- Yo guys, Jonathan here,
and welcome back to another episode of the Best Desk Setup.
This time, we got a $500 budget.
And compared to the $200 challenge last time,
that is quite a bit more to play around with.
You guys asked for a dark theme desk setup,
so that is what we are rolling with.
(upbeat electronic music)
So, jump into the desk.
For this setup, I went with a Linnmon and Alex combo
from Ikea in a black/brown finish.
And what I really like about it
is the fact that it's modular in the sense
that you can configure the drawer to sit on either side.
There's tons of space, and with the drawer
you get three smaller compartments, one large compartment,
and the best thing about this
is the entire desk is under $130.
So, next up, for those of you who caught
the latest episode of the Best Tech Under $50,
I showcased the Brightech USB Desk Lamp,
but I actually liked it so much,
and because two is better than one,
for this setup I am rolling with a pair.
I think my favorite thing about this lamp
is how simple but aesthetically satisfying it is.
It looks great next to a computer or a monitor
and it really adds a ton of warmth
and character to the setup.
I really dig the symmetry of two of these paired on a desk.
And on top of that, they have a stealth USB port on the side
that you could use to charge your phone.
(upbeat electrical music)
So, next up, a lamp without a light bulb
is like peanut butter without jelly, lamb without tuna fish.
And with that said, what I'm throwing inside these guys
is the Philips Hue White Ambiance Starter Kit.
And a huge shoutout to Philips for sponsoring this setup.
So, within the kit,
you get two White Ambiance A19 light bulbs,
a Hue bridge which you can then use
to expand your system later down the road.
And then, what's cool is you also get a dimmer switch
that you can use to control your lights
when you don't wanna reach for your phone.
Now, the warmth of these lights paired with the lamps
creates this really beautiful look
that really catches and bounces off a desk.
Beyond the mesmerizing warm light,
not only do you have control from warm to bright white,
you can also adjust scenes.
So, here we're going from relax to read
to concentrate to energize,
and you can see how useful this could be
depending on the time of the day.
(upbeat electronic music)
Now, just like the last video,
the computer is not a factor
in the price point of the setup.
Thumbs up, though, if you're excited to see
a non-Apple computer in the video.
What I am including with this budget, though,
is a really cool pair of wireless Bluetooth speakers.
So, these are the JBL Jembe BTs.
And what I mean by wireless is they allow you to ditch
the aux cable or a USB cable and connect directly
to your computer wirelessly via Bluetooth.
Now, you're gonna be able to avoid cables completely
because you do need to connect to power
and these to each other,
but having that one less cable does help keep things clean.
The compact design and the gunmetal-ish gray finish
looks fantastic next to the speakers and the lights.
And while these may not be the biggest speakers
in the world, they pack a really good punch for their size
and are gonna be a fantastic upgrade
over stock computer speakers.
Now, if you're wondering where all those cables went,
I'm using the exact same channel cable raceway
as the last setup.
And for $20, this thing is a lifesaver.
It attaches through a 3M adhesive to the back of the desk
and you can see how well it works.
You pair that with a couple cable drops
and you've got a super clean and tidy setup.
So, closing off the setup, in the last video,
I saw a lotta comments in the vein of,
"Cool setup bro, but where is the chair?"
Now, because we have a higher budget to mess around with,
this time I got you.
So, this is a Poly and Bark Eames Style
Molded Plastic Chair, which is pretty much a clone
of the Herman Miller version.
It's a fraction of the price,
and honestly most people aren't gonna be able
to tell the difference if you had these two side-by-side.
These come in a ton of different color combinations,
but I think the dark plastic mixed with the dark wood legs
really complement this setup well.
But seriously, if you've been eyeing
that Herman Miller chair
but don't wanna drop that kinda cash,
these for under $70 are really, really good.
So, that brings us to a grand total of around $460,
and that means you got some room to play around with,
whether it's accessories, cable management;
hell, maybe you wanna swap out the chair, the speakers.
It is not meant to be an exact piece-by-piece replica
for you to copy, moreso just for inspiration and ideas.
Aside from that, I would love to see your setup,
so hit me up on Instagram, Twitter; show me what you got.
And if you haven't seen the last episode
or Dream Desk yet, check those out here.
This is Jonathan and I will catch you guys later.
(upbeat electronic music)