A desk has been causing a bit of a stir on Kickstarter this month.
Launched on the crowdfunding site a couple of weeks ago, the Edge Desk soon smashed through its $165,000 funding goal and over the weekend reached $200,000 in pledges from excited backers.
So what is it about this particular workspace that’s winning it so much attention? Aimed primarily at students, artists, freelancers, and anyone who uses a desk but is tight for space, the Edge Desk features a portable, foldable design that includes not only the top but the seat, too.
Edge Desk founder Marc Rosenberg – once the marketing chief of Furby firm Tiger Electronics as well as toy giant Hasbro – says his four-man team has created an ergonomic solution that can be set up or stored “in less than 10 seconds.”
The 20-pound desk features an aluminum frame and a padded, adjustable seat that resembles one of those kneeling-chairs that were all the rage a few years back. The angle of the worktop is also adjustable, and while the space isn’t huge, it can comfortably take something like a laptop.
Of course, the relatively small surface means you wouldn’t want to risk your coffee (or more to the point, risk whatever you’re working on) by placing it on the top. But that’s not a problem for this particular desk as it comes with a grooved edge that lets you snap in a variety of attachments, which, at a later date, will include a cup holder (yay!), a speaker, and an LED light, to name a few.
“We know the best desk is a clean desk that doesn’t promote clutter, so we’ve made it easy to keep the things you need out of the way, but still close at hand,” the team explains on its Kickstarter page.
Aware that millions of workdays are lost every year in the U.S. alone because of back pain, the desk’s designers have focused on creating a sturdy piece of equipment that’s kind to your body by encouraging good posture. While standing desks are getting increasing attention in recent years, they’re not for everyone and don’t fit everywhere, and besides, the Edge Desk could provide a solution for standing-desk users who prefer to mix things up a bit.
The Edge Desk’s small size and seat design won’t be to everyone’s taste, but it’s clear that its compact and ergonomic construction, and ability to easily fold and store is, so far, proving a strong enough selling point for backers.
The desk is expected to launch in October with a $499 price tag, though at the time of writing it’s still possible to secure your own unit with a $299 pledge.