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Rove Concepts Athena Standing Desk Rises Above All in Design

04.08.24 | By
Rove Concepts Athena Standing Desk Rises Above All in Design

According to one study focused upon workplace ergonomics, the average office worker is seated nearly 9 hours throughout the work day. It doesn’t take a physiologist to conclude excess time spent seated and stationary can be detrimental to our health, with aching shoulders, back, and neck letting it be known this isn’t the way to live a healthy life. Maybe you’re like us and purchased a standing desk to work from at home or at the office to counteract the effects of excess sitting. They’re effective… and often unsightly. The Athena, by Rove Concepts, is a notable exception, arguably the first standing desk where the design seem to comparatively aspire toward greater heights.

Angled view of the Athena standing desk with fluted alabaster lacquer wood base set down to to its minimum seated height of 28.3 inches.

Set in its seated configuration, you’d be hard pressed to recognize the Athena as anything but a contemporary styled desk. Rove Concepts did something we always hoped for – they hid away the unsightly legs required to support a standing desk. Instead, the brand designed a pair of handsome fluted alabaster lacquer or ebony wood bases to disguise the lift support system from view. Paired with either a white lacquer table top with white base or a black oak veneer top with black base, both sharing 63″ x 31.5″ x 28.3″ dimensions, the Athena proves standing desks can aspire to greater heights of design.

Athena standing desk with fluted ebony wood base and black top set to its minimum height of 28.3 inches in seated mode as seen from the seated user's side.

Athena standing desk with fluted alabaster lacquer wood base fully extended to its maximum height of 47.25 inches in standing mode.

With a minimum height of 28.3 inches and the option to elevate the desk surface up to a maximum height of 47.25 inches, the Athena allows users to change heights with easy fluidity using the desk’s touch panel controls. The desk supports up to 220 lbs and includes cable management in the upper right hand of the desk surface.

Side view of the Athena standing desk's fluted alabaster lacquer wood base with power cord visible extended outward.

The included power cable measures 2.5m long from desk to plug.

Cropped detail of the Athena standing desk's height adjusting control panel, set attached to the desk top and just above the desk's fluted alabaster lacquer wood base.

When shopping for a standing desk, first and foremost it’s important to determine the optimal height at a desk while seated and standing in relation to how tall you are. This chart is useful for determining optimal heights, noting variances in an individual’s legs and torso lengths can affect these measurements by several inches.

Overhead angled view of the Athena standing desk with fluted alabaster lacquer wood base and white desk top, set over carpeted flooring. The standing desk's power cord is visible extended out from the right corner

Interestingly, Rove Concept offers the option to purchase the fluted standing desk base pair by themselves, sans lifting legs. In theory if the measurements align, this will invite people with an existing standing desk the option to glow up their desk game without having to replace their entire standing desk setup. Consider us interested!

Athena standing desk with fluted alabaster lacquer wood base and white desk top, staged in a contemporary workspace with small globe desk lamp, books, and laptop on desk, and chair with two green poufs surrounding the desk. Two minimalist white floating shade ceiling lamps float above the desk to its right, with drape curtains covering walls or windows to the left.

If the Athena’s fluted base design is a bit too styled for your taste, Rove Concepts also offers a more sedate, yet contemporary design in their Eryk Standing Desk. Both the Eryk and Athena share the same specs, and retail for $1,732 (or $1,299 with an annual membership discount).

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Gregory Han is a Senior Editor at Design Milk. A Los Angeles native with a profound love and curiosity for design, hiking, tide pools, and road trips, a selection of his adventures and musings can be found at gregoryhan.com.