From Chaos to KALLAX: How I Redesigned My Home Office

We’ve all been there, haven’t we? The moment you realise a piece of technology, once a trusty sidekick, is on its last legs. For me, that moment arrived not with my own gear, but with my wife’s faithful laptop—a machine that had seen more late-night Netflix binges and last-minute document edits than I’ve had hot dinners. Bless its little digital soul.

The signs of its impending doom were impossible to ignore. The screen was starting to detach from the main body, holding on by what I can only describe as sheer willpower and a single, lonely hinge. Moving it—and I mean even a slight, gentle nudge to get a better angle—was a fool’s errand. It was a digital hostage situation, where the laptop’s screen demanded absolute stillness or it would display the dreaded Blue Screen of Death, a sight that still makes me shudder. It was, in short, a ticking time bomb of a computer, and the poor thing was due for a much-needed retirement.

Now, as fate would have it, this technological crisis arrived at the perfect time. My wife is considering taking a learn-from-home university course, and with that comes the inevitable need for a dedicated study space. Suddenly, we weren’t just thinking about a replacement laptop; we were thinking about a whole new setup. We’re not talking anything fancy, just a simple desk, a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse that could all be connected to her new machine with a single, magical cable. The kind of setup that whispers, “I’m here to help, not to complicate.”

The back porch, with its glorious natural light and quiet seclusion, seemed like the perfect spot. So, I did what any rational person with a bit of spare time and a penchant for digital tinkering would do: I popped into Blender and mocked up a little workspace. It was a simple desk, perfectly positioned to catch the light, with just enough room for the essentials. It was a testament to minimalism and efficiency. A clean, functional space.

And it got me thinking. If you’ve ever had the dubious pleasure of glancing at my own workspace, you’ll know it’s a chaotic symphony of cables, monitors, Ikea storage units, and the odd miscellaneous item that has found a permanent home there. A place where things go to… well, not quite die, but definitely get forgotten about. A sort of digital and physical dumping ground, if you will. The contrast between her clean, simple setup and my own glorious mess of a ‘command center’ was stark, and the gears in my brain began to whir. Maybe, just maybe, it was time for a change for me, too. It was time to give my own back a break from the clutter, and my brain a break from the cognitive load of a messy space.

And that, my friends, is how a single dying laptop led to a conversation that may very well change my entire work-from-home existence. I jokingly mentioned to my wife, “I should redesign my own office… but it might cost a fair whack, you know me.” Her response? A surprising nod, and a green light to explore a redesign, provided the budget was ‘somewhat reasonable.’ Gulp. The gauntlet had been thrown down. And with that, I found myself back in Blender, this time with my own space in mind, dreaming up a setup that was about to go from a joke to a very real, and very exciting, project.

The Back Porch Office: A Masterclass in Simplicity

With the ghost of the old laptop finally laid to rest (and likely recycled into something far more stable, bless its heart), the quest began for a replacement. And let me tell you, it was a two-day odyssey through the hallowed halls of computer shops. We wandered, we pondered, we compared displays like connoisseurs of fine art. The whole process was a rollercoaster of indecision, but the ending was the most surprising part of all. My wife, a staunch Windows loyalist for as long as I’ve known her (barring a brief, six-month fling with one of my old MacBook Airs that she just couldn’t get on with), made the most shocking declaration: “I’m going to get a Mac.”

The reason, as it turns out, was pure aesthetics and display quality. As she put it, no other laptop had the MacBook’s styling, and none had a display that came close to its brilliance. And for someone who openly admits to having “480p vision,” a sharp screen isn’t just a luxury—it’s a necessity. This brings us to the great desktop-versus-laptop debate that consumed most of our time. On one hand, she was a massive fan of the glorious, large display of the 27″ iMac. It was big, beautiful, and would have been a dream for her eyes. On the other, the 13″ MacBook offered the kind of portability she might need for an in-person lab exercise or, you know, just working from the couch for a change. It was a classic “what if” scenario that we hashed out more times than I care to count.

Eventually, I played my trump card: the single-cable setup. I extolled the virtues of a world where she could leave everything—monitor, keyboard, mouse, the whole shebang—plugged into a hub monitor. To transform her laptop into a proper desktop, all she would need to do is plug in one little USB-C or Thunderbolt 4 cable. My sales pitch was so good, even I was impressed (and my brain also starts to fog over after about the tenth discussion on laptop specs). The logic won out, and the MacBook plus external display option was born.

Now, with the core philosophy settled, it was time to pick the gear. The monitor needed to be a winner, a real workhorse. After a deep dive into YouTube reviews and a spreadsheet of specs that made my eyes water, I landed on a suggestion: the Dell Ultrasharp 27″ 4k Thunderbolt hub Monitor (U2725QE). I know, a mouthful. But bless its audio-loving souls, its built-in hub is pure gold. It provides all the ports she’ll need, and while it’s not quite the 5K display of the famed Apple Studio Display, it gives her all the resolution she could possibly want for a fraction of the price. We’re talking a cool third of the cost, which is a detail that made the ‘somewhat reasonable’ budget conversation with me a little easier.

With the tech sorted, the furniture was a breeze by comparison. The main criteria were simple: did it fit the space (127cm wide by 50cm deep), and did it have a little storage? The winner? The IKEA HEMNES Desk with 2 drawers. It’s a classic for a reason, and it just works. Pair that with the comfortable-looking TOSSBERG/MALSKÄR swivel chair (also from IKEA, because is there any other way to furnish an office?), and the minimalist back porch workspace was complete. I’m sure she’ll be adding plants and a fancy desk lamp to the mix soon enough, but the foundation is there. A clean, simple, and functional space—a stark, beautiful contrast to my own… well, you’ll see. It was this very simplicity that planted the seed for my own, far more complicated, daydream.

A Chaotic Symphony: My Current ‘Office’ Situation

Now, while my wife’s new back porch setup is a shining beacon of minimalism, let me pull back the curtain on my own current workspace. Imagine, if you will, a chaotic symphony where every instrument is slightly out of tune and the conductor has lost their sheet music. That, my friends, is my little office. It’s a cross between a messy tech store and a holding pen for household items that no one knows what to do with.

I’m currently running a two-computer setup, which sounds fancy, but in reality, is just twice the fun of cable management nightmares. First, there’s my work laptop, which is tethered to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse—a standard setup, nothing to see here. Then, we have my personal machine. This is a bit of a story, actually. After a long period of trying to eke out the last dying breaths of life from an ancient laptop by bravely (and perhaps foolishly) running Linux on it, my wife surprised me with a brand new M4 Mac Mini. It’s a gorgeous little machine, and I love it. However, it’s currently paired with a second-hand display from a charity shop (which, of course, requires a conversion cable or two to even work), a mismatched keyboard, and a mouse that has seen better days.

But the tech doesn’t stop there. Oh no. We also have a rather large laser jet printer taking up prime real estate, and for those moments when nostalgia hits, an old VGA monitor that I sometimes use for projects that pre-date high-definition. This glorious collection of hardware sits on a desk I found on Facebook Marketplace, which, if I’m being honest, doesn’t offer enough legroom to comfortably fit a single human being, let alone my knees.

To make matters worse, the storage situation is a complete mess. My space is a weird, Tetris-like puzzle of an IKEA KALLAX unit and a random, slim bookcase. The result? I simply don’t have enough room for the gear I use every day, let alone the rest of the room, which has become a dumping ground for those things we need but don’t want on display. The room itself is a cozy 2.5m x 2.6m, just big enough for a single bed and a small amount of storage if it were ever to be converted back into a bedroom. It’s a tight squeeze, to say the least.

And the pressure is real. As a work-from-home warrior, I need a tidy backdrop for video calls. So, all the detritus that doesn’t fit neatly gets crammed into the dead space on either side of my desk, creating a sort of compressed chaos that I have to pray doesn’t fall over mid-meeting. The whole thing is unsustainable, and something has to change.

The good news? I’ve already decided what’s staying and what’s going. The work setup stays, and my beloved Mac Mini isn’t going anywhere. But as for the rest of it? It’s all on the chopping block. The mismatched monitors, the clutter, the furniture that doesn’t fit—it all needs to be stored elsewhere, passed on to family, or donated. It’s an exodus of epic proportions. With that decision made, I was free to dream up a new office from scratch. A space that not only looks good but actually functions. A space that, as you’ll see in the next section, is a world away from the chaotic scene I’ve just described.

The Great Kallax Rebellion: A New Office Rises

With the decision made to cast off the shackles of my chaotic, junk-filled workspace, I was free to dream. And my dream, it turns out, was built on a very solid, very Swedish foundation: the IKEA KALLAX unit. This, my friends, is not just a piece of furniture; it’s a blank canvas for organised serenity, a tool to fight against the rising tide of clutter. The contrast between this dream and my current ‘Ikea Kalax unit and a random slim bookcase’ setup is, quite frankly, a little emotional for me. It’s like going from a rusty old Nissan Micra to a brand new Audi Q7.

The plan is simple, yet revolutionary. My new desk will be a beautiful, custom creation, forged from two 2×2 KALLAX units—one at each side of the room—with a length of pine worktop laid over the top. It’s a functional masterpiece that gives me the desktop space I’ve always craved and, most importantly, provides a mountain of storage. To hide the shame of my clutter, each and every KALLAX unit will have a cupboard door attached. No more cramming things into the dead space on either side of the desk; now, everything has a place, neatly tucked away behind a closed door. My video call backdrop anxiety levels have already dropped to zero.

The storage revolution doesn’t stop there. On the wall directly above the desk, I’ll have two more KALLAX units, a 4×1 and a 2×1, serving as overhead storage. The other side of the room, once a dumping ground, will now be a beacon of tasteful tidiness with some floating shelves for books and trinkets, and a final 1×4 KALLAX unit doing the same job. It’s a design philosophy that says, “I have things, but you don’t need to see them all at once, thank you very much.”

Now, let’s talk tech, because this is where the new setup truly shines. I’ll be keeping my work setup and my beloved Mac Mini, but the Mac is getting a serious upgrade in its surroundings. To hide our rather large laser jet printer (because printers, let’s face it, are not known for their beauty), it’s being cleverly tucked away at the left-hand end of the new desk, using the two new monitors to serve as a sort of privacy screen. The Mac Mini itself will be getting a pair of HomePod Minis, because what’s a beautiful workspace without some equally beautiful sound?

And speaking of monitors, this is where the influence of my wife’s setup comes full circle. For my Mac Mini, I’ll be using the same Dell UltraSharp 27″ 4K Thunderbolt displays that we picked for her. This wasn’t a hard decision, and not just because it made ordering easier. The built-in hubs are a game-changer for cable management, and the 4K resolution and color accuracy are going to be perfect for my creative tasks. I just wish there were more budget-friendly OLED monitor options out there, but I think that’s a wish I’ll have to tuck away for a few more years. At the other end of the desk, my work laptop and external monitor will take up residence, finally getting a tidy, dedicated space of their own.

It’s a complete overhaul, a total reimagining of what a small room can be. It’s a space that’s not just functional, but inspiring. And it’s all thanks to the humble beginnings of a dying laptop and a simple idea. It just goes to show, sometimes the best ideas start with the biggest messes.

From Mess to Masterpiece

So, there you have it. A journey that started with a dying laptop and a simple, single-cable solution for a back porch office has now blossomed into a full-blown redesign of my own chaotic workspace. It’s a tale of two offices, one simple and one… well, still simple in philosophy, but a little more complicated in its execution. The key takeaway, I think, is that inspiration can come from the most unexpected places. My wife’s need for a clean, functional space showed me just how much better my own could be.

It’s a project I’m genuinely excited about, and the Blender mockups are just the beginning. Now comes the fun part: turning this digital dream into a physical reality. I’m already imagining the organised joy of having a place for everything, and not having to play a game of Tetris just to sit down at my desk. Just to convince the wife that it’s okay to spend a few grand (those monitors are expensive).

What about you, folks? Have you had desk issues? Have you ever had a tech crisis that inspired a whole new project? Do you know how I can convince Mrs Jim to let me spend all this money. Let me know in the comments on the social post that brought you here! I’d love to hear about your own desk setups, both the good and the gloriously messy.