The Phuse is a distributed team across 3 countries, so instead of a central office, we’ve each created our own unique workspaces from which we sketch, design, code, strategize, write, and communicate with clients and each other. Today’s blog post is a peek into how and where The Phuse works, in which each of us answers the question “what’s on your desk?”.
Spoiler alert: lots of Apple and Ikea
James Costa — Creative Director
Toronto, Ontario
I’ve moved my desk around my condo a lot in Scarborough, Ontario (Canada), but I have always found the best places to have it are near windows. I love simplistic, clean setups — but my desk usually ends up being caught under piles of paperwork, and the desk itself has plenty of stains because of my lack of coasters. That being said, I’ve somehow found more productivity being in my room, but we’ll see how long I can last without napping instead of dealing with the overflow of paperwork.
- Canon Pixma MX870
- Macbook Air (1.8 GHz Intel Core i7, 4GB RAM, 256 GB SSD)
- 27' Cinema Display
- SuperDrive and ethernet to USB adapter (because I’m retro like that)
- Western Digital 2TB Notebook
- Wireless keyboard and mouse
- iPhone 4s
- IKEA desk, chair, and fix ins!
Tom Neal — Designer
Chesterfield, United Kingdom
You know that saying: “Clean home, clear mind”? I totally believe in it. This workspace is where I spend the majority of the day, and having everything clean and organized boosts my productivity ten-fold. Living in rented accommodation means having to put up with boring beige walls, but an effective work-around was to add splashes of color with the lamp and picture frame. My fiancée and I are moving into our very own home later this year, so be on the lookout for an update!
- iMac 27" (2.7Ghz Intel Core i5, 12GB RAM, 128GB SSD, 1TB HDD)
- 1TB Samsung M3 external HDD
- Energizer USB battery charger
- iPad Mini
- Altec Lansing Expressionist Bass speakers
- Monster Beats Solo headphones
- Wacom Bamboo pen tablet
- Freelance Ain’t Free print — Mikey Burton
- Original pen drawing — Chad Lenjer
- Mini Munny doll
- 8Ball (for those tough decisions)
- Lane Notebook
- Ikea desk, chair, lamp and picture frames.
Flip Stewart — Developer
Austin, Texas
I enjoy having a dedicated area strictly for working. By including only the necessities, I can focus on the important things — a big desk and comfortable chair. I also limit my distractions. Other than Hacker News and Adventure Time, of course. If I was going to add anything to my office, I’d put a coffee machine right on my desk, but I’m not sure the internet could handle me with that much caffeine.
- 13" MacBook Air
- iPad Mini
- Apple Wireless Keyboard
- Magic Trackpad
- HiRise
- 60" x 30" Turnstone Table in Virginia Walnut with Tapered Platinum Metallic legs
- Uno Select Turnstone Chair in Blue Jay
- 16 oz Ball Mason Jar
- Ice
- Coffee
Matt Herron — Project Manager
Austin, Texas
I installed this standing desk in my apartment two weeks ago. It consists of a 2'x4' laminated desktop from Ikea ($20), two 20" shelf brackets from home depot ($35) and 6 screws ($5) connecting the shelf brackets to the studs, and the desk to the brackets. It’s a cheap, elegant solution for a standing desk. I set it up so that the desktop is 43" high, exactly at my elbows, so my arms can rest comfortably on the desktop. Being an active, high energy person, I prefer a standing desk because it gives me the freedom to move around while I’m working, which helps my brain work better. Additionally, it’s a lot more comfortable in the long term: fewer back problems, prevents bad posture, avoids the sedentary lifestyle. I also have in the photo my yoga mat, backpack, the books I’m reading (listed below), and a lamp to light the space at night.
- 13" Macbook air
- iPad mini
- UX Sketchbook
- GoalZero portable speakers
- Books (The Psychology of Influence, The Wizard of Menlo Park, The Imperfectionists, 1492, and SPIN Selling) for distraction/education
- Coffee
- Yoga Mat
- Backpack (for portability)
- Standing lamp
Jenna Boese — Developer
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
I have a desk and chair somewhere and was going to stage them all pretty for you but it would be a lie. Lately, I’ve been working from my living room couch. Although I sit in the same space where I watch TV outside of work hours, during the day I don’t turn on any music or TV, and don’t take game breaks. It’s almost like the TV on/off switch toggles my living/work space. Sometimes I take the MBP outside to enjoy the nice weather, or to a coffee shop for a change of scenery. I do use the desk and chair, where my Mac is, for the occasional design work.
- 15" Macbook Pro
- Hot pink clipboard with notes on printer paper
- iPad in sock
- Couch, cushions, ottoman, rug
- Serving trays
- Glass of water (where coffee is earlier in the day)
- Various game controllers and TV remotes
- Misc magazines
- Lots of cat hair
Tessa Thornton — Developer
Toronto, Ontario
My tiny desk is an Ikea kid’s desk that my little brother grew out of. The drawer is hacked into a keyboard drawer, which has allowed me to put off getting a grown-up desk for the past 8 months. The desk sits in the corner of my living room beside the big bay windows, so it gets a lot of light. Now that it’s warm out, I usually work on my porch in the mornings until my laptop dies.
- 13" Mid-2010 Macbook Pro with128GB SSD
- 23" Samsung SyncMaster monitor
- Apple Extended USB keyboard (I need that forwards delete key!)
- Magic Trackpad
- Bose SoundDock with CableJive DockBoss to connect to my laptop
- Moleskine Daily Planner (Star Wars edition)
- One of my roommate’s giant coffee mugs
- Cheap Sony headphones
- Too many cables
Alexandra Bond — Brand Strategist
San Francisco, California
My office is in the loft of our apartment, which is nice because that means it’s far away from the kitchen :) but also the bathroom :(
Having an office upstairs helps me transition from home to work. My vintage desk is a pain to get in and out of apartments, but I refuse to part with it because it works well for my process; it’s super long, which is perfect for transitioning from taking notes to sketching to designing (to eating). I can spread out a lot. Also, it’s pretty.
Mostly I love the space because it’s surrounded by windows, and even opens to an outdoor patio so I can spend some time outside.
- 21.5" iMac
- WD external drive
- LaCie external drive
- Midcentury vintage desk (that is solid wood and weighs too much)
- West Elm Mia table lamp
- Ikea Kvissle whiteboard
- Ikea Expedit bookshelf
- Behance dot grid book
- Oldest office chair in the world
- Authentic Hokusai ukiyo-e woodblock print
- Painting of a lemon
Nathan Yates — Designer
Liverpool, United Kingdom
Part of the great thing about working from home is that you’re in a comfortable environment whenever you need to be productive. I’ve tried to center my workspace around productivity by removing distractions, which makes me focus on my tasks.
Initially, the plan was to setup a dedicated office in one of the spare rooms in my apartment, however I found that having my desk in the lounge allows for a much more ad-hoc work schedule, perfect for working from home.
- 21.5" iMac
- 13" MacBook Pro
- iPad
- IKEA LINNMON Table
- Cambridge Audio Amp & Speakers
- Beats Solo Headphones
- Cheap Notebook
- New York canvas x 3
Conclusion
Though we live all across the hemisphere, our workspaces all share a dedication to productivity and creativity, and a focus on creating a work-life balance. Our lively company chat room and weekly video chats keep us all connected and up-to-date, so we never have to sacrifice collaboration and teamwork for the independence of working from home.
