.

I quickly fell in love with it and replaced the good, yet not-so-good XD.

Secondary software in my kit includes all the rest of the Adobe Suite apps — using InDesign whenever heavy copy-based designs for print are needed and Procreate to add some hand-drawn magic to my designs.

I’m currently exploring Jitter, as the app seems to be rapidly growing with motion possibilities on designs transferred through Figma, and their interface is quite pleasing and easy to use.

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

My sources of inspiration are many, and I can’t stick to one.

I’m constantly exploring trends through social media platforms like Instagram and Threads on mobile, and on desktop, I always try to keep up with Dribbble and Behance for some inspiring case studies.

I can’t get enough magic from other people’s work, and whenever I need an inspiration boost, I make sure to visit these platforms.

Long ago, the first portfolio pieces I ever uploaded on the internet were on DeviantArt.

Sadly, other networks have replaced it over time, but I have warm memories thinking back about that platform and the community there.

Good times.

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

If you start from scratch, plan it out.

Don’t start piece by piece but try to see and imagine the final result down to the last detail.

Save your mood boards and albums of things you like, even ask for suggestions if needed, and make sure to check everything in person before purchasing (if possible).

And ambient light is everything — you can never have too much of it.

What does your typical day look like?

My days for the past half-year always start with morning tea and vanilla oat milk — yep, it’s a weird combination, but everyone should try it, especially if it’s Rooibos.

I was a heavy coffee drinker before I realised I don’t actually need caffeine to feel awake, even though I love the taste.

Due to taking care of my disabled mum, whom I love with all my heart, I’m thankful I have the great opportunity to work fully remotely since the start of my career — that lets me balance my home and work responsibilities.

Since office life is quite unknown to me, the COVID period never had a deep impact on my lifestyle.

Throughout the day, I try to complete all my personal tasks in the early morning, and my workday starts from 11 am to around 7 pm — doing what I actually love — creating.

That’s why it’s vital and important to feel comfortable in your workspace, and I’m aiming to reach the ideal environment for me.

Whenever I’m not working, I try to catch up with social media and now rarely play games in my free time.

My all-time favourite PC games are LOL and Overwatch, and technically most of the Nintendo games — with Animal Crossing in first place.

Once my workday is over, I pack my backpack for gym time.

Moving and sweating are my keys to staying healthy, and I try to balance working from home with enough physical activity.

It helps clear the mind, too.

Your tips for working from home?

We are all different, but a tip I can give to anyone who started working from home is to adapt to your surroundings and find comfort, or improve your space to achieve that.

You don’t need much to make it cosy — keep it clean and organised.

A clean room equals a clear mind, and that will help you stay focused on what’s important — and maybe add a plant or two.

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