Licensed professional architect. Home workspace specialist. I talk about tech, workflow, and everyday objects for the design conscious.


ark.curate

A closer look at the details of the ‪@Secretlabchairs‬ ATLAS.

I’ve been really enjoying this chair lately, and what I find interesting about it is how well-engineered it is underneath; despite a relatively simple silhouette. The RE-CURVE Backrest with integrated lumbar support, synchronous tilt, adjustable seat depth, and magnetic head pillow are all there to make the chair adapt around you, without making the ATLAS look overly technical.

And visually, the Dune colourway might be my favorite part. The warmer, more neutral finish softens the chair considerably and makes it feel less gamer-y. To me, its designed to be a piece of well-thought out furniture I’d intentionally choose for my home workspace.

This is still undoubtedly Secretlab, albeit, through a much more refined lens.

#secretlab #secretlabatlas #homeoffice #ergonomicchair #desksetupinspo

1 day ago | [YT] | 25

ark.curate

Monday, back in black, and featuring my updated dailies.

BTW, None are new except for the phone.

I enjoyed shooting this right before hitting the gym. Here’s a quick visual journal of the things I’ve been carrying lately. The Nothing Ear (2)s for example, are an old pair. BUT BUT BUT. They still rock sound-wise, and battery life’s still crazy good. Also, this post features a bunch of shots from the iPhone 18 Pro. Can you tell which ones were shot using the Pro’s camera? Some are obvious, but still! And also alsooo, here’s a sneak preview of the new wallpaper pack coming soon.

Have a great week ahead, fam.

New iPhone 18 Pro video here:

iPhone 18 Pro | What Actually Matters After the Hype
https://youtu.be/ETI1g-iCyro

#EverydayCarry #EDC #EverydayCarry2026 #iPhone18Pro #iPhone18ProCamera #DeskSetup #TechEDC #EDCGear #NothingEar2 #ArkCurate

2 days ago | [YT] | 89

ark.curate

A new MacBook also meant rethinking how I carry it.

I recently got an M5 14-inch MacBook Pro after years of working on Mac Minis, and one thing I’ve been enjoying about the smaller footprint is just how easy it is to build a mobile setup around it.

These shots feature the ‪@tomtocofficial‬ Essence Sleeve, and it’s also what I’ve been using to carry the new M5.

It keeps the MacBook protected with its CornerArmor construction and soft interior, but what I appreciate more is that it doesn’t stop at being a laptop sleeve. There’s enough organization for the few things I actually need with me.

Everything I need for a working setup, contained in something I can simply grab and go.

I featured the Essence Sleeve alongside the rest of my new mobile workstation in my latest MacBook Pro M5 video. Now up on the channel:

The M5 MacBook Pro Is Enough — Here’s Why
https://youtu.be/Jgk7Y1TJX5U

#macbookprom5 #macbookaccessories #tomtoc #edccommunıty #edccarry

1 week ago | [YT] | 15

ark.curate

September featuring my desk setup lately. Lots of cool new additions, a few that resurfaced, and something big that will add a layer of smartness at home.

Currently enjoying the Macbook sitting on the shelf’s laptop riser. Probably the only dual monitor setup I’d prefer.

October’s going to be full of tech features both here and on the channel, so stay tuned!

Happy monday. 🔥

#desksetups #homeofficeideas #desksetuptour #deskorganization #wfhsetup

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 58

ark.curate

And then there’s Burgundy.

I’ve always associated Pro iPhones with fairly conservative colors. Last year, we all got surprised with the Cosmic Orange. Strange as it may seem, it sold like hotcakes. I mean, I absolutely adore the color orange, but slapping it onto an everyday product seemed a tad bit goofy to me at the time.

Burgundy, though, I can (probably/almost) get behind. I’m actually not quite sure. Confused much? Yeah.

There’s still plenty of personality here, but I guess it feels a little easier to live with. Under softer light, its sheen reads a deep wine overtone. But once you bring it outside, suddenly the purple and red undertones start showing up. In my testing, the colors change depending on where you are, which makes the finish a little bit more interesting. I still can’t get behind the purple-ish hues though.

Black IS the polar opposite.

The Bruce Wayne in me is gushing. On this finish, the iPhone’s geometry blends into this monolithic sculpture. Some people call it boring. Does it hurt me? Absolutely not. Maybe I’m boring? But I like it that way. I just like being able to gaze at a well-designed product and tell myself: “wow, it doesn’t need colors to make it great.”

As I put them beside each other, I realize how much color can change one’s perception of exactly the same piece of industrial design. Burgundy highlights the product’s personality, while Black lets you appreciate its architecture.

Now, let’s talk about the biggest question: Should You Upgrade?

Coming from a 17 Pro, probably not on design alone. I’d rather spend some time with the cameras, battery, performance, and all the smaller changes before making that call. If your current phone still does everything you need, a new color and a redesigned back shouldn’t be the reason you suddenly replace it. That should be the ABSOLUTE LEAST of your concerns.

Don’t follow the hype, man. Save your money. SAVE YOUR MONEY. SAVE YOUR MONEY.

If you have reached this far, comment “SAVED” so I know you were still with me. But hey,

If you’re coming from an older generation like the 14, I think the 18 Pro can be treated as a much more compelling leap. From processing, cameras, and the overall quality of life improvements, you’re getting several years of progress.

Let me end with this: curate your thoughts on this new release.

New tech is exciting. I literally built a career around being excited about this stuff. Lol. But I think there’s a difference between appreciating something new and immediately convincing yourself that you need it.

Save this before checking out your pre-orders.

#iPhone18Pro #iPhone18 #Apple #AppleDesign #iPhone18ProReview #IndustrialDesign #TechDesign #SmartphoneDesign #iPhonePhotography #arkcurate

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 18

ark.curate

Current state of my main Mac workspace.

I’ve been paying a lot more attention to hierarchy lately. What needs to stay directly in front of me, what can live one layer back, and which things I actually reach for throughout the day.

The main display handles most of the visual work. The smaller screen from Sotsu (yes, I’ve adapted a more efficient dual screen setup) sits low underneath it for timelines, reference windows, file management, and the random utility stuff that somehow ends up occupying half my monitor when I’m editing.

I think that the Sotsu screen is doing about 80% of the nerdy (and fun) work here.

The full-length walnut shelf gives everything behind the keyboard its own zone: storage, charging, headphones, the Mac Mini, and the Satechi Cube Dock. It also adds just enough warmth to a desk that is currently very white, aluminum, grey, and black.

And yes, there’s a cable running across the desk mat. It just shows that the desk is well lived in. 😂

That’s probably what I like most about this iteration. There’s a clear place for everything, plenty of room to move around, and enough empty space that the desk can change depending on what I’m working on that day. I’m working towards a more efficient audio monitoring setup for a better audio production workflow.

Still tweaking things, obviously. I have accepted that this may never actually end. 😂

Save this for inspo. ✨

#desksetups #homeofficeideas #workfromhomelife❤️ #deskorganization #deskinspiration

1 month ago | [YT] | 94

ark.curate

I’ve accumulated a slightly ridiculous amount of footage over the years, ngl.

Between YouTube videos, short-form content, product shoots, photos, music projects, and the documents that come with all of them, storage eventually became something I had to properly think about.

So this is how I’m organizing my current workflow with the new ‪@glyphtech‬ Atom EX series.

The Atom EX40 4TB has become my main working drive. This is where current projects live, and where I can edit directly from the SSD without constantly moving huge folders back and forth. With USB4 and speeds of up to 4,000 MB/s, it has enough headroom for the kind of photo and video work I do every day.

Then I have the Atom EX20 2TB as my secondary drive for backups, references, important documents, and files I still want within reach.

It’s a simple two-drive system: one for the work happening now, one for keeping everything else organized and accounted for.

Connecting everything is the Glyph Connect+ cable rated for 80Gbps data transfer and up to 240W of power, It’s a small part of the setup, but having one properly specced cable that I can keep with the drives makes the whole system easier to move between my desk and laptop.

I also appreciate the rugged enclosures on the Atom EX drives. Considering these regularly end up inside my camera bag, that extra protection makes a lot of sense for how I actually use portable storage.

File management isn’t exactly the glamorous side of being a creator, but once you’re handling terabytes of work, having a system becomes pretty important.

Current setup:

Atom EX40 — 4TB / main editing drive
Atom EX20 — 2TB / backups & references
Connect+ Cable — 80Gbps / 240W USB-C cable

Save this if your camera roll is slowly becoming an IT problem too. ✨

1 month ago | [YT] | 23

ark.curate

It’s so strange that I somehow found myself documenting all these desk iterations and visually turning them into a personal diary.

I never thought I’d be that guy, but here we are.

And I actually like having these to look back on. They capture what I’m using at a particular point in time. Some things stay for years, some just don’t make it to the next update, and a few random objects somehow become part of the setup along the way.

So, this is where we’re at in August.

A lot of the stuff here has been around for years. The Blue Yeti is somehow still going. Same with the Yamaha speakers. The keyboard changes every now and then because, well, keyboards. And the big walnut desk has accumulated enough scratches and little imperfections that I’ve stopped worrying about keeping it pristine.

Most days, this is where I edit, work on music, answer emails, and inevitably find another tiny thing to tweak.

Lately, I’ve also been trying to make room for things that have absolutely nothing to do with being productive. Reading a few pages when I can. Listening to music. Opening Pokémon packs and getting disproportionately excited about pulling a Gardevoir ex.

Very important adult activities.

Anyway, here’s the desk, and a little bit of life around it, as it looks right now. Save this for inspo, or share this with a friend who’s also into desk setups. Hopefully they like it quiet and pristine, just like I do.

#DeskSetup #DeskSetup2026 #WorkspaceSetup #HomeOffice #TechSetup

1 month ago | [YT] | 146

ark.curate

Just returned from a short business trip to Kyoto.

The summer heat was relentless, but photographing the streets of Gion, the lush landscapes of Arashiyama, and the historic landmarks of Uji made every long walk (and every bucket of sweat) worth it.

These were the curated essentials I carried along the way, each making the trip a little more enjoyable.

Would you like a video about this lineup? Comment below!

2 months ago | [YT] | 55

ark.curate

This is literally my minimal desk setup.

Whenever it’s time to think, ideate, and translate creative ideas into actual pieces of art or content, I like having as little as possible in front of me.

And by little, I mean just the literal essentials. Just a laptop for writing and managing projects, a planner to keep my schedule in check, and a pair of headphones to help me get in the zone.

Funny enough, this is almost the exact setup I used to have when I was studying for my boards. And honestly, sometimes, this is enough for some creative ideation.

Happy #minimalmonday (let’s make that a thing, fam!)

Are you also a fan of minimal and intentional setups? Save this for later.

3 months ago | [YT] | 65