If you work from home we are not going to cheat you, you can do it in your pajamas and without getting out of bed, lying on the sofa, on the kitchen table or even lying on the floor. But if you want to do it comfortably and for long periods, it is essential to start by having a good table and then a good chair. Let’s talk about the first thing, how to choose the ideal workbench .
Work from home
Many have discovered at full throttle what all this working from home is all about. And they have found that it is neither simple nor as idyllic as they thought at first. Much less if you do not have a work space clearly delimited from the rest of the spaces in the house, although it must also be said that it has good things.
However, we are going to give you some tips on how to choose the ideal work table. Because together with a good chair it is the element that will most mark your comfort when working remotely and from home. And we tell you that with knowledge of the facts, because we have been doing it for more than ten years.
Of course, before we start, let’s clarify one thing: you can work anywhere in your home. If you feel comfortable on the table and chair that you use every day, no problem. You should also take into account what we tell you because you could improve your day to day even more. Even if you still give yourself the luxury of not getting out of bed from time to time or finishing that report or project lying on the couch.
How to choose the ideal table
We are going to go little by little, laying the foundations of what specialists in postural hygiene issues recommend and everything that we have been learning during more than ten years of teleworking from home.
Table size
Size should be one of the first aspects you should look at when choosing your ideal table. It doesn’t have to be super large, but it should be large enough for you to feel comfortable.
You will spend many hours in it, so you have to ensure that if one day you only need to work with your laptop and another you need to have notes, notebooks or additional documentation to consult, you are just as comfortable.
A width of 1.20 m could be considered the minimum for any workbench. If you use a laptop you will have plenty of space and if you use a desktop computer you can always place the tower on the floor or in the case of being an all-in-one like iMac, then resort to articulated arms and gain greater cleaning, order and some space.
By the way, these arms are also highly recommended for the monitor. In addition, they provide ergonomic advantages by being able to easily adjust the height and even rotate it.
Regarding the width, here again it will depend on each one, 60 cm of depth well used are comfortable for day to day. Although if you need to place various equipment, books, etc., during your day a few inches would not hurt. That would also serve to drop the arms if the chair does not have armrests.
Lastly, the material of the board is important. You may not see it that way at first, but believe us it ends up being so. Choosing an organic material such as wood and not glass or others with a plastic laminated finish is something that is appreciated in the long run for the warmth they offer. It is much more pleasant.
Like the color, keep in mind that the board should be of a tone that does not generate anxiety if it uses too bright colors or makes you strain your eyes because it is very dark if, in addition, there is not much lighting in the room. Although everything is a matter of seeing combinations, because the walnut color can give it an interesting point when combined with light-colored walls and bright spaces.
Of course, it all depends on your activity, because if you dedicate yourself to video or photography issues, a darker space may help you when working with the material and achieve better results in color editing issues.
Standard stand or sit-stand desk
Once you have the board that you are going to use, it is important that you look for suitable legs. You can opt for simple and inexpensive options such as some that are sold in IKEA-type stores that barely cost € 3 each leg. The problem is that the stability it provides is minimal and there is nothing worse than a shaky table.
To compensate for this lack of robustness, you can use a chest of drawers on one side and gain consistency, but it may not fit into your plans or you don’t need it. So look for a strong structure . There are many designed for the office that provide all of this that we discussed.
The second option, if you can and working from home is something that goes for a long time or is simply a change that you plan to give forever, value the desks to work standing and sitting .
On some occasion we have commented that this type of tables provides advantages depending on the activity you are doing at all times. Of course they are not substitutes for those moments that you must stop and take a break, but they are a good way to change your position and maintain a somewhat more active state.
At present there is a great offer of this type of desks, some quieter than others, also with the option of memorizing different heights and even for L-shaped structures.
Choosing one of these desks is already something that depends on each one and their budget, although it is evident that if you consider remote work seriously, it may be a more than profitable investment in a short time.
Ergonomics question
With all of the above, the objective is to find a combination of elements that allow you to be comfortable for the maximum number of hours possible. And, in addition, that allows you to access everything you need quickly and agilely. Hence, you do not have to rely only on aesthetics when choosing your ideal desk.
The design is great if you want to show off your workspace on Instagram, but if later the product does not fulfill its purpose, it is not “transparent” in your day-to-day life and gives you everything you need to carry out your work do not bet on him.
In the case of desks, the same thing happens and, in addition, comply with a minimum of ergonomics. So in the end, all that a good work table must fulfill is:
- Have space for all your devices that you use every day
- Be stable, because typing or writing and the table shaking is not pleasant
- Have the ideal height to be able to form a right angle with your legs seated and with your feet fully supported on the floor. This is more or less having the table at navel level
- If you want to change your position and take advantage of those moments standing, opt for a standing / sitting desk
- Material for the board that is pleasant to the touch and is resistant to the passage of time. If you are going to build it yourself, take good care of the materials and treatments to protect them if they are wood.
Desks to work at home that do not disappoint
If you are attracted to sitting / standing desks, there are several options today that do not skyrocket in price. Those of Flexispot , for example, are an option that for about 289 euros can cover the needs of a large majority of users very well. If you want a more top option, then the Jarvis desk is what you are looking for, although its price is higher.
If, on the other hand, you are only looking for a table with good stability, there are options like these two that also comply with the idea of being compact for those situations in which you do not have much space or you need to put two independent work tables.
Still, there are many more options that you can find in stores like IKEA and the like. You just have to take into account everything we have told you.