What’s on your desk, Makena Kelly?

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When she was living in Washington, DC, Makena Kelly covered politics and tech policy, and added them to her coverage when she joined The Verge. The staff here caught a glimpse of her workspace recently, and after everyone admired how attractive it was, we knew we had to feature Makena.

What are you covering at The Verge?

My focus has shifted over the last few years, but I still do a lot of tech policy work. Since the last presidential election, I have become more interested in how politicians and their staffs use social media to reach voters.

Tell me about your desk. Where did you get it, and where did you put it?

This is going to be a theme for the interview, but it's a cheap desk. It's out of stock now, but I bought it because it was cheap and simple. I didn't need a desk at home when I worked out of the office. I bought one a few months after I started working from home. I don't know where I'll be living for the rest of my life, so I'm going to hold onto this desk until I find an apartment.

This desk has been in this apartment for a long time. I moved it into the living room because the glare from the windows was bad, but it was against the wall where my bed was. I moved it back into the bedroom against the window because it was too big to keep in the living room. I moved it to where children can't see me because I was dragged by a teenager.

Tell me about your chair.

It's cheap and I don't like it. I do not recommend it. I have to sit still if I'm recording a show for TV. The chair is better than the kitchen stool I used to sit on.

You have used a hanging rack to separate your spaces.

Thanks! This is a new thing. I keep my coats, jackets, and long dresses on the clothing rack because there is only one small closet in the apartment. The rack divides my sleeping area from my working area since I don't have a dedicated office space. It has worked well so far.

Tell us about the technology you are using. You must have one of the best desks I have seen.

I hide my Macbook Pro underneath my desk because it's a 16-inch Macbook Pro. I connect it to my docking station, which is attached to the bottom of my desk, and I can attach my hard drive, mouse, andWebcam. I use an iPad Pro as a dedicated Slack monitor, and it has been a game-changer.

The under-the-desk solution has been helpful because I try to keep things off my desk. I don't get much natural light because I only have one window in my first-floor apartment. I bought Govee Smart RGB Light Bars that I have connected to the back of my monitor to remedy that. Since they go behind the monitor, I don't need a lamp on my desk since they can control the white temperature. The back of the monitor has little attachment that sticks to the lights. They rock! I highly recommend them.

My monitor is my favorite part of the desk. I bought the K272HL monitor because it was a good price for a 27 inch screen. I wrapped it in white washi tape so it would match my keyboard and mouse. I bought a white stand for the monitor. It is not the best solution, but it is frugal and pulls the whole thing together.

My boyfriend and I have been playing a lot of Pokemon: Legends of Arceus on the TV, so I finally have my Nintendo Switch.

Light bars that work with your screen.

You have a basket for the cables.

It's mostly there to hide the cables from my desk because I can't do any cable management. I keep all of my mics, notebooks, and cables there as well.

You have a basket for a remote and cosmetics.

I own a ceramic gift box that is one of my favorites. I make a lot of excuses to visit the Brooklyn flea during the spring and summer. The box is from a pair of vintage sellers.

Since I work from home most of the time, I keep a couple of lip products and Mejuri earrings in there. I keep my Sony ICD-UX560 voice recorder in there as well. I apologize for my Airpod Pros and iPhone recorder reporters.

A portable microphone and recorder. The ICD-UX560 has been updated.

That is a great wallpaper. I understand that you have a desk set.

My desk needs to be pleasant to look at if I have to sit there for so long. I use an electric-type Pokemon wallpaper that matches my desk mat and iPad wallpaper. Warm tones make my tech feel more cozy. Everything on my Macbook is completely different. The highlight color is green instead of blue, and I use fun desktop icon designs by an artist who I subscribe to called pikaole.

I try to keep fresh flowers on my desk because they make me happy.