I've been toying around with the idea of transitioning to a standing desk (AKA stand-up desk / stand up desk) for over a year. After making a few mock-ups to help me decide whether I wanted to go ahead, I finally decided to pick something up.
Why a standing desk?
I've owned a counter height table in the past, and really enjoyed using it to work on and practice speeches. I loved it, but it wasn't really meant to be a desk. We sold it, and I've been “reminiscing” about it for the past year.
There are plenty of people out there who would like to sell you a standing desk, but they usually start in the $300 range and quickly go up to $1000 and over. The obvious benefit of buying a “real” standing desk is that they're usually easy to adjust to suit people of different heights, and some can quickly convert from sitting to standing.
My Standing Desk specifications:
- Small Desk size (Enough room to hold my laptop, mouse, phone)
- Not “Completely Ugly”
- Portability would be an asset, but not absolutely necessary
- Reasonably priced (I probably need more than one)
The Journey
I compared the heights of different tables online, and then used a tape measure to find objects around the house matching those heights. My choice was a counter height table from IKEA, even though the dimensions and looks left something to be desired.
I packed up my wife and two small kids, and headed out the door.
After stopping for dinner, we made it to IKEA…
When I reached the table section, I took a few minutes to check out the prospective standing desk. This particular table had “IKEA” written all over it (you know what I'm talking about, right??).
Fortunately, my wife looked over and saw the IKEA “Bar Tables” a few feet away. They looked 100% better (Check out this post's main image). I had seen them online, but didn't know there was a rectangular version in addition to the round one.
I quickly snapped a picture of the details card with my phone… but I still had to go over and get some mini-pencils and paper so the kids could draw as we walked through the store.
The one I bought
Name: IKEA Billsta Bar Table
Price: $139 CDN
Counter Dimensions: 70cm X 60cm
Height: 105cm (but could go a few cm higher using the levelling feet)
Looks: Decent. Check out the two pictures in this blog post or see the IKEA site
What I like about it
I like the fact that the bar table I went with is slightly rectangular. It's 70 cm x 60 cm, which a first glance seems like it would make it too deep, but by the time I put my laptop on and a few extra, it turned out it was the right amount of room.
Already I feel like my bar table is going to fill all of my needs.
When I'm standing, without shoes on, the counter height is a little below elbow height for me. There are even some little adjustment feet on the bottom. The feet are there so you can level the table on an uneven surface, but it could also potentially help you adjust the height by a small amount if required.
I'm about 6 feet tall, and found this height to be great for me. I also saw a number of other tables that were shorter, but didn't see too many that were higher (sorry tall people). It's pretty close to the exact height for me, but obviously, if you're interested in trying something similar, you'll need to find a desk that matches your body dimensions.
My overall thoughts
I like the idea of having a small table at the right height that just works. Since I work form home, I wanted something I can use anywhere. I can easily see myself taking this table outside onto the deck and working outside on nice days. The best news is that I can easily set this table down in front of the TV to get some “work 
” done when I'm watching a football game.
Anyway, I just wanted to show off my standing desk. I like it. It was definitely much easier to find something I could simply buy, instead of having to spend a bunch of time piecing together parts from different sources.
