Review | BDI Bink 1025 Laptop Table

Reviewed by Steven Rittey

How to work from home comfortably with a Bink laptop table

Like many people who work in an office, my lounge has been temporarily repurposed as a makeshift home office and I've spent the past 10 months working under the stairs. I quite like my set up though, with my Mac, MacBook and a fast Internet connection creating a viable and comfortable working environment. I’ve even invested in an ergonomic, kneeling chair so that I am not sat in one position all day too.

Lighting is also important and having a colour-changing LED lightbulb in a large lamp that means the ambience can go from working set-up to evening lounge with a simple click of the lightbulb’s remote control.

I actually think that going back to the office will be strange. Prior to March 2020, I was getting really frustrated with battling the often shocking train delays and chronic overcrowding to go into my former office in Manchester. If anything, the lockdown has proved that working from home is possible and we now have the technology in our homes that can only get better with new, improved Internet speeds.

Office Life vs. Home Life

However, as the local lockdowns and now national lockdowns have continued, I realised that it isn’t really realistic to spend every day working at home and I miss the option of potentially working elsewhere more than anything else whether in the office or in a local cafe. I’ve spent far too many hours sat under my stairs now and need a viable alternative if things continue over the winter months.

At the beginning of the national lockdown in March and during the hot spring and summer days that seem like a decade ago now, I worked most afternoons in the shed at the bottom of the garden with my laptop on an original school desk. Temperatures often reached 30 degrees and even though it was almost unbearably hot, having the option to work in a Scandinavian style lodge (shed) at the bottom of your garden was worth the sweat and proved to be a fortunate change of scenery.

The winter has now set in and it is time to escape the desk under the stairs. My MacBook is powerful enough for most applications and I can work efficiently without being tied to a desktop. The best solution that I’ve found is the Bink 1025 laptop table from BDI, an innovative and high-quality furniture brand from the USA.

Time to escape the desk 'under the stairs'

I’ve borrowed one of the demonstration models to test from the office and to use in a day-to-day WFH environment. Furniture isn’t my speciality subject, however, looks are deceptive and there is more to the Bink table than its simple, yet stylish metallic design.

One of the most frustrating things about working with a laptop is that you inevitably have to find a good flat surface to work from. The Bink laptop table solves this issue by creating a smooth and flat base that is comfortable to work from and even has enough surrounding space for a carefully placed drink, a mouse or phone. Unlike a laptop tray from Ikea or similar that rests precariously on your knees, the Bink laptop table fits underneath a sofa or chair with lots of room to move your feet. The relationship between the user's position and the table balances perfectly.

Redefining the lines between using the lounge for work and for leisure

The height of the Bink laptop table isn’t adjustable, however, I’ve sat on different chairs dotted around my lounge and I’ve found the typing position comfortable and adaptable for all chairs. I do prefer sitting in my yellow chair by the window rather than assuming my evening spot on the sofa during the day as the boundaries between using the lounge for both work and leisure become blurred.

The angle and height of the Bink table range is good for working, but also watching videos and streaming. Using the table, I’ve watched a couple of ‘Behind Closed Doors’ football matches on my laptop whilst the television was showing something else. You can also rest your phone on the Bink and cast to another screen easily without fumbling around the edges of the sofa looking for a stray phone.

Overall, the Bink laptop from BDI is ideally designed for both work and leisure purposes. You can even take the table outside to the garden, balcony or even the shed to continue working there or for al fresco drinks.

A viable desk alternative and a good working from home accessory

I’ve spent the past few days using the Bink laptop table and whilst I do enjoy working from the familiar position of a desk having an alternative is proving useful. Even though my shed is locked up for winter and unlikely to be used for work purposes in the coming months, I’ve found the Bink laptop to be an excellent alternative option whilst working from home.

The benefits of working comfortably cannot be underestimated and when not in use as a laptop table, the Bink has been a nice addition to the lounge from a style point of view too and turns into a stylish table for plants when not in use!