By now, many of us have seen the news that apparently sitting is the new smoking, so quite a few people and workplaces are turning to standing desks to help alleviate an increasingly sedentary lifestyle.
However, good standing desks can get expensive, especially if you don’t want to stand ALL the time (which may not be all that healthy either), and want a standing desk as an alternative to what you’ve already got. These days, many people also “hot desk” it between various locations, and may find standing desks aren’t even an option.
Given all that, this new portable cardboard standing desk from Refold could be a good solution, especially for creative types. Because the desk is made of sturdy (7mm thick, twin cushion) cardboard, it claims to be lightweight (6.5kg/14lbs) yet strong, and can fold up to be its own carry case. Although still quite big to carry – say if you intend to take it on a crowded commuter train multiple times – it’s still likely to be much more convenient than not having the portability option at all.
As if we need any encouragement, because it’s make of cardboard it makes a good surface for applying artwork, so can be customised using many different art materials. The artwork on the desk below, completed by New Zealand illustrator and designer Anna Johnstone, is part of a series established by Refold with artists and illustrators.
Refold is actually a New Zealand (where I live) company, but folks in the US needn’t feel disappointed by the distance because, in addition to New Zealand, Refold is planning to manufacture the desk locally in the United States. It’s far more sustainable to do so, not to mention the faster speed of delivery for US buyers.
No surprises for guessing that Refold currently has a Kickstarter campaign on the go, and with 11 days to go at the time of writing, it has already reached over twice the pledge goal of of NZ$25,000.
On the campaign page, they state that “reaching our minimum funding goal of $25,000 will enable us to complete our first consumer production run, making the desk available to individuals for the first time. If we reach our minimum goal, our stretch goal will be to reach $40,000 which will put us in a position to consider setting up our own production machinery.” The total currently stands are NZ$55,696, so it looks like that should be achievable.
I think the portable standing desk does seem like a really good idea; I want one, and I’ll be all over painting mine.
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