Room & Board’s Classy New Desk Disguises Key Modern Features

It’s not cheap, but the new Lincoln standing desk looks like an excellent option for anyone who wants a classic-looking workstation with ample storage.

A detailed view showing the separated top of the Room and Board Lincoln Standing Desk shown against a grainy mustard yellow background

By Ben Bowers

Published January 10, 2025

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The actual health benefits of using a standing desk continue to be a source of debate among medical experts. Still, even from a pure comfort (cough) standpoint, the ability to keep working from multiple positions is a clear win for any worker tied to a desk.

Yet, while it’s great to see today’s furniture market flooded with many standing desk options to suit a wide range of budgets, from a functionality and design POV, the category still leaves much to be desired.

The vast majority of standing desk designs consist of a simple flat surface attached to two rising legs that, while functional, are frustratingly storage deficient and aren’t much to look at.

That’s what makes Room & Board’s new Lincoln standing desk a welcomed option in the field, at least for those with money to spend. It’s a modern take on a classic-looking desk style designed in partnership with Gensler. And Gensler should know a thing or two about desks, given that it’s a global design firm that ranked as the largest architecture firm in the world in revenue as recently as 2022.

It’s a Full-Fledged Standing Desk With Classic Office Looks

Room&Board's Lincoln Desk in a dark walnut wood shown in a stylish home office. The surface of the desk is partially raised to reveal the desk's standing functionality. A laptop is sitting on the surface. — By hiding the metal moving legs with drawers and wood, Room & Board’s Lincoln standing desk looks like an ordinary desk when the surface is lowered.

The Lincoln standing desk’s headline feature is that it’s a fully-fledged electric standing desk that measures 60″w 30″d, complete with three height memories, a touch control panel, and a safety reverse function.

A closeup view of the touch control panel embedded in the lower right corner of Room&Board's Lincoln standing desk. The panel shows the desk surface's height in the digital display, as well as four numbered buttons below it and two up and down arrows below that. — The Lincoln standing desk still includes all of the precise height controls you’d expect from a modern standing desk. We appreciate though how the control panel is mounted flush into the desks surface vs. hanging on the side.

Dedicated Laptop and Filing Drawers Helps Keep the Desk Surface Clean

While the drawer positioned in the center of the rising desk surface can technically store anything, Room & Board describes it as a laptop drawer for a reason.

A closeup view of the laptop drawer located in the center of Room&Board's Lincoln standing desk. The drawer is shown partially open to reveal a laptop charging in the drawer. — The middle drawer is specifically designed to house a laptop. The required power and monitor cords can run discretely through the back of the drawer.

The rear of the drawer features a cord cutout for running power and monitor cables to a laptop inside the desk. And since the drawer is part of the desk surface, there’s no need to worry about using a lengthy cable to accommodate a large amount of travel between sitting and standing positions.

The bottom drawer can also fully extend out and meant to function as a filing drawer for letter/legal-size materials.

It Includes an Easily Accessible Hatch for a Surge Protector

A close up of the surge protector hatch shown open embedded inside Room&Board's Lincoln standing desk — Rather that mounting a power strip under the desk, owners can easily access the desk’s power strip through the surface mounted power hatch cabinet.

Adding surge protectors, power blocks and random charging cables is an easy way to clutter an otherwise pristine work surface.

Thankfully, the Lincoln standing desk also features a dedicated power hatch cabinet in the middle of the far rear edge of the desk surface that’s big enough for a power strip and boasts a soft close lid.

The Desk Is Available in Multiple Configurations and Woods

Room&Board Lincoln desk in an oak with rye stain shown in a brightly lit living space. The desk's surface is partially lifted from the drawers/base and is holding a laptop and lamp and a book. A small sliver of a coach is also shown in the picture. — The 60-inch version of the desk allows users to pick which sides the drawers are on. The wider 72-inch version gives buyers the option of having drawers on both sides.

Like most furniture offered by Room&Board, the Lincoln standing desk is very customizable.

The desk is sold in 60-inch and 72-inch widths. Buyers can also choose which side the drawers appear on or choose drawers on both sides if buying the wider 72-inch version.

Aesthetically, buyers can choose between seven different wood options—three of which will be part of Room&Board’s permanent stock—and choose the color of the desk’s hardware (graphite, stainless steel, white) and lifting column and control panel (black or white).

But the Desk’s Clever Design and Premium Materials Don’t Come Cheap

Room&Board Lincoln desk shown in a stylish home office viewed from the side. The desk is in a dark walnut wood with a white fabric desk chairs in front of it. — The real catch of the Lincoln standing desk is that it’s more the double of the price of some of the best pure standing desks on the market.

Unfortunately, Lincoln’s premium feature set and materials make it expensive. The base 60-inch wide version in Maple or Oak costs $4,499. The same desk in Walnut wood jumps up to $5,399. A maxed-out 72-inch wide version with drawers on both sides costs nearly a thousand more, at $6,299.