Student Desks Are Still Taking from the Past and Developing for the Future

Student desks have evolved considerably since first created in recognizable form back in the late 19th century. But it seems many pieces of office and school furniture have been taking from the past in recent years with designers bringing them full circle. Those designs might be slightly competing with much more modern designs that don't yet seem to fit into the mainstream. Let's take a look at school desks being sold today here at Worthington Direct that borrow elements from many decades ago. However, will those someday give way to a very 21st century school desk that was already introduced several years ago? The Stand-Up Desk We sell a number of stand-up desks here for a variety of different uses. Did you know, though, that stand-up desks were used in the school room for a while in the late 1800s? In this EdTech Magazine article, it's noted that an 1890's German doctor wrote about the healthy benefits of students using a stand-up desk in classrooms. It appears that standing student desks were mainly used in Europe then, despite being far ahead of the game in ergonomics. Steel Open-Front Desks These student desks with steel legs and plywood tops were first introduced in the 1950s under what's known as the Munkegard design. They disappeared for a time, though re-emerged in the 1980s with only slight variations. They've stayed in fashion, particularly with the open front desks that allow students to keep all their school supplies organized while in class. Wraparound School Desks Otherwise known as combo student desks, these dominated in schools during the 1970s when the open-front desks went away for a while. Combo desks have never gone away, and they're used just as much as the open front desks are today. Since some of these have the desk on the right side, there may be some issue in finding variations for left-handed students. That can easily be solved by using combo desks with a full desk space in front. Contact us to see a more extensive inventory of our student desks that make every student's learning environment comfortable.