Grovemade Standing Desk Review: Worth the Splurge?

As a self-employed writer, I work from home, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. There’s a lot to love about my job — I get to be creative, learn new things, and collaborate with some amazing people. Even so, I’d be remiss to not point out that desk jobs like mine can come with occupational risks. 

Before I even hit the ripe age of 30, I was dealing with some gnarly back, neck, shoulder, wrist, and hand pain. Ouch! This sparked my journey to the most ergonomic workspace possible. We’re talking wrist braces, split keyboards, vertical mice, and so on.

The latest addition? The Grovemade Standing Desk System, a sit-stand desk designed to tackle aesthetics, functionality, and ergonomics. The Grovemade team was kind enough to provide a sample unit for me to test, and test it I have. I’ve been using it for two months and counting. 

Keep reading for an in-depth review on the Grovemade standing desk.

Delivery and Assembly: Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

In today’s age, you can get groceries delivered in two hours and everything else delivered in two days. Mass production makes that possible, but the Grovemade desk is anything but: The desks are made in small batches, with many of the parts manufactured in the company’s flagship city of Portland, Oregon. 

The desk didn’t arrive in days, or even weeks — it took about a month, which was mainly due to the manufacturing time. Once it was in transit to my house, it arrived within days. The shipment included five boxes of various shapes and sizes. While some were on the heavy side, the average person could lift them.

I’ll admit — this isn’t my first time expecting office furniture. My husband has a desk from a different brand, and it initially arrived damaged, so I was nervous that after a month of eager anticipation, this desk would come with dings, scratches, missing parts, etc. To my satisfaction, the Grovemade desk arrived in perfect condition. Compared to my experience with other brands, the components were adequately protected, ensuring they weren’t nicked en route.

As for assembly, I had a bit (or a lot) of help. My handy husband kindly assembled the desk for me. He assembled it in about 2.5 hours. With a detailed instruction booklet — complete with photos of each step — assembly was easy but time-consuming, he says. The desk comes with everything you’d need to build it, but my husband used his own tools to expedite the process. It went smoothly overall, but one heads up: The instructions have you build the desk upside down. Once it’s fully assembled, you have to flip it right side up, which is a two-person job.

Finally, a Standing Desk That Actually Looks Good

Given my track record with work-related pain, I’ll take functionality over aesthetics any day. But, having both wouldn’t hurt, which is what drew me to Grovemade. Everything the brand offers — from standing desks to desk mats and more — is straight-up beautiful.

There aren’t a myriad of options to choose from, but the white oak top with white steel base was the obvious choice for my needs. Standing desks are often very masculine in design, with their black frames and darker tabletops. This one brightens up the room and creates a gender-neutral, if not slightly feminine, focal point.

And It’s Made From Wood

Looks aren’t everything — what about the construction? Will it actually hold up to years of use? Another selling point that originally drew me to the Grovemade standing desk is the wooden tabletop. After investing in a solid wood dining table, I understand the appeal of wooden furniture, since it’s generally sturdy as heck, adds warmth to any room with unique grain variations, and withstands the test of time.

Grovemade currently offers six options:

• Solid walnut.
• Solid oak.
• Solid maple.
• Walnut plywood.
• Oak plywood.
• Maple plywood.

After testing the solid maple myself, I can say it’s durable, appears long-lasting, and adds instant character to my home office. My first impression was that the quality is definitely there, signaling that it could last a decade (or longer) if I take good care of it (which I intend to).

Here’s the catch: Wooden furniture comes with a bit of maintenance. According to Grovemade’s care instructions, moisture and sunlight can damage the tabletop, so get some good coasters and move it away from windows (though the latter might directly conflict with feng shui).

What About the Quality?

As previously mentioned, my husband has a desk from another brand, so I have something to compare the Grovemade desk to. My husband’s desk is longer, wider, and overall bigger, yet mine is heavier. This makes his desk easier to move, but the Grovemade desk has superior quality and durability.

It’s not just the tabletop that’s a cut above — the frame is more thought out, too. Standing desk frames are pretty similar across the board, but the Grovemade frame is sleeker, with an ingenious design. When you adjust the height of a standing desk, it must extend or collapse from somewhere. Typically, this is at the base of the legs, which doesn’t look the best and could sacrifice stability. You may have heard that standing desks are prone to wobbling, and this design flaw could explain why. 

The Grovemade desk, on the other hand, extends and collapses from the top of the legs, right under the tabletop. This is more aesthetically pleasing and better for stability — no wobbling in sight. This may seem like a small detail, but it’s proof Grovemade didn’t cut any corners when creating this desk.

Every Thoughtful Feature

The solid wood tabletop and sturdy frame are obvious reasons to consider the Grovemade desk, but here’s what else it has in store:

Built-In Storage Drawer Charges Your Devices

Desks are magnets for clutter — piles of papers, electronics, chargers, and more pens than any one person actually needs. Traditional desks help reduce clutter with drawers and file cabinets, but standing desks aren’t exactly traditional. Finding a standing desk with storage is no easy task, which is another reason I was so drawn to Grovemade.

The Grovemade desk has a built-in storage drawer that spans the front of the desk. The storage space is about 53 inches long and 16 inches wide. It’s a shallow drawer, so don’t expect a ton of vertical storage — with its tapered design, it’s deeper in the back (about 2.5 inches) and shallower in the front. The drawer is divided into sections to encourage organization.

In true Grovemade fashion, the drawer is designed to maximize functionality. I need a place to store pens, planners, and other office supplies, as well as electronics and their chargers when not in use. The five cork pockets are the perfect size for smaller items prone to getting lost, and the three larger felt-lined compartments are a soft place for electronic devices to land. The middle compartment is specifically ventilated and allows charging cables to run through, so you can charge laptops and tablets while stowing them.

The Cable Management is the Star of the Show

My favorite feature of the Grovemade design (and the one my husband envies the most) is the cable management, which Grovemade refers to as the Power Panel Box. This is where the included power strip tucks into. Nearly everything — from your monitor and speakers to laptop chargers and more — can plug into the power strip, so only one braided power cable runs from the desk to the outlet. It attaches between the legs, so it’s out of the way but still easy to access when needed. 

The Power Panel Box is flanked with pieces of matching solid wood or plywood on either side (another point for aesthetics). So, if you want to position your desk where the back is visible, you have the option to. Mine is currently pushed against a wall, so the cable management isn’t seen from most angles. I may rearrange my office in the future, and I like knowing I have the flexibility of pulling it away from the walls.

Wide Height Range Suits a Variety of People

At 5’0 tall, I’m well aware the world isn’t designed for short folks like me. I can’t reach tall shelves, my feet dangle in some chairs, and pants are almost always too long. But, ensuring my workspace accommodates my petite stature is non-negotiable in my pursuit of the ideal ergonomic setup. 

As it turns out, both my desk and chair were too high for me — for years. I’ve always had a height-adjustable chair, but that doesn’t matter much when you have a fixed-height desk. One of the first things I did when the Grovemade desk was set up? Lower it. 

Standard desks are 28–30 inches high, and my previous desk clocked in at 29.5 inches high. Now, I have the Grovemade desk set to 26 inches high when seated. Those 3.5 inches may not seem like much, but they’re the difference between my feet dangling (poor ergonomics) vs flat on the floor (ideal ergonomics). For reference, I have it set to 38 inches high while standing.

Typically, sit-stand desks are adjustable from 28–47 inches high. Unsurprisingly, Grovemade has this beat with a wider range spanning from 25.25–50.5 inches. From personal experience, I’d say it’s short person-friendly, but based on these specs, I’d say it’s suitable for taller folks, too.

Two Programmable Preset Heights

Sit-stand desks are for sitting and standing — that much is obvious. Unless you plan on sharing with another person, you only really need two programmable preset heights, and the Grovemade desk provides just that. You can toggle between your two chosen heights by programming them into the handset and then double clicking the buttons as needed. Once you get into the groove of alternating between sitting and standing during the work day, you realize how convenient this feature is. 

Oh, and the motor is quick and quiet — it only takes a few seconds between adjustments and does so at a noise level of under 50 decibels (dB).

The Few Places It Falls Short

The Grovemade desk is close to perfect, but after two months of near-daily use, I’ve identified a few areas for improvement:

• The handset isn’t intuitive. If I could pass along only one piece of feedback to the Grovemade team, it would be this: The handset isn’t straightforward to use, which is in stark contrast to my husband’s, which has clearly labeled buttons for up, down, and four preset heights. I would have loved to see a more straightforward handset with more presets. A strategically placed angled handset would also be nice. This one is located out of sight, which is great for aesthetic purposes but sacrifices functionality. I’ve also bumped it with my knees, accidentally changing the height.
• The drawer slides open unintentionally, and it’s squeaky. The storage drawer is one of my favorite features, but there’s a catch: it doesn’t latch closed. It’s very easy to open — almost too easy. Like the handset, I’ve bumped the drawer with my knees, prompting it to slide open a couple inches. The drawer could also be smoother to close — it’s noisy to operate.
• It only comes in one size. I prefer larger desks because I tend to run out of surface area quickly. So, I was on the hunt for an executive-size desk (60+ inches long, 30+ inches deep). At 58 inches long and 28 inches deep, this one comes in just under what I was looking for. The size works for me now, but I worry I’ll wish it were bigger down the road. The depth is great, but I’d like to see Grovemade offer more spacious models, especially for those with multiple monitors.

Final Verdict: Is the Grovemade Desk Worth the Steep Price?

I’ve written about standing desks several times, which means I’ve picked up a thing or two on typical pricing and standard features. On one end of the spectrum, you can get a budget-friendly standing desk on Amazon for under $200. I find that the mid-tier models will run you closer to $1,000. Priced at $2,500 and up, Grovemade’s high-end desk is more than 10x the cost of entry-level models and 2.5x the cost of mid-tier models. The question is: Is it that many times better?

The Grovemade Standing Desk is significantly better than the most budget-friendly options. It’s sturdy as a rock, so it’s not going to wobble, even when raised. The craftsmanship and aesthetic yet functional design also put Grovemade in a league of its own. You simply won’t get this kind of attention to detail in any ol’ desk that arrives in two days.

However, the difference isn’t as significant when you compare Grovemade’s desk to some mid-tier models. Where Grovemade really shines is the wooden tabletop, sleek storage drawer, and cable management. It certainly does these features the best, but you can get pretty darn close with other models at more competitive price points.

Ultimately, I do think Grovemade’s is the best standing desk currently on the market. I’d like to see an improved handset and wider range of tabletop sizes. Otherwise, I have to give credit where it’s due. The desk is more beautiful than I imagined, and it’s elevated my home office setup — not just in looks, but in functionality and ergonomics, too.