Name: Wouter de Bres

Location: Voorschoten, the Netherlands

Occupation: Product Designer

Room size: 9 m² (97 ft²)

Cost of setup: ~$5K

Social media: Twitter

Hello! Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m Wouter de Bres.

I’m a father of the most beautiful twin daughters in the world and a product designer & former psychologist from Voorschoten, the Netherlands.

When I transitioned from psychology to design, I was initially embarrassed about my background.

However, I soon realised that having a Psychology Master’s degree is a valuable asset for a designer.

Wouter de Bres in his favourite wingchair at his attic home office in the Netherlands
In the morning, Wouter de Bres likes to settle into his armchair and enjoy a cup of coffee. He spends time reading and planning his day

Dieter Rams once said:

You cannot understand good design if you do not understand people,

— and I couldn’t agree more.

If you’re interested in learning about the connection between product design and psychology, I’m planning to write a book on the topic. (You can leave your email address to get notified when it’s released.)

I co-founded Gibbon, which was later acquired by Degreed. During my six-year tenure leading the design team, we helped grow the company to the tech unicorn it is today.

A standing desk setup near the window in the attic
Natural light helps regulate our circadian rhythm, promoting better sleep, mood, and energy levels. It also reduces the strain on our eyes, making it easier to focus and reducing symptoms of eye fatigue and headaches

I really enjoyed building and growing a global design team of talented individuals.

However, as the company grew, I discovered that I missed being my own boss and designing on my own.

This led me to return to the design craft and offer my services as a freelance product designer.

I help startups simplify their user experiences.

And who knows, I might start a new product company one day.

If you would like to follow my journey, you can find me on Twitter.

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Take us through your setup

Item Model
Monitor Apple Studio Display
Laptop An old MacBook Pro
Headphones Bose QuietComfort 35
Keyboard Apple Magic Keyboard
Mouse Logitech MX Master 3
Desk OAKDESK from Standidesk
Chair Hjh Office Villa 10 (Nappa leather)
Web camera Lumina
Notebook Moleskine Classic
Tablet The oldest iPad Pro

We just finished renovating our attic. It took around two months to complete.

It was poorly isolated — so it was very cold there during the winter months.

I had barely any daylight and couldn’t look out the window since there were only two tiny little skylights.

During the attic renovation in the Netherlands
“I’m glad we invested in rebuilding our attic. It helps so much with feeling relaxed and creative”, says Wouter de Bres

We made significant improvements, such as installing dormers and enhancing the roof insulation.

This allowed us to create the perfect home office space.

I now have a window to enjoy daylight and the view, which is important for me.

It’s also important to be able to switch between working at my desk, sitting or standing, and reading or just relaxing in my armchair with my iPad.