Nice article to show status signalling vanity and taste-based elitism. Adding a drop of "playing lego with kids" to show humane side was clever.
He’s a software engineer with a passion for design.
Just skip it if it’s not for you.
My two-part desk setup (2025)
131–140 of 229 posts
Re: My two-part desk setup (2025)
#132You have one monitor yes, but what about second monitor?
When you have two monitors, is your head always turned to one side? That always hurts my neck, so I wind up with the second monitor relegated to the side, where I never actually look at it.
The proper setup is 3 monitors: [ stdout ][ stdin ][ stderr ]
Re: My two-part desk setup (2025)
#133Wow this guy has the 606 Vitsoe Universal shelving [1] and USM Haller desk [2] A dream setup. [1] https://www.vitsoe.com/us/606 [2] https://us.usm.com/collections/tables-desks
Well, Fatih Arslan uses quite a lot more premium of the premium tools. I once stumbled on his website, on the topic of Fountain Pens (I think). I subscribed to his feed since. Leica for photography, 3D prints pretty interesting items, etc. He spends time and definitely have a taste and can afford some premium product for “ordinary use.”
Re: My two-part desk setup (2025)
#134A basic principle of ancient Chinese Feng Shui is that you should not sit with your back to a space. In other words, you need to have your back against a wall, not your face facing a wall. I believe there is a reason for this. When there is a space behind you, human instinct forces you to pay a subconscious attention on that space (we are very alert to danger from behind), making it harder to concentrate on what is i…
Yes, there is a reason for it: it is rude.
It is better for privacy and receiving clients, but a disadvantage is less physical space in the center/walking area. You can play with lego on the ground, too. I would also get rid of the bookshelf. Get an ereader. There is no way you need all those books physically in your vicinity (I am not arguing you should give up 100% on physical books).
Worse, if my desk wouldn't be at the wall (in corner) my cats wouldn't be able to hide in that corner under the desk, and they could play easier with cables which would also be way more in sight. Against the wall? Not so much. I do regret not getting a sit/stand desk, but the extra cost back then was too large. Oh, and I like Ikea. You can sell those refurbished for good price, too.
Re: My two-part desk setup (2025)
#135Earlier quoted context omitted.
How is this shelving any better than what you can buy from say IKEA? I've got wooden IKEA shelves in my shed and they take serious abuse of big heavy tools, lawn mowers, car batteries, paint cans etc being non-carefully put/clattered away and they're holding up 100% after years. I can't imagine any normal shelves needing to be "well made" to support a few magazines and a toy model Porsche? Or is this just a "because…
I have a study furnished solely with IKEA furniture. Billy bookshelves, Galant tables, a wall shelf, etc. Tables are really well made. So are the bookshelves. They are sturdy, high quality and withstand to abuse. There are high quality items, and there are fine and high quality items. What he uses the latter. Take an example. He uses fountain pens (so do I). Montblanc inks, a Lamy 2000. They are not expensive for wha…
I cannot tell if this is sarcasm or real. It reads like an article from "McSweeney’s Internet Tendency". It gets even better if you read it with a syrupy deep (American) southern accent, similar to Fred Brooks (author of "The Mythical Man-Month"). The only thing missing from this reply is telling us about your "understated, yet fine" wrist watch (no doubt: Swiss), obscure Porsche car model, and high-fidelity surround sound system (with obligatory record player).
For anyone else curious, I Googled about the LAMY 2000 Fountain Pen. It has a retail price over 250 USD. You can buy excellent Japanese single-use pens for less than 1 USD.
> Nobody, sans my wife sees my most prized possessions. I got them to use and enjoy, that’s all.
Re: My two-part desk setup (2025)
#136Wow this guy has the 606 Vitsoe Universal shelving [1] and USM Haller desk [2] A dream setup. [1] https://www.vitsoe.com/us/606 [2] https://us.usm.com/collections/tables-desks
Yeah, the first thing I thought when I saw the photos: Damn, this guy is rich.
Re: My two-part desk setup (2025)
#137A basic principle of ancient Chinese Feng Shui is that you should not sit with your back to a space. In other words, you need to have your back against a wall, not your face facing a wall. I believe there is a reason for this. When there is a space behind you, human instinct forces you to pay a subconscious attention on that space (we are very alert to danger from behind), making it harder to concentrate on what is i…
That's funny, because there was a joke going around many years ago that you could tell how much money someone had by how far their couch was from the wall.
Out of curiosity, I was trying to find a source for that, but didn't find much other than old Reddit threads and a 'viral TikTok trend.'
Re: My two-part desk setup (2025)
#138Nice article to show status signalling vanity and taste-based elitism. Adding a drop of "playing lego with kids" to show humane side was clever.
Yeah, I love this part too: https://arslan.io/2025/12/26/books-i-read-in-2025/
> If I’m reading a book, once the kids are asleep, I have 3–4 hours each evening, and I also have free time on the weekends. So it’s possible to read a lot of books as a father of two kids. I could probably read even more if I stopped spending time on other things, like writing for my blog, learning piano, or doing industrial design.
Re: My two-part desk setup (2025)
#139I want this. It's the reason why every time I shop for desks I look for workbenches. Desks are always TINY and I never understood why.
I agree. I recently bought a beast from IKEA: TROTTEN (160x80 cm). Crazy cheap and built like a tank.
Re: My two-part desk setup (2025)
#140When I went remote for COVID I did something similar in terms of analog-digital separation, but at the level of my home, not my desk. All of my work-related gear never left my home office (even my laptop). When I leave my home office this allows me to "disconnect" mentally.
I ended up at the same conclusion as you guys but implemented in yet another way: my home office has a desk for digital work, and a 'study nook' for analog (mostly reading, but it has its own little desk as well).
If I had a larger home, a dedicated den or study room would be a pretty high priority for me. I want my office to be a minimalist, businesslike space with no distractions that focuses me on the screen where my work happens. But the study is a place for clearing my head, thinking and reading, more about comfort, dimmer lighting, familiar objects, and no screens unless I bring in a small e-reader.