Standing desks are great. But even add-ons that convert your desk into an upright workstation can cost a pretty penny. Seriously, the prices border on “way above my spending capacity.” The world needs a cheap but functional upright desk and the Chairigami Standing Desk just might do the trick.
Billed as “the first standing desk that is affordable, simple, and green,” it brings all the benefits of upright office furniture without having to shell out the big bucks. And while you can always DIY yourself a desk from various furniture parts to save money, anyone who’s tried to build functional furniture knows hitting the workbench brings an entirely different set of problems along with it.
The Chairigami Standing Desk achieves its affordable pricing by using corrugated cardboard (specifically, FSC-certified c-flute cardboard made from 70% recycled and 30% virgin fiber), an inexpensive material that’s slowly finding its way into a new breed of lightweight and reasonably durable furniture. Despite the cardboard construction, this thing is sturdy, able to support weights of up to 300 pounds laid down across its top. Do note that cardboard is incredibly lightweight, so you’ll want to actually put as much weight on there to keep it from easily moving when pushed. The desk measures 42 inches tall, around the same height as a standard kitchen countertop.
Like other cardboard furniture, it ships flat-packed and takes no more than 5 minutes to assemble. It requires no fasteners, adhesives, nor tools to put together, as well, making it easy to pack up and move to a different location.
Chairigami is currently raising funds on Kickstarter to do a production run of the Standing Desk. Pledges to reserve a unit starts at $85.