Standing desks are designed for writing, reading or working while standing up or sitting on a high stool. They feature benefits such as the fact you get to burn calories while simply standing up or the fact that sitting up allows you to better concentrate on the task at hand. If you plan on getting a standing desk or making one yourself, there are a few things to consider.

First of all, the table height should be at or slightly below elbow height in order to be comfortable. Also, make sure the screen sits at a distance of at least 20” and at a 20 degree angle. And, although standing desks do help, sometimes you just need to sit down so find a high chair or a bar stool that feels comfortable.{images from site}.

Building a standing desk seems simple enough but you still need some inspiration before you start working on the project. Let’s start with a simple design. This wrap-around desk provides two separate work areas, each with its own desktop space.{found on abeautifulmess}.

Standing desks suit small spaces. Take this one for example. It can easily fit in a bedroom, on the hallway or anywhere else there’s some free wall space. The monitor is mounted onto the wall and the keyboard sits on a floating shelf.{found on apartmenttherapy}.

Here’s how you can build a standing desk in four steps: first decide the height of the desk. It should be custom-made just for you. Then figure out the best combination of components you can find in stores or have them custom-made. Shop for the desk pieces and then assemble and desk.{found on masakikondo}.

You can also build your desk starting from an already-existing piece of furniture. Let’s say you have a cabinet similar to this one. It’s quite functional and, if you add a top you can turn it into a great standing desk.{found on pokedyoureyeout}.

Building the desk can be very easy, especially if all you need is a desktop which is basically a floating shelf which you mount on the wall at the desired height. But don’t stop there. Make your workstation as practical and save spacing as possible. For example, place the desk on a wall bookshelves.{found on aptt}.

If you don’t plan on sitting down a lot while working at your standing desk, then you can also have a small storage cabinet or some shelves underneath. You can store things like documents, books and all sorts of other things you may need.{found on flickr}.

After you’ve measured the height for the standing desk it’s time to shop for supplies. One idea can be to buy some sawhorse brackets and sawhorse legs which you can adjust and make as long as they need to be. After that, assembly should be quite easy.{found on mintdesignblog}.

If you work for home, then you’ll want your standing desk to be more than just a floating shelf on which to put your laptop. You’ll want to make something a little more complex, such as this desk for example. It’s basically a bunch of shelves but they provide lots of room for storage.{found on paperandink}.

If you don’t want your desk to be mounted onto the wall, then a freestanding design should be a better option. Just build the frame making sure the dimensions and the height are perfect. Then install the desktop. You can even install a drawer or two.{found on site}.

The best thing to do is design your own desk. This way you can be sure it will look exactly how you want it and it will also have the right dimensions. Here’s a tip: think in stages. Design separate pieces and then put them all together. This desk, for example, is made up of three items: two shelving units and a shelf.{found on petermarks}.