The type of desk chosen for an office may not seem like an important decision, but desks can be an integral part of a company’s work atmosphere. So if you want to create an environment that’s a little different from the usual, know that your desks don’t have to be so square. Take a look at these innovative desk options that have both the corporate and design worlds talking.
Though it seems harmless enough, sitting down for long periods of time is bad for your health. Those who spend most of their day in a chair have a higher chance of developing conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart problems, and colon and breast cancer. Staying seated for most of the day can also affect life expectancy; according to a 2012 study by BMJ Open, Americans could add two years to their lifespans by limiting the time they sit to three hours a day.
Given this fact, standing desks are becoming a trend, not only among tech giants like Facebook but also among schools ranging from the elementary to college levels. Some of the desks can convert from a sitting to standing option, while others come with convenient adjustable height options. To encourage a healthier office environment, consider putting some of these desks in your office.
A variation on the standing desk, the treadmill desk takes staying healthy office even further by allowing workers to get some exercise in while they do their work. These special desks are designed so that they’re not too rigorous; most of them only allow speeds of up to 1 to 2 mph so that you aren’t out of breath by the time you step down from the treadmill. Plus, there are other benefits to using this type of desk. According to Forbes contributor Kate Taylor, “standing in front of someone walking in place while elevated about half a foot by a treadmill is a unique and strangely intimidating position.”
Freshome has a list of 42 innovative desk options that can give your office a unique and futuristic appearance. The Omega Desk from Atomare, for example, is sleek and streamlined, with orange trim on a white single bend surface that’s reminiscent of Apple’s product line. Another desk straight from The Jetsons is the Luna Desk from Italy-based Uffix. The space-themed design features a curved base that comes in black, red or gray and a glass top. Though more artistic pieces, like the colorful Boabab desk or the stainless steel desk designed by Max Ingrand, either aren’t available commercially or can be difficult to find online, these unusual desks can give you an idea of ways to spruce up the office environment with desks that dare to be different.
A new take on the office cubicle, where folders and binders usually sit on the desk near the worker’s eye level, is the K Workstation, currently under development by Miso Soup. The simple desk is all one piece of curved wood, with shelving sprouting out at the top so that workers can simply focus on what’s in front of them. For offices that don’t have too much real estate for desks, Romanian company MTI Impex has created a compact desk design that folds into a box when you need more room in the office (You can probably even use the folded-up desk space as a makeshift table, if necessary). Heckler Design also offers the OneLessDesk, which is a series of tables that you can either nest underneath one another to save space, or spread out for a more spacious layout.