I've been remote for most of my career and keeping an physically distinct office/workshop has demonstrated a very high ROI both financially and pyschologically.
It's the best of both worlds: mental separation of work and play/rest; rent that's cheaper per sqft than residential space; work in "town" with home that's quietly removed; a practical workshop with a simpler aesthetic at home; and still no on-site colleagues, cubes, open offices, drama, etc
That aside, the desk on my balcony. I loooove working outdoors among my plants and hearing birds sing.
I also got my money's worth with Airpod Pros. I carry them almost everywhere. They're great when working in coffee shops and noisy environments.
Sit stand desk - help avoid being sedentary as a remote worker, an electronic one with preset heights.
Herman miller chair - i got mine used for £400, 5 years ago, still perfect.
Keychron keyboard - might as well take advantage of having no coworkers and got full thoccy keyboard. Click clack.
Lots of notebooks - leuchtturm1917 brand.
A standing or wall mounted whiteboard - I draw a 3x3 grid on mine and each square can get a postit note to help me task manage in my physical space.
A USB powered desk light - i put this on to improve the lighting and for video calls, mine is temperature adjustable from cool to warm.
Sharpies / pens / copic markers - even in tech don’t underestimate the power of creating things in physical space. Sometimes I go straight to code or figma, other times my process starts on paper.
Steelcase Think chair. I used this chair in my work office and couldn't find another chair that worked for me at home long term.
- Logitech MX Ergo
- Laptop stand (Fatorm)
4k monitor - Picked this up on a Black Friday sale 1.5 years ago. It's much easier on my eyes than the HD monitor my company provides in the office.
KVM - Allows me to switch between my work laptop and some of the higher end embedded machines I work with. I end up needing to swap cables at work.