My name is Manuel Moreale and I’m a freelance designer and developer. When I’m not working on client projects I’m working on one of my many side projects such as thegallery.io, visualjournal.it, thebeautyofspace.com and many others.
Can you tell us something about your desk setup?
The desk itself is a combination of 2 wooden trestle and an unfinished, unpainted wooden board. It sits at the last floor of a 3 storey house in a big open space with a kitchen corner and a couch with tv. The best thing is the view since the house is located in a remote place in italy’s north eastern corner. As you can imagine is a really quite environment.
What’s the story behind that desk?
I always wanted to have a desk made out of wood. Before getting this one I had an antique desk (roughly 1920), was quite dark for my taste but I’ve used it for a couple of years. One day I saw the trestle at Ikea and immediately thought that I could use 2 of those to “build” my next desk. The only thing missing at that point was the board but It wasn’t a long search since Ikea had this wonderful wooden board. I like it because it’s quite heavy and also is very practical because if I need I can attach 4 legs and convert this desk in a standard table (quite useful if I want to have guests for dinner).
Can you tell us something about the items on/around your desk?
I bought my chair last year, best purchase ever. Is an orthopaedic chair, designed to improve the posture. Quite expensive but It’s really good to keep my back in good shape. Next to my desk there’s another desk, identical to mine. Is where my brother works. Around there’s a good amount of books, wood and mountains :) I’ve attached a picture of the full room so that you can have a better view of the room. The room itself is quite big, probably 10x8 meters and there’s plenty of space. Apart from what you’ve already seen I usually don’t have other stuff on my desk. Another important thing is the light.
Is there anything you would like to improve on this setup?
Yes. At some point I’ll probably buy a proper stand for my monitor (I really like this one). Also just a few days ago I’ve ordered a Zojirushi Mug to keep my drink cold/hot depending on the season. I’ll also probably buy a new monitor, maybe a 4k. One thing missing is a good carpet but I’m still looking for a good one.
Is there something on your desk which helps you stay focused? What is it?
If I have to pick an item I must say my headphones. But the real thing is the place itself. Except for really rare occasions, this place is stunningly quiet and the view is amazing. So staying focused is not that hard.
