Free Room Design Tools For Mac

COVID-19 pushed millions into working from home for an extended period, and not everyone was ready. Mac users can boost their capabilities with these accessories.

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, few suspected millions would still be working from home in the fall or that the coronavirus would accelerate a mammoth work-from-home paradigm shift, but that's just what's happened.

If you are using a Mac computer in your WFH odyssey, make the most of your Mac-centered home office by considering these helpful peripherals to make your remote access and Zoom meetings more productive.

Brydge Stone Pro

The Brydge Stone Pro.

Image: Brydge

The Brydge Stone Pro is the docking station Apple should offer all Mac laptop users. The device, a puzzling omission from Apple retail Stores and Apple's online shop, permits connecting a number of peripherals to a Mac via a single Thunderbolt 3/USB-C cable. The device's elegant design is a natural match to a Mac laptop's finish and, thanks to its angled design, serves as a convenient stand for propping up a Mac laptop on your desk, perfect for remote employees. The Stone Pro also enables connecting up to two external displays, while featuring 11 ports and its own power, so you can leave your OEM charger at the office.

$240 at Brydge

Logitech MX Keys for Mac

Image: Erik Eckel

Keyboards are important. Just consider the thousands of keystrokes entered in the course of a normal workday. Professionals working from home frequently use an external display, as well as a hub or docking station. Adding a standalone full-size keyboard for your Macbook is a no-brainer. The $99.99 Logitech MX Keys for Mac keyboard offers carefully crafted tactile performance, as well as backlit keys you'll appreciate each time the sun hides behind clouds or overcast weather darkens your home office.

$100 at Logitech

Logitech MX Master 3 for Mac

Image: Logitech

When building a desktop environment around a Mac laptop, or when pairing a full-size keyboard with any Macbook Pro, Logitech's MX Master 3 for Mac deserves consideration as another accompaniment. A handsome match to a Mac's aesthetic finish, the MX Master 3 includes customizable Logitech Options software you can use to program frequently used shortcuts, thereby making macOS' Launchpad or Mission Control literally just a click away, a bonus for any remote worker. That feature alone justifies purchasing the mouse, but the device's shape and performance make the mouse among the most comfortable and most capable accessories available.

$100 at Logitech

Lauco USB-C 7-in-1 Charger Hub

Image: Adrian Kingskley-Hughes, ZDNet

Sometimes a product comes along that solves a combination of problems you didn't realize you were experiencing. The Lauco USB-C 7-in-1 hub and wireless charger is just such a solution. This nifty block is smaller than a standard deck of playing cards but punches way above its class. With hundreds of thousands of dollars more pledged than the company's initial $5,000 Kickstarter goal, the $69 device connects to a Mac computer via the included USB-C cable to create a portable hub for connecting an HDMI display, USB-A 3.0 devices, an SD/Micro-SD card and USB-C devices, all while providing a 5-volt wireless charger atop its casing. Now you can connect multiple peripherals to your Macbook Pro, all while charging your iPhone or AirPods, without needing a bunch of wall plugs and charging blocks and without breaking the bank.

$70 at Lauco

TwelveSouth StayGo USB-C Hub

Image: Erik Eckel

TwelveSouth's StayGo USB-C Hub provides Mac laptop users with the ability to connect additional peripherals, including an HDMI display, two USB-A devices and wired Ethernet, as well as the ability to use SD/Micro-SD cards, even while on the go. Thanks to its compact 5-by-2-by-0.5-inch size and integrated storage for an included travel connection cable, it's easy to toss this $99.99 hub into a laptop bag whether you're traveling to work from an alternative location or to the kitchen table. Should you need to use the StayGo as a permanent desktop dock, Twelve South has you covered there, too, with a longer connecting cable.

$100 at TwelveSouth

Vissels' 15.6-inch Portable Touchscreen Monitor

Image: Vissles

Whether you're working from the kitchen table, a makeshift desk or even your back porch's coffee table, chances are your Mac laptop's single display is insufficient. That's where Vissels' 15.6-inch Portable Touchscreen Monitor helps. The $199 accessory adds another display, essentially doubling screen real estate when using a Mac laptop. Run email or a frequently used cloud app in one display while working with spreadsheets, documents, presentations, Zoom meetings--or even Facebook, we won't judge--in another. The display connects using either a USB-C or mini-HDMI port. With a built-in stand and speaker, non-glare surface and just 1.37-pound weight, the Vissels' display will prove handy for many remote employees needing a quick and easy way to add a secondary display.

$200 at Vissles