After working from home for far too long, I recently opened an open studio called FoundersHub. It's right in the middle of Cardiff city centre and can accommodate up to 40 people at a time. I really thrive around other makers and love the collaborative nature of working alongside others.
We have long communal desks that a friend of mine built as well as some relaxed, comfortable spaces and quiet rooms.
I work exclusively from a 15in Macbook Pro (1) and love that I don't need a permanent desk; I'm free to sit wherever my mood takes me. The Macbook is great for video editing and I am still in awe of the beautiful Retina screen.
The prints that adorn the Hub (2) are from the Do Lectures. They help to keep me focused and on track as something from each of them will resonate with me every day. I've been learning about electronic circuitry recently so the soldering iron is never far away (3). I enjoy making stuff that can be used at the Hub. Most recently I hacked together a Raspberry Pi powered jukebox using the Spotify API.
I'm always happier when surrounded by books and have built an extensive library (4). I particularly love the Five Simple Steps pocket guides as they are great to skim through while having a coffee.
Having an open studio was a golden opportunity to have some fun when kitting the place out and the Street Fighter arcade machine (5) was one of the first things shipped in. We have weekly tournaments and it's a really great way to relax.
When I need to get my head down and concentrate on work, my Bose QC15 noise-cancelling headphones (6) are perfect for zoning out and getting into my own little world.
Words: Craig Lockwood
Web developer and designer Craig Lockwood is founder of the Handheld conference, Besquare and FoundersHub. This article originally appeared in net magazine issue 252.
