10 wacky work surfaces inspired by the standing desk trend

Posted on July 26, 2016

No category of furniture has undergone as many landscape changes in recent years as the desk. Once thought of as a flat table where you could sit and do work, the desk has recently been reinvented as the Standing Desk. (According to Wikipedia, standing desks have been used for hundreds of years, by the likes of Da Vince, Benjamin Franklin, and Donald Rumsfeld, but that just sounds like more propaganda from Big Standing Desk).

Photo via Shutterstock

In any case, standing desks have, within the last decade, skyrocketed in popularity even though theyprobably don’t actually make you measurably healthier, to the point where the White House apparently decided to spend $700,000 on a whole bunch of them, which seems like a lot of money for desks. And the standing desk movement has, in turn, spawned a whole crop of other types of Desks At Which One Does Not Simply Sit. Here are a few of the more ridiculous.

The Lying Down Desk

Perhaps the most extreme extension of the standing desk, and certainly the most frightening to use. The makers of this desk claim that it comes with 40 “productivity positions.”

The Surfing Desk

The “Wurf Board” (a portmanteau of “work” and “surfboard,” one assumes) is an inflatable pad that moves under your feet like a surfboard while you standing at your (separately purchased) standing desk. It raised $133,846 on Kickstarter, because of course it did.

The Kneeling Desk

Kneeling is basically halfway between sitting and standing, so this is a good desk for people who are thinking about getting a standing desk but aren’t quite ready to commit.

The Walking Desk

Treadmill desks are also a thing that exists, but why waste all that money on a treadmill when you can justflail your feet around in empty space? Guess how much money it raised on Indiegogo. Now multiply that guess by the number of siblings you have, just to be safe. It raised $506,896.

The Under-Desk Hammock

This desk accessory was invented by a design student and you definitely will not get any weird looks if you use one in your office.

The Bed Desk

Similarly, the bed with a desk under it is great for workers who want to either never go home, or to get fired.

The ‘Smart’ Standing Desk

Sure, your standing desk is fine for standing at, but does it have an edge that lights up with multicolored LED lights and can you control the height by waving your hand and does it cost $3,000? If not, you probably need TableAir.

The Fold-Up Portable Standing Desk

Or, if you’re in the market for something a bit cheaper, you could just get this thing that folds out and turns any regular old desk into a standing desk.

The Standing Desk That Might Actually Just Be A Cardboard Box

Jury’s still out.

The Desk That Is Also The Entire Office

This office probably has the right idea at this point: just make the whole office out of desk.