How To Stylishly Design A Standing Desk Into Your Home Office

Standing desk by Ohio Design

CBS Sunday Morning reports: A modern, sedentary lifestyle has concerned researchers hard at work - and it's prompted others to step aboard treadmill desks, where they work for hours at a time. Mo Rocca tries to keep up.

It's no longer a secret…

Sitting is the new smoking.

That's right – if you sit in a chair long enough, and never do you get up to move around a little bit, you very well might die an early death. The warning is as simple and easy to understand as that.

That's why, throughout each workday, while we are going through the motions of shuffling papers, suffering through long-seated meetings, etc., we need to mix in a little bit of walking around. Otherwise all that chair sitting will wear on your body to the point that—well—you'll never want to get up.

Thankfully, for those who work at large companies, their employers have deep pockets that can afford to provide employees with the option of working at a standing desk.

But what about everyone else: the work-at-home people of the world...

What are they to do?

 

BEFORE: Click to enlarge

I've had several clients who work from home, and many of them are interested in using a standing desk.

However, as a designer, someone who doesn't really even like ceiling fans (no matter how practical they are in Texas), I wonder how I'm supposed to style this new phenomenon. How can I make this monster work?

I think the best way to make this new style of desk work in a home office is to go with a particular style....

An industrial look.

 

 

That's right — an industrial vibe will be created for one of my client's home office. We presented:

• Treating one wall with brick and another in a coat of ideapaint
• Bringing in some sleek, black cabinetry with etched glass doors
• Installing an industrial-style light fixture.
• Installing some black wood blinds for a masculine, linear repetitive pattern to repeat a grillework design.

And the end result...

It will be creative, rugged, modern, and ready to keep him active throughout the entire workday!

Here's the design plan:

 

Oh, and to answer that question I'm certain you're suddenly asking yourself:

"Does the rest of his house now have to share the same look as his office?"

No. Absolutely not. I mean just think about it:

Does a children's playroom have to look like the rest of the house? Or a home theater? Or a man cave?

Nope. Not at all. Because you see...there are certain types of rooms where style is allowed to depart from the rest of the house. This is especially the case when a particular room needs to be designed to accommodate exceptionally unique needs and activities – you know, such as those of a modern home office, where its function needs to feel just as good as it looks — yes, even at the expense of it not sharing the same style of the rooms that surround it.

Oh, and by the way...

Need a good standing desk? Here's one of the best on the market. (Btw: Cord management is everything.)

Here are some less expensive standing desks recommended by Apartment Therapy: A Guide To Affordable Standing Desks

And last but not least: You know that "uggo" treadmill you think needs to go with your standing desk? It's no longer necessary. Instead, go with The Level, by Fluidstance (video preview embedded above). It's a trim, sleek, portable device that'll keep you movin' all day long!