HARDWARE
The Gist: A Worktable For The Upwardly Mobile Class
$1,300-2,500
Calling the Nestler Synthese CAD a desk is like calling the titanium G4 a calculator. It's actually a 300-pound piece of furniture that adjusts to your needs with the touch of a button.
Each table has an impressive 39- by 72-inch surface - the photo above shows a facing pair - but the real oohs and aahs are under the hood. A small control panel beneath the desk lets you adjust the height using four buttons: Up, Down, Preference 1, and Preference 2. At the push of the Up arrow, electricity surges into two small motors that power a pair of butter-smooth motorized lifts, elevates the Synthese from its lowest setting of 30 inches off the floor to its peak of 4 feet. The Preference buttons allow an office with two shifts to assign users of different heights to the same workstation; Synthese's onboard memory remembers where each likes the desk. In the picture, the Synthese at left is for sitting while working, and the one on the right accommodates someone who's standing.
Furniture company Nestler hopes the Synthese's versatility will keep ergonomists smiling. Sitting for long periods increases the odds of repetitive stress injuries and causes blood to pool in the lower limbs, damaging tissue in the legs and lower back. Changing positions helps increase circulation and improve alertness. Some versions of Synthese also have an area cut out of the top for your monitor; when you're standing, the desk can be lowered a few inches below it. This position complements the eyes' natural downward gaze, lessening ocular fatigue and allowing the eyelids to lower slightly for better lubrication.
The Synthese is easy on the eyes in other ways, too: An underside trough hides cords and cables, particularly the spaghetti-like cables that connect computers in a typical office layout. The machine's designer, Daniel Korb of Korb & Korb Design, has found a way to eliminate most of the clutter associated with an office (it's named CAD because many of Nestler's customers use computer aided design software). Compulsive organizers might balk at the lack of drawers or topside shelves, but if you appreciate spare and elegant functionality, you'll swoon over Synthese's look. My test desk had a light maple laminated surface, but you can choose from among various woods and finishes. Every desk is custom-made and installed in your workspace. Racing stripes, of course, are optional.
Distributed by Haworth: (800) 344 2600, www.haworth.com.
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