It’s no secret that I’m a bit of a technology nut with a conflicting passion for handmade things, preferably gear that uses wood, leather, and metal. That’s why I love Grovemade. I’ve reviewed several iPhone cases made by the Portland company over the years and nothing beats the way they protect a smartphone while wrapping it in natural materials that feel great, look unique and add a perfect contrast to the metal and glass. Grovemade also makes office accessories and they sent me few–a walnut keyboard tray and matching laptop stand–to try out.
Grovemade Laptop Stand
At $139, this isn’t exactly the sort of laptop stand you pick up at Staples. But it’s beautiful, functional, and incredibly well designed. It does its primary job of raising your laptop and supporting it at an ergonomic viewing angle with a minimalist design. Beneath is sufficient room to slide a keyboard out of the way, Made of laminated wood that’s bent so there are no sharp corners, it’s capable of support 200 pounds. All the materials are natural, including cork pads to prevent sliding and the stainless steel stop that holds your laptop in place is lined with leather to prevent scratching. The front edge of the stand is about 15-inches wide, so you can fit a full-sized laptop on it; there’s room to spare with my 13-inch MacBook Air.
Unfortunately, I don’t have sufficient room for this stand on my desk. I use a configuration where my laptop is my primary computer, but it’s connected to a 27-inch iMac which I use as a second display (the iMac is chugging away in the background working as a media server). At 20.5-inches at its widest point, this stand is just too wide for my setup. However, it arrived just in time to save my bacon as another round of office renovations starts up. The Grovemade stand instantly turns the dining room table into a far more ergonomic and productive temporary workstation.
Grovemade Keyboard Tray
Grovemade’s Keyboard Tray is one of the desk accessories that complements the Laptop Stand or its Monitor Stand. The one I was sent is made specifically for a pre-2015 Apple wireless keyboard and it fits perfectly.
The keyboard is angled slightly and the surrounding wood with metal trim contrasts nicely with Apple’s aluminum construction. Lift the keyboard up and beneath are a few storage spaces for things like batteries and business cards.
Check Out the Complete Collection
If you’re looking for a way to change up the look of your work space, Grovemade offers an extensive collection of accessories–everything from laptop docks to lamps–all hand crafted and offered in a choice of walnut and maple. As I mentioned earlier, I have iPhone cases from Grovemade dating back to 2010, and after six years of use, they look better than ever. That commitment to quality is one of the things I appreciate about the company and it makes me appreciate the visual appeal and natural warmth of their products even more.
Disclosure: Grovemade supplied a Laptop Stand and Keyboard Tray for review purposes.
