Q&A Session: Kyle Smith’s Stand-Up Desk

“Sitting is the new smoking,” says Anup Kanodia, a physician and researcher at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. Recent studies are showing the effects of prolonged sitting in the workplace, including increases in cardiovascular episodes, diabetes, obesity, and backaches.

Health and Wellness is what Cobb Galleria Centre’s Event Services Manager Kyle Smith had in mind when he built a new stand-up desk for his office space.

Q: Why did you decide to make a stand-up desk?
Kyle: I live in Cumming, so it’s about an hour commute to work each day. I’m already sitting for my commute, and I was sitting in my office almost all day long. One time, I stood up and my back hurt. I said to myself, “I can’t do this anymore.”

Q: How did you make it?
A: I saw a couple of articles on Lifehacker about ways to make a stand-up desk; the ones that were advertised were $250-$400. Then, I found something in an Ikea catalog about a stand-up desk; it was just a side table, two brackets, and a shelf. In total, it was $24 with tax. So, I went and bought the side table, and I asked some staff members from the engineering department to put it together for me.

Q: Are there any disadvantages?
A: One disadvantage is that the stand-up desk is not adjustable. When I want to sit down and rest my legs, I have to pick up my monitor, put it down on the desk, and move around some things. This only takes about 30 seconds, but with all the cords, it’s inconvenient. If I could go cordless, it would be easier.

Q: Do you have any recommendations?
A: There really isn’t a less expensive option than to get one the way I did. So if you have the skills to build your own, I say go for it!

Looking for more standing desk inspiration? Check out Apartment Therapy’s Guide to the Best Affordable Standing Desks, or try a DIY Standing Desk Idea like Brit+Co’s photo on the left.