If you’re at all familiar with HumbleWorks, you’ll know that we exist to design and produce ergonomic standing desks that serve to improve people's well-being. At the core of all of our products lies the belief that working and well-being are not mutually exclusive. The average person spends around 12 years of his or her life working, and we strive to make that time as comfortable, healthy, and effective as possible, whether you work from the office or the kitchen table.
To turn this dream to reality, we knew we had to design a desk that was ergonomic, lightweight, 100% portable, foldable, environmentally friendly and visually stunning. It also had to be easy to use, sturdy enough to support a computer, monitor and keyboard, and height-adjustable to meet the specific needs of our clients. Quite the challenge!
So what was the key to unlocking our dream desk? Enter the concept of the cantilever.
The cantilever concept
Think bridges. Balconies sticking out from buildings. Rooms built above car parking spaces. Think wine holders where the bottleneck is inserted into a hole and the bottle is supported.
A cantilever structure is simply one that extends horizontally and is supported at one side only. Cantilevers provide a clear space underneath the horizontal platform (in this case, the standing desk shelf) without any supporting columns or bracing needed.
Our design team realised that if you can stand on a balcony, drive your car across a bridge or make use of a wine bottle holder, then it is possible to support laptops and desktop screens in a similar way. As long as the load placed on the platform doesn’t exceed the shear force, it won’t collapse.
Resources & sustainability
In addition to the smart design, we wanted our desks to be environmentally friendly. The solution to this was to use plywood which is a renewable resource. Furthermore, it’s manufactured in the UK so the carbon footprint from transport is radically reduced.
Standing desks
Standing desks have become more popular in recent years. In 2019, a survey of HR managers in the US showed that the use of standing desks, as an employer-provided office perk, had increased by 7%. You can download the full document entitled: Executive Summary SHRM Employee Benefits 2019, on the SHRM website.
There are multiple benefits that come with stand-up desks, including…
- Higher energy levels due to more calories being burned
- Posture improvement and the easing of back pain caused by slouching over while seated
- Helping wrist positioning and allowing the user to adopt a healthy ergonomic position: shoulders back and chin up
- Facilitating blood circulation, boosting mood and focus
Look out for your future self by purchasing a standing desk today. If you work remotely or in an office, we recommend the HumbleWorks Stan 1 and Stan 2 desks. These portable, user-friendly, sleek desks will meet your needs, whatever they may be, and help you flourish while working.