A WFH setup in a bedroom or living room has a test to pass every evening: can the room turn back into a bedroom or a living room in two minutes? Cables, a bulky chair and a desk that takes over a wall are usually what keep it from passing.
This guide covers the three things that decide it for a minimalist home office: the cables, the chair, and how a desk and chair fit together in a small space. It uses two Secretlab products as examples, the MAGNUS Pro desk and the ATLAS chair.
We haven't set up either product ourselves. What we say about them comes from Secretlab's listings and materials, and prices are as of October 5.
How do I completely hide cables in a small standing desk setup?
You can get down to one visible cord, which is as close to "completely" as a desk gets. The plan works on any desk:
Count the cords. Power for each device, plus any display and data cables. Whatever can run through a dock or a laptop's single USB-C cable should.
Put everything on one power strip mounted under the desk, off the floor, so the strip is the only thing that connects to the wall.
Leave slack for the height changes. On a sit-stand desk the cords travel as the legs move, so leave a loose loop at least as long as the desk's full travel.
Gather the loose runs with hook-and-loop straps and route them along the back edge or down one leg.
Run one cord to the wall and keep it behind the desk.
A cable management desk builds the same plan into the furniture. Secretlab calls the MAGNUS Pro the world's first sit-stand desk that powers your setup with a single cable. It says a cable runs hidden inside one leg to an outlet at the top, a tray the length of the desk hides the rest, and routing channels and magnetic cable anchors keep the cords off the floor.
The Secretlab MAGNUS Pro is $948 for the 1.5 m (59 inch) size. Check how much slack the cords have at the desk's full height before you call the routing done.
Links in this post may be affiliate links. The Home Wire may earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.
What is the best ergonomic chair for a small living room that doesn't look like an office chair?
There isn't one best chair, because fit decides it. OSHA's computer workstation guide says there's no single correct posture or arrangement that fits everyone, so a home office chair has to adjust to you. Four things to check:
Your whole foot on the floor. OSHA lists feet flat on the floor as part of a good working position.
Support for your lower back, with a backrest that suits how you sit.
A finish that fits the room. A desk chair in a fabric or leather finish and a neutral color reads as furniture more than a mesh back does.
A chance to sit in it first, if you can get one.
One chair that fits that description is the Secretlab ATLAS, at $699 in the Dune fabric, Regular size (Large is $719). Secretlab lists it as an ergonomic task chair in SoftWeave Plus fabric, with a backrest that runs the full height of your back, a tilt mechanism that moves as you lean, and an adjustable seat depth. We haven't sat in the chair.
Links in this post may be affiliate links. The Home Wire may earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.
What are the best minimalist desk and chair combinations for apartment WFH spaces?
A ranking doesn't help much here, because the room is what's usually in the way. Pick by the room:
The room you sleep in. Choose pieces that reset by night: one cord to the wall, a chair that tucks in, and a desk you can lower to a clear surface.
The living room. The chair matters most, because it's the piece people see. Look for something that reads as furniture.
A rental. Skip anything that needs drilling or a wall mount. A freestanding desk on its own legs, like the MAGNUS Pro, leaves the walls alone.
The kitchen table. Skip the purchase and do the free version: prop the laptop to eye level, add a separate keyboard, and put something behind your lower back.
Start with the free version. One power strip, slack in the cords and OSHA's basics cost almost nothing. If the room still won't reset by 6 p.m., a desk with the cable plan built in earns a look.
If you want one pairing to look at, it's the MAGNUS Pro and the ATLAS together. That's $948 plus $699, which comes to $1,647 before add-ons.
Before you buy anything
Measure and tape it out. The 1.5 m desk is 59 inches wide. Tape the listing's width and depth on the floor and live with it for a day.
Check the price on the day. Secretlab runs limited-time offers, so the price you see may differ from the one above.
Check the return window before you order, not after the box arrives.
This post may contain affiliate links. The Home Wire may earn a commission if you purchase through our links, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we believe earn their place in your home.