Working from home seemed like a beautiful dream for those who had always worked in office settings. But after 2020 and 2021, many people who previously never had the chance to experience it were thrown into the situation without much preparation. They found that sometimes the dream of working from home can be a bit of a nightmare. As it turned out, many people did not have the right environment at home for work, and a big part of that was lacking the right furniture to create the perfect home office.
One of the downsides of working from home is that many people struggle to be as productive. There is something to the idea of “going to work” that became a habit for many people, so working from home didn’t have the exact change in mindset. This lack of change in environment and perspective meant that many workers were more easily distracted while working on the computer at home, especially without a manager in the building, to give that feeling of someone keeping an eye on productivity.
Nevertheless, as time progressed, we found better ways to stay focused. For many people, one of the best ways to increase focus in the home office was by making the transition to a standing desk.
Why Standing Desks?
A common reaction to standing desks is, “Why?”. For many people used to traditional office settings, desks are meant to be sat at, and there’s no other way. In recent years, however, many studies have found significant health benefits to standing more and sitting less. These benefits include reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes and combatting weight gain and obesity.
To address the concerns about sitting too much and increasing the time spent standing, furniture designers began creating desks ideal for standing height. Such desks offer the same desktop space for notetaking, computer monitors, keyboards, etc., as regular desks. They are also designed with drawer space and the opportunity to set cabinets underneath them, allowing you to remain just as organized as a sitting desk.
The 5 Best Standing Desks
The best standing desks tend to have a few features in common: plenty of space, flexible design, and ergonomics. They are all desks that can fit in many different home office setups and adapt to different heights or body types. The following are five of the best standing desks on the market.
- Vari Electric Standing Desk – This model combines ease of adjustment with strong supports that let you hold multiple devices and monitors on the desk without any risk of buckling under the weight. It’s an expensive model but is spacious and user-friendly when finding the exact height best for you.
- Uplift Standing Desk – Another relatively expensive model that’s worth the investment. The Uplift desk also features integrated wiring to make it easier to set up your computer and plug in mobile devices without having to fiddle with low-height outlets or power supplies. This model is customizable, so you can choose different finishes to suit your office’s aesthetic.
- Ergotron WorkFit-D – Avoiding crank mechanisms, the Ergotron even makes raising and lowering the desk easy by using a mechanical lift. It loses some flexibility regarding height settings, but once you find the right height, it’s easy to convert the desk between sitting and standing modes. The downside to this mechanical lift is that you cannot use the desk to its total weight capacity without significantly increasing the difficulty of adjusting the desk.
- Flexispot E8 – This desk prioritizes an open and broad workspace, taking up a larger footprint than most other standing desks. It also has an elevated back section to set your monitor on, meaning there’s even more real estate on your desk to tuck away documents and infrequently used peripherals. The tradeoff is that fewer height presets are available, meaning that you may have to compromise a little, but if you tend to fill up your work desk, that may be a compromise well worth making.
- Ikea Trotten Standing Desk – Ikea has a reputation for offering an outstanding balance of affordability and functionality. The Trotten desk upholds that reputation by using basic amenities such as a crank to adjust the height and provide ample working space without breaking the bank. Indeed, you won’t have some of the impressive features of the Flexispot E8 of the Vari Electric desk, but the result is one that your wallet will appreciate.
Other standing desks are available, and depending on your situation, the best desk for you might not be on this list. Nevertheless, if you’re looking to transition to a standing desk or aren’t happy with your current model, you can’t go wrong by choosing one of these five best standing desks currently available on the market.
By Christopher Gallagher
Christopher has done remote and freelance work from home for half a decade and, during that time, has tried multiple office setups. He has consulted with others who work similarly and spent time researching the best designers of home office furniture.