I’ve got a new desk and it’s probably my favourite desk I’ve ever used.
This is Leandesk.
For full transparency, Henry and his team very kindly sent me a desk to try out and oh my goodness I’m so grateful that they did!
I am an illustrator, living at home with my husband and two young children. I work from my kitchen table as we don’t have space for a dedicated studio / workspace for me. So when I saw the Leandesk I thought it was such a genius solution. Allowing me to save space and create a comfortable work station that I can set up in minutes when the children aren’t around (or if they’re occupied for half an hour!).
The more I looked into it the more I loved it! I’m really conscious about my impact on the environment and when I read about the design intent behind Leandesk I was super excited.
I’ve also never had a standing desk and being able to work standing up has been amazing for me. I get quite uncomfortable sometimes sitting at our kitchen table for long periods, so standing or even changing it up, from sitting to standing has been brilliant.
“My design is all about paring down to the essential elements and being as efficient, material-wise, as possible. I think Leandesk offers something new – a chance to experiment with where and how you work.”
The Design
The desk itself is two longer pieces of wood (bamboo) with two shorter pieces screwed in using an allen key (provided). The longer timbers have a red metal panel attached and the desk surface itself has little metal pins that slot onto the metal panel at different points depending on the height you want it. The Dyneema cable slots through a hole on one side, through the desk and back out of the other side, with knotted ends covered by little cork balls. The cord slots into cleats that are super simple but so strong, it reminded me of going sailing and is a really effective way of quickly adjusting the desk, but guaranteeing strength.
Strength and stability were something I was worried about actually. I’m pretty clumsy and I could just see myself knocking it over or putting my laptop on and turning around to hear a crash. Turns out I didn’t need to worry at all. It’s so strong and I actually found a photo of a little girl sitting on one of the early prototypes on Leandesk’s website and a video of a man standing on it (which is here). I haven’t stood on it, or sat either of my children on it (that would probably open up a can of worms and it would become a climbing frame!), but I have pushed pretty hard on it. It is tested up to 65kg, so my laptop, water bottle, notebook, pencil case and cup of tea (and maybe snacks) are no problem at all.
There is a little standing / sitting person icon on each side of the top bamboo cross beam, to remind you which way round it needs to go if you’re using it as a sitting or standing desk and I actually love how neat both of the setups are.
There are two sizes available. I have the original which is 860mm wide, but there is also the compact which is narrower at 660mm, which still gives plenty of space for a laptop (and cup of tea). You can also get a beautiful little wall hanger, which I have but we haven’t put up yet, but I love that it can just hang out of the way neatly until needed, so clever.
The look and feel itself is really timeless and clean. It feels reminiscent of mid century design, but some of the features and shapes are more contemporary. It’s really beautiful and this is exactly the sort of furniture item I would have been really excited to find in my interior design career. Then inevitably a client would suggest various concerns (people can be scared of something that’s a bit different) and budget wouldn’t stretch, they’d buy something cheaper (which would not last) and would end up dramatically watering down the concept of the design not to mention the environmental impact. But I’m not an interior designer anymore, I’m an illustrator, working for myself and delighted that I get autonomy to choose this kind of good design.
Doing More with Less
Leandesk’s ethos is ‘doing more with less’ which I think probably everyone should adopt and the world would be a much better place if more companies took that approach. The idea is being minimal and making the materials work really hard. So clever efficient design that is flexible, durable, functional and timeless.
Using a circular design approach means that 97% of the components are reusable or recyclable and 100% can be disassembled. Often where products are using a combination of materials or composites, this compromises their ability to be recycled and a lot of the time repairing and replacing parts is either not possible or more expensive than buying a new product, which is why circular design is such an important consideration. Not just how something is made, but what happens to it during its lifetime, if something breaks or needs replacing, and what happens afterwards.
The desk and simple frame itself are made from 99% bamboo which is a brilliant renewable material. It’s a strong, durable material and really efficiently sequesters carbon as it grows. Even the packaging has been carefully considered, thin and lightweight with everything slotting in really efficiently (and beautifully - it’s very satisfying).
They also have a take-back scheme, so if for whatever reason you’ve had enough / can’t use your desk anymore, say for example perhaps one day when I have my very own studio (although I think I’d still use this because I love it so much!), you can send it back. They will refurbish it in their Falmoth workshop to be resold or donated.
While really carefully considering the design, materials and carbon footprint of the product and company as a whole, Leandesk acknowledge that there will be associated emissions and as a result have chosen to support Cùl Mòr peatland restoration project, restoring peatland in Scotland.
I also love that they’re so transparent on all of this. I mean I would be if I was working so hard to make sure I was designing and producing so responsibly, but it’s just refreshing to see this information laid out. I have in the past tried to find out about other products and it can be almost impossible, even receiving vague information when you reach out to a company, which says a lot I guess!
I just think this is how design should be. Clever, beautiful, functional, responsible and circular. Really considering the whole process and product lifespan from the very start to the very end. If you are familiar with my own ethos you will understand how well aligned this is, but also how I don’t share products or advertise things I’m not really passionate about.
I looked at this desk because it was a space saving solution to a problem I have and it is so much more than that. Thank you Leandesk and I look forward to keeping you updated on how I’m getting on!
If you like the sound of this, you can use code IMOGEN10 to get 10% off your very own Leandesk.