Standing desks are a game-changer in helping people fix their sedentary lifestyles. These simple yet ingenious pieces of furniture serve as an easy solution to the problem, letting users alternate between sitting and standing while working to stay active and still productive. As innovative as it is, the standing desk has been getting an upgrade in the form of new designs. Based on the five featured below, the future looks bright for standing desks, with innovations that will surely let them meet the growing demand for them.
“Smart” Standing Desks
Smart stand-up desks are standing desks with tech-enabled capabilities. Many of these desks are loaded with technological features that make users’ work and lives easier. Check out the following:
- Built-in touchscreen and app
- In-desktop power and cable storage
- Ability to sync with third-party devices, like the Fitbit
- Can store data in the cloud
- Adaptive technology that lets it adjust to its user’s habits over time
Many of these are a bit on the pricey side, clocking in upwards of $10,000, but this also more than makes up for the hefty price tag—these desks have enough features to not only boost their user’s productivity but also improve their day-to-day work.
Flat Pack Standing Desks
On the other side of the spectrum, we have the flat pack sit-stand desks. These standing desks are ready-to-assemble furniture that arrive in pieces, packaged in a flat kit or box that users can assemble and take apart without using any tools.
Now, you might ask yourself: does having such a design mean flat pack standing desks aren’t durable? Not at all! They’re strong enough that two regular-sized people can sit on one without worrying they might break.
Aside from being DIY furniture, flat pack sit-stand desks don’t come with any tech, making them much more affordable than standing desks that do.
Standing School Desks
Standing desks have been so effective in helping people become more active that they’re now being used outside offices. One such place where they’re increasingly being used at is in schools.
There’s no denying how beneficial standing desks are in a school setting, especially if you consider the surprising amount of time students spend sitting down. According to a qualitative study published in the Journal of American College Health, students sit for 8-10 hours per day, including in class, relaxing, working, and commuting.
Spending so much time seated will negatively impact not only students’ physical health but their mental health as well. An easy solution to this is to replace their regular desks with standing desks, reducing the time spent seated during class. It also lets students stay active without disrupting their studies, letting them enjoy the health benefits of using a standing desk with hardly any trouble.
Wall-Mounted “Floating” Desks
Wall-mounted floating desks take the concept of adjustable standing desks and elevate it to a whole new level.
By design, standing desks are meant to be convenient. They’re smaller than regular desks, featuring much narrower desk spaces. But, wall-mounted floating desks are even more convenient. They’re made of nothing but a sleek and sturdy countertop with just enough room to fit your monitor, keyboard, mouse and a notebook.
Such a standing desk effectively rewrites the rules of home office design. For instance, if you don’t have enough room at home to convert into your home office, you can prop up a wall-mounted floating desk where you do have space, saving you the trouble of making room.
Rodent-Themed Desks (a.k.a. Human Hamster Wheels)
If you want an ergonomic standing desk that lets you be more active than the typical standing desk can, rodent-themed desks might just be the thing for you.
Also called human hamster wheels, rodent-themed desks are standing desks that feature a large wooden wheel that you can run on while working.
You can build your very own rodent-themed desk by downloading the instructions from Instructables, a site where users can create and share DIY projects.
All of the innovations mentioned above offer the promise of a more active life, all while making the experience more meaningful. You can check any of the innovations above for inspiration. Or, you can get started right away with the MotionGrey standing desk, a functional and practical ergonomic equipment that will surely bring great results in terms of good health and wellbeing.
