A Remote IT Worker's Custom Desk

TL;DR

A desk with a cutout eliminates dangling elbows and the problems that come with them.

Workspace Ergonomics

It all started with the standard back problems familiar to many IT professionals, followed by kinesitherapy sessions. In April, a post appeared in the Telegram channel "Assembly Point" with a video review of a custom desk by Anton Volkov (not an ad — he's an old-school IT guy, co-founder of Tanks Online, one of the early investors in Miro, and simply a sensible person).

At the time, I already had a "gaming" desk with a cutout, but I had complaints about it. While I managed to adjust the height, the dangling elbows and insufficient distance to the monitor were harder problems to solve.

The Custom Desk Idea

After chatting with Anton and taking measurements of my current desk, I sketched out a rough plan for my ideal desk. The key insight was that a deep enough cutout would allow my forearms and elbows to rest fully on the desk surface, eliminating the shoulder strain that comes from arms hanging unsupported during long work sessions.

Finding a Maker

For some reason, there are no desks on the market with a proper deep cutout. The niche is wide open. I found craftspeople on Avito (not an ad, but a recommendation — they deliver across all of Russia), visited their showroom, discussed the requirements, sat at various desks, and settled on a material.

I have to give credit to the team — they approached the task with full responsibility. When the tabletop was ready in rough form, they offered to have me come in personally to take measurements and check whether everything suited me or if adjustments were needed. They actually had a desk in the showroom that was almost the right size — it would have only needed a cutout added.

But this time I decided not to compromise and to treat myself with respect first and foremost (again, thanks to Volkov's posts for a certain shift in thinking paradigm) and to respect my workspace. Every time I sit down at my desk, I want to enjoy it rather than feel regret about some compromise.

The Final Result

What came out of it in the end? The finished desk turned out to be:

• Enormous in size
• Brutally heavy
• With plenty of room for height adjustment
• Allowing elbows to rest fully on the desk without loading the shoulder joint

P.S. Workspace ergonomics does not negate the importance of physical activity. If you're reading this while sitting down, stand up and do some stretching.