I’m back! It’s 2026, and so far, this year has been about small, incremental changes – primarily measured in inches – as I’ve switched from a standard sit desk (and fancy Autonomous chair) to a floor desk (still figuring out the floor chair thing as I sit here typing this now).
Why on earth would someone want… a floor desk? For me, it started with floor sleeping, and I wrote a separate post on that here. From there, I began to look for other ways to improve – and in many instances simplify – my life, which included switching to a floor desk. Here are a few benefits:
- Improve core strength by encouraging better posture through engaging my core
- Rearrange my desk layout and open up more space
- Remove my Autonomous office chair, further clearing up space
- Repurpose my Ikea Alex drawers and clean out the old paperwork (I had legs on one side of my desk and the drawers supporting the other), further openings up space
- Change seating positions more frequently and not sit stagnant throughout the day (I feel a floor desk encourages more movement, even if it is out of necessity)
- Cable management is a lot easier when everything is closer to the floor (it looks nicer)
- In the event we move, this setup will be very easy to load up and move to the next place as it’s more minimal
- I also felt this was a great way to hit the reset button for 2026, start anew, and refocus. In short, support my mental health.
In Reality
After trying this out for a week, here’s the biggest reality in switching to a floor desk… my core is not up to the task of supporting me working at a floor desk all day. There are times when I find myself hunched over trying to give my core a break. Maybe it’ll strengthen up over time where I can sit upright without support for the whole day, but that time is not now. I’m going to need some back support.
In fact, I just ordered a Yugibo Short bean bag chair, and I’m hoping it’ll be everything I need and then some (check back in a couple weeks for a review on that). Sure, this is a step back from the minimal point listed above since I’m essentially replacing a chair with another type of chair, but the Yugibo Short does seem like it will be able to serve multiple purpose aside from just a desk chair; it’s also lighter weight and I imagine a lot easier to move around the house (and move to another house). Time will tell.
For the time being, I’m using a buckwheat floor cushion/mediation pillow and an old bean bag pouf – neither of which support my back.
If you’re thinking of making the switch to a floor desk yourself, you may want to consider repurposing your current desk, if possible. I went this route as it reduced an upfront investment and was pretty low commitment (I can easily revert back to my previous standard sit desk setup).
I repurposed my old Ikea desk by adding these adjustable table legs from Amazon.
Why these specifically? Well, I wanted something adjustable as I wasn’t sure what desk height would be ideal for me. So far, 16” has been a good sweet spot. Also, I wanted white legs as it matched the rest of my setup. I was skeptical of those fancy looking wire legs and wanted something pretty solid too (no one likes desk wobble). These checked all of those boxes and were relatively lower cost compared to some other options.
To note, there are a couple super-fancy electric floor desks, including some that go from floor height all the way up to standing. However, they also come with a pretty hefty price tag:
- Lillipad Foldable Electric Standing Desk: $1397
- Lowdesk Pro: $1499
I don’t plan to shell that out for a desk any time soon – especially when I feel I’m still in trial mode on the whole floor desk thing.
A quick DIY guide to turning your standard sit desk into a floor desk
Back to table legs… fortunately, the screw sizes are the same diameter as what came with the original Ikea legs (slightly shorter length, but everything is holding up fine). I did have to drill out some pilot holes as not all of the original holes lined up. To do this, I did the following:
- Flip the table upside down
- Remove old legs
- With the new legs, hold the mounting plate where you want it to be mounted on the underside of the table
- Use a pencil to trace the circles where the screws will go (hold the plate tight so it doesn’t slide around when tracing).
- Pro tip, place the drill bit into an existing pilot hole in the desk (if there’s already predrilled ones, and wrap a piece of tape around the drill bit where the table hits it. This will be your depth marker so you don’t drill too deep and through the table (i.e., when the tape gets very close to hitting the table or just barely hits it as you drill, you’ve drilled just the right depth).
- With a drill and appropriate sized drill bit, drill your pilot holes in the center of the circles you traced (if you’re unsure of the bit size, start small – you can always make them bigger)
- Follow the leg assembly directions and screw the mounting plate to the table.
- Do this for each leg and voila! You have yourself an adjustable floor desk.
With it being January and cold outside, my favorite feature of the floor desk (so far) is how it funnels the space heater heat directly on me; it makes sitting next to a drafty window much more tolerable on these cold winter days – a benefit I overlooked when initially deciding on whether to make the switch. I’ll know whether I’ve committed permanently to floor desk life if I decide to return my Autonomous chair back into the wild (aka marketplace where I originally purchased it). For now, it’s taking up space in the living room where my kids take turns spinning around in it.
