Wayne, a designer and photographer, built his desk entirely by hand — ocean board planks, hand-stained brown for a weathered vintage depth, then anchored by a black walnut riser and a Macintosh-era inspired dock that deepens the retro signal. The rest of the surface pulls deliberately in the other direction: carbon fiber mat, sparse keyboard, minimal objects. His take is straightforward: a setup reflects taste, not a template — so he engineered the tension between vintage and precision rather than picking one.

Gear list:
- Desk: Custom DIY (ocean board, brown stain finish)
- Monitor: Redmi A27U Type-C
- Monitor arm: Huixiang K-series
- Monitor light: BenQ Screenbar Pro
- Keyboard: Cherry K5V2
- Mouse: ATK R1 SE
- Chair: Xiaoji X5
- Desk riser: TOD black walnut
- Laptop stand: Twelve South
- Hub: wokiys M5 (Macintosh-inspired)
- Storage: Orico Minimate
- Audio: Huazai Haijingfang
- Desk mat: Songne carbon fiber texture
- Ambient: Govee Life
- Camera: Sony A7M2

Hexcal cable management runs underneath — the one invisible layer that keeps the handbuilt surface exactly as intended.

*Setup Festival 2026 · r/SetupFestival*

zjay is a Guangzhou-based photographer and custom keyboard builder — a self-described homebody whose desk reflects exactly that: built to stay in, not to perform on a spec sheet. The warm-dark palette, autumn forest wallpaper, and industrial yellow keycaps read as a coherent aesthetic without needing explanation.

Gear:
- Desk: Hexcal height-adjustable frame with custom solid wood black top
- Keyboard: Matrix My2K 80 Industrial Yellow
- Mouse: Lofree
The Hexcal frame is the structural backbone here — the custom solid wood top does the rest.
*Setup Festival 2026 · r/SetupFestival*

An industrial designer who lets the workspace speak the language of the work. The Dieter Rams poster on the wall isn't decoration — it's a brief. Every object earns its place on this all-white surface.

Gear list:
- Desk: 9am Robin Pro (sit-stand)
- Monitor riser: MOZI 1.2 m
- Storage: IKEA KALLAX
- Laptop: MacBook Pro 16-inch 2023 M2 Pro
- Monitor: LG UL650 27-inch
- Monitor light: DPDUPI 80 cm bar
- Keyboard: MelGeek O2
- Mouse: Apple Magic Mouse
- Mousepad: Fellowes
- Speakers: Edifier HALO
- Headphones: Haylou
- Chair: VENTUVIBE V2 Pro
- Ambient: Godox SL300WBi
- Camera: Canon EOS R6 Mark II
*Setup Festival 2026 · r/SetupFestival*

Akayu's photographer desk — warm amber light from every angle, a red iPad stand anchoring the foreground, 3D-printed ambient pieces catching the glow. The concept was deliberate: warm theme as the desk's operating temperature, not seasonal decoration. Warm colour, warm light, warm focus — a photographer's way of making winter feel like it should.

Gears:
- Desk: 9am Robin
- Chair: Youpu Butterfly
- PC: Mac mini M4 + Mac mini M1
- Dock: Acasis / Satechi
- Monitor: Kuycon
- Monitor Arm: Matsuneng T7G
- Monitor Light: Lameishi bar
- Audio: KEF LSX II LT
- Keyboard: AngryMiao Diamond ATM 98
- Mouse: AngryMiao
- Tablet: iPad Air 5
- Phone: iPhone 17 Pro
- Ambient: custom 3D-printed mood lights
- 3D Printer: Bambu Lab P2S
- Charger: Coolstar 30 Ultra
*Setup Festival 2026 · r/SetupFestival*

A Participator of WDSF from Sydney who built their workspace like a gallery exhibit — everything white, everything intentional. The NZXT H9 Elite sits as a glass-and-aluminium sculpture on the desk, crowned with a LEGO Porsche 911; the dual ANGRY MIAO Cyberboards signal this is as much a collector's practice as a productivity setup. Three displays — two Apple Studio Displays flanking an Alienware AW2723DF — handle the workload, while Philips Hue Play lights define the only warmth this monochrome space allows.

**Gear:**

- Desk: 2× IKEA Trotten

- PC: NZXT H9 Elite / N7 Z790 / i9-11900K / Kraken Elite 360 AIO / G.SKILL RAM

- Monitor: 2× Apple Studio Display, Alienware AW2723DF

- Keyboard: ANGRY MIAO Cyberboard R4 Cloud White, Cyberboard Glacier R2

- Keyboard cable: Unknown Error

- Mouse: Razer Viper V2 Pro, Viper V3 Pro, ANGRY MIAO Infinity Mouse Cloud White

- Mousepad: Razer ATLAS

- Audio: 2× Homeood Mini

- Ambient: Philips Hue Play

- Other: DJI Mavic Air 2

*Setup Festival 2026 · r/SetupFestival*

An advertising director's desk where the work never really stops. A single swing-arm lamp throws warm amber light across two screens — both running the same burning sunset wallpaper, as if the desktop is always mid-shoot. A DIY riser brings MacBook Pro and external monitor to matched eye-level; Edifier speakers flank both sides; MelGeek board anchors a wide Beesir mat. The left corner stacks drives, tools, and gear in a way that says: this is a working desk, not a display.
Gear list:
- Desk: IKEA
- Monitor: Hongxia
- Monitor arm: Sunnote
- Monitor light: Xiaomi
- Keyboard: MelGeek
- Mouse: Logitech
- Chair: IKEA
- Riser: DIY
- Speakers: Edifier
- Headphones: Sony
- Laptop: MacBook Pro
- Laptop stand: Sunnote
- Tablet: iPad mini
- Desk mat: Beesir
- External storage: SanDisk
- Desk lamp: Xiaomi swing-arm
Setup Festival 2026 · r/SetupFestival