Every item on the owner's desk, what it is for during actual work, what he paid, and its evidence status. C$11,915.68 in Canadian-dollar receipts so far (US-dollar orders shown in US$). Only confirmed items get a purchase link.
Tap a number · ← → to step through Toggle Clean photo to see the desk without pins, or Shop this desk to click any item and buy it.
Product names open the verified Amazon.ca page for that exact model, or the maker's page where Amazon does not carry it.
As an Amazon Associate, Direct To Growth Co. earns from qualifying purchases.
| Category | Product |
|---|---|
| Display | Dell UltraSharp 40 Curved Thunderbolt Hub Monitor · U4025QW Details · Amazon.ca |
| Display | Dell Pro 14 Plus Portable Monitor · P1425 Details · Amazon.ca |
| Lighting | BenQ ScreenBar Halo · ScreenBar Halo (original) with wireless controller Details · Amazon.ca |
| Lighting | Logitech Litra Glow (pair) · Litra Glow, Graphite, 946-000001 Details · Amazon.ca |
| Audio | Elgato Wave:3 · Wave:3 (original generation), black Details · Amazon.ca |
| Audio | Desky Adjustable Microphone Boom Arm · SKU 1400 Details · Amazon.ca |
| Input | Logitech G915 X LIGHTSPEED TKL · G915 X TKL, Black, English Details · Amazon.ca |
| Input | Logitech MX Master 4 · MX Master 4, Graphite (universal SKU with Bolt receiver) Details · Amazon.ca |
| Input | Elgato Stream Deck + · Stream Deck + (Black) Details · Amazon.ca |
| Video | Logitech MX Brio Ultra HD 4K · MX Brio, 960-001558 (Graphite) Details · Amazon.ca |
| Compute | Apple Mac mini (M5 Pro, 48GB / 512GB) · Mac mini M5 Pro, 15-core CPU / 16-core GPU, 48GB, 512GB, 2.5GbE Details · Amazon.ca |
| Compute | Apple Mac mini (M4, 24GB / 512GB) · Mac mini M4, 10-core CPU/GPU, 24GB, 512GB, Gigabit Ethernet Details · Amazon.ca |
| Surface | Balolo Setup Cockpit Monitor Stand Large · Setup Cockpit Large, American Walnut Details · Balolo (Germany, EUR) |
| Surface | Balolo Desk Pad · Balolo Desk Pad, grey Details · Balolo (Germany, EUR) |
| Surface | Balolo Headphone Stand · Headphone Stand, American Walnut Details · Balolo (Germany, EUR) |
| Audio | Apple AirPods Max (USB-C), Midnight · AirPods Max USB-C, Midnight Details · Amazon.ca |
| Desk | Desky Dual Laminate Sit Stand Desk · 47.2 x 29.5 in, Natural Walnut, Matte Black frame Details · Search Amazon.ca |
| Storage | Desky under-desk drawers (Minimal + Ultra Slim No Gap) · Minimal Under Desk Drawer, Natural Walnut/Black; Ultra Slim No Gap, Black Details · Desky.ca |
| Lighting | Govee Floor Lamp 2 (pair) · Floor Lamp 2, H607C, Black Details · Amazon.ca |
| Compute | AV Access KD-E20 KVM docking station · KD-E20 with EXB01 wired remote Details · Amazon.ca |
| Lighting | Govee RGBIC LED Strip Lights with Covers (16.4 ft) · H61B5, 16.4 ft Details · Amazon.ca |
| Desk | Wayfair Basics Ergonomic High-Back Swivel Office Chair · Brown faux leather, black frame, C005543946 Details · Wayfair.ca |
Prices and availability change; the record page for each item lists what was paid and the current list price.
2 of 7 sections answered by the owner; the rest are marked TBD and will be filled in his words.
T.R. is Chief Growth Officer at Direct To Growth Co., a growth advisory for direct-to-consumer brands, working from Victoria, BC. The desk is company-owned, which is why most of it comes with a receipt.
Still to add: How he got into this work, and what a typical client looks like, is still to come.
Coming from the owner. What the first version looked like, what was replaced and why, and the order the pieces arrived in. Known so far: the Balolo shelf has been there since 2023, the AV Access dock did the machine-switching job before the Dell's built-in KVM took it over, and the M4 mini stayed on as a second machine when the M5 Pro arrived.
Dashboards, ad accounts and spreadsheets for most of the day, with several client calls from the same chair. Dense tables, not video or design, which is why text sharpness on the 40-inch display matters more than anything else on the list.
Still to add: Start time, call rhythm, when the desk goes to standing, and what the second machine is running in the background.
Coming from the owner. The owner's single pick and the reason, in his own words.
Coming from the owner. What underdelivered, and what he would do with the money instead.
Coming from the owner. The three things he would tell a friend before they spend anything.
Coming from the owner. The next upgrade, the next fix, and the thing that is staying exactly as it is. The current upgrade order is in Start Here.
Every confirmed item on the desk carries a comment from the owner on its record page. A few of them:
“Third ultrawide in three years: an LG 38WP85C-W (refurbished, Jan 2024), then an LG 34-inch that went back under support, then this. The upgrade looked incremental on paper but compounded: 120 Hz, double the contrast, 450 vs 300 nits, and the hub/KVM let me retire a dock. I run it at 2560x1080 HiDPI because it maps 2:1 to the native panel, which is the sharpest option for dense spreadsheets. One gotcha: daisy-chaining the P1425 dropped the Dell to 60 Hz until I set OSD > Display > Thunderbolt Daisy Chain > Optimized.”
“I paid C$444.99 in Dec 2025; Dell has since lowered the list price. Daisy-chained off the Dell's Thunderbolt downstream port. If your main display drops to 60 Hz after plugging this in, see the U4025QW note. The low position means you look down at it, so it gets the things I glance at, not the things I read.”
“On the desk since January 2024 and it has survived three monitors. It sits on the curved Dell without fuss. The round controller lives at the far right of the desk; it is the one thing on the desk that still takes batteries.”
“Bought one in December 2025, then a second three months later once I saw what one did to the shadows on the other side of my face. Both clip to the top of the Dell beside the ScreenBar. Daytime, the window does most of the work; these matter from about 4 pm in a Victoria winter.”
“Oldest piece of audio on the desk (October 2023) and the reason the Stream Deck + made sense later: Wave Link puts the mic gain and mute on a dial. It lives on the Desky boom arm; swings in for calls, out for focus.”
22 items
Display U4025QW
One 5K2K panel for a call, a spreadsheet and a dashboard side by side; its Thunderbolt hub replaced a separate dock
+ 5120x2160 IPS Black panel, ~2,000:1 contrast, 99% DCI-P3, factory calibrated
− Expensive; street price rarely dips under ~US$1,500
Display P1425
A permanent second screen under the big one: the Dream Desk Setup site, chat, the calendar, or whatever he is half-ignoring
+ Bright, accurate 14-inch 16:10 IPS (400 nits, 100% sRGB)
− Only 1920x1200 at 60 Hz
Lighting ScreenBar Halo (original) with wireless controller
Lights the keyboard and paper without putting glare on the screen; the round controller on the right adjusts it from his seat
+ Asymmetric front light, no glare on the panel
− Discontinued; new stock is scarce
Lighting Litra Glow, Graphite, 946-000001
Two small panels above the screen so video calls are lit from the front, not from the monitor
+ TrueSoft diffused light that flatters on calls
− Only 250 lm; weak as the only light in a dark room
Audio Wave:3 (original generation), black
A USB mic on an arm so it is six inches from his mouth on calls and out of the way otherwise
+ Clipguard stops clipping when you get loud
− Superseded by the MK.2 (Clipguard 2.0, Wave FX DSP)
Audio SKU 1400
Holds the mic off the desk; swings in for calls
+ Low-profile with internal cable routing and locking joints
− Only 2.2 lb (1 kg) capacity
Input G915 X TKL, Black, English
Low-profile wireless board for all-day typing in spreadsheets, with media keys and a volume roller
+ Low-profile GL switches, 1.3 mm actuation, rigid aluminium top plate
− US$229.99 list is steep
Input MX Master 4, Graphite (universal SKU with Bolt receiver)
Primary mouse; the MagSpeed wheel is what makes long spreadsheets bearable
+ Sculpted shape with thumb rest and steel MagSpeed wheel
− Right-handed only
Input Stream Deck + (Black)
Eight buttons and four dials for the actions he repeats all day: mute, layouts, mic gain, scene changes
+ Four push-dials give analogue control the key-only decks lack
− Only 8 keys; the 15-key MK.2 shows more actions for less
Video MX Brio, 960-001558 (Graphite)
Camera clipped to the bottom bezel so eye line lands near the top of the small screen
+ Large 8.5 MP Sony STARVIS sensor, strong in low light
− Image can look flatter than rival 4K cams
Compute Mac mini M5 Pro, 15-core CPU / 16-core GPU, 48GB, 512GB, 2.5GbE
The main machine: drives the whole desk over one Thunderbolt cable and does the client work, writing, calls and this site
+ Three Thunderbolt 5 ports plus 2.5Gb Ethernet standard
− Steep upgrade pricing: 48GB adds C$900; 512GB base storage is tight
Compute Mac mini M4, 10-core CPU/GPU, 24GB, 512GB, Gigabit Ethernet
The second mini: the always-on AI and automation box that runs background jobs so the main machine stays clean
+ Fast and near-silent in a tiny chassis
− Power button on the underside
Surface Setup Cockpit Large, American Walnut
Raises the display to eye level and hides both Mac minis, the dock and the cables underneath; the grid under it holds the trays and phone holder
+ Solid American Walnut shelf with a modular steel accessory grid
− EUR pricing from Germany: shipping, exchange and likely duties
Surface Balolo Desk Pad, grey
Defines the working area and keeps the keyboard and mouse from sliding on laminate
+ Soft under the wrists for long typing days
− Premium price for felt
Surface Headphone Stand, American Walnut
Keeps the AirPods Max at the left of the desk where he can grab them between calls
+ Walnut and steel that match the shelf
− Uses desktop space on a 120 cm desk
Audio AirPods Max USB-C, Midnight
Focused-work headphones on the stand to the left; calls stay on the mic
+ Class-leading build: aluminium cups, steel frame, mesh canopy
− Heavy at ~385 g
Desk 47.2 x 29.5 in, Natural Walnut, Matte Black frame
The surface everything sits on; sit/stand through the day; controller mounted front-left
+ Dual motors rated to 140 kg with a 60-125 cm range
− Some wobble at max height when pushed
Storage Minimal Under Desk Drawer, Natural Walnut/Black; Ultra Slim No Gap, Black
Loose small items off the desktop without a cabinet taking floor space
+ Ultra Slim is 2 in tall and sits flush, no gap
− Fit math is tight on a 47 in desk
Lighting Floor Lamp 2, H607C, Black
The green uprights either side of the desk: character in evening shots and on calls, off for daytime work
+ Bright at 1,725 lm with 2200-6500 K white, so it is a real lamp too
− Fiddly multi-piece assembly
Compute KD-E20 with EXB01 wired remote
The dock that shared peripherals between two computers before the Dell's built-in KVM arrived; whether it stays in the chain is an open decision
+ True two-computer KVM dock: one USB-C per machine carries video, data and up to 100 W
− macOS mirrors the two monitors (no MST)
Lighting H61B5, 16.4 ft
Diffused accent light; installed location to confirm
+ Diffuser covers remove LED hotspots
− Pricey at list; wait for the ~45% coupons
Desk Brown faux leather, black frame, C005543946
The chair, rolled out of the photos
+ Padded high back and brown finish that matches the walnut
− 'Ergonomic' in the name says nothing about fit
Nothing matches that combination yet.
No "productivity transformed" claims. The desk is boxed in by a wall on one side and a curtain on the other, the cables need re-routing every time it moves, and the second screen's job is narrower than it looks. The upgrade the owner would prioritize is in Start Here.