Take a seat my friends. Let’s talk work from home and your posture. As this topic seems to be a little more urgent these days if you are healthy, quarantined, and newly WFH+SFH (Work From Home + School From Home.)
I’m no expert on this (beyond being an expert sitter and a long time WFH-er), but I will say this much: when I sit, correctly, in my very fancy, ergonomically correct, well-positioned chair at my desk and work on a screen all-freaking-day-long, I physically, feel totally fine at the end of the day.
On the other hand…when I pull up a counter stool in the kitchen so I can mom-assist, school-from-home, and try to multitask my own work…it hurts to stand up, even after just an hour. I do that whole old lady thing where you lean, limp and hold one hand to your back, enough so that I’m now skipping the hard stool, and just standing-full on real teacher-style in the kitchen classroom.
Stylish Work From Home Office Chairs — Some Fancy, Some Affordable, All Better For Your Posture
How we sit and what we sit on makes in a difference in how we feel. And right about now especially, we can all afford to feel a little better, even in the smallest of ways.
My own desk chair…is the Rolls Royce of desk chairs. And comes at an associated price. Let me offer this by way of justification: SUSTAINABILITY.
My chair is, wait for it…I have to do the complicated math…15+ years old. It shows not a single sign of wear nor tear. AND has saved my spine. And therefore? Is priceless. It does (in addition to costing a small “worth it” fortune), take-up a bit of space. So while it absolutely is my #1 pick…I’ve also rounded-up all the others: full-desk armchairs on rollers, task chairs, and even an affordable version of my favorite ergo stool, at various price points (some of which are really, really good.) I’ll highlight the most affordable of them below.
1/ Acrylic Swivel Chair » This one is more about the look rather than the comfort. Great that it’s on swivels. And if you sit up straight in it, that would help. Mostly though, I love acrylic chairs for the fact that they disappear in a room that might otherwise look cramped. I’m not sure looks should be our priority right now, but hey, worth including in case that’s a concern.
2/ Reach Setu » Designed by Herman Miller, the granddaddy of office chairs. While it isn’t super-affordable, for it’s genius design, beautiful lines, forever-lasting sustainability, and the fact that it comes in a gorgeous blue, I LOVE this chair. It won’t come quick. You’ll have to wait for it. But it’s also available in other great colors, and you’ll love this chair forever too — once it does arrive. There might be a long game we’re all playing here…maybe. Things will change, this much we know. If the world needed a reset on the evidence of potential for people to be productive while working from home, well, let’s count that as lesson learned, quickly, under pressure.
3/ SmugDesk » So light grey + white sold out before I could get this post out to you…but they do have black in stock as an alternative, that’s what I’ve linked to. Or you can wait for a restock (that’s a big question mark in uncertain production times). Or they have plenty of other options and great reviews. Their tag line is All Day Comfort. Who doesn’t need that right now? *Super Affordable Option
4/ Blake » I’m a big fan of chairs on swivels, for a multitude of reasons. However, while we’re all cramming ourselves around a shared table, sometimes it’s better, especially for kids, if the chair just stays put. So this is my no swivels pick for the day. It’s also super-sexy, in so far as a desk chair can be that. I love the lines of the legs, and the back connector.
5/ About A Chair » Let me tell you something about this chair in all it’s smooth-rolling Scandinavian design perfection and two color options: it’s not inexpensive. This is an investment piece. From personal experience though, they are super-comfortable.
6/ Saddle Stool » S actually humored me and got me the Rolls Royce of saddle stools once upon a time. I’m pretty sure the staff has since forgotten that it’s my stool. TME team favorite, for sure. No need to go there, when there’s this instead. This is a more *Affordable Option, way more affordable, and meets the same end. It’s actually shockingly easy to remember to sit up straight on a saddle stool, ask our healthcare heroes. And they take up almost zero more space than they absolutely need to, and height adjust. So they are great for where we all gather ’round a table to work. And this one comes in 5 colors; I just love this calm light grey best.
7/ Armless Low Back Mesh » ****Sold out so we linked similar. Sleek, task chair on casters. Mesh seating and back, which, especially in grey, looks lighter. And is also comfier than anything hard. *Super Affordable Option.
8/ AllGuest » This is my high-back, ergo-correct favorite, in case that’s the kinda support you need. Given all the area it covers, it’s still sleek. It’s *Affordably Priced, for what it is. And yes, it comes in black if you really must go there and that suits you better. Is that funny right now? Probably not.
9/ Eames Soft Pad With Pneumatic Lift » Put this one right in the aspirational rather than affordable column, but…if you are shopping for a forever chair, in which you will sit so many hours that your cost-per-sit becomes zilch, then this is an insanely well-designed, ergo-correct, beautiful chair. And hey, who doesn’t need a little pneumatic lift to get their work day started off right?
10/ My Chair » Yup, this is it. My 15-year-old, with-at-least-another-45-years-in-it chair, that I could not love more, and which my posture could not appreciate more. Absolutely an investment piece. Cost per sit, this chair is basically paying me at this point. Can’t say enough great things about it. Comes in many, many leg, fabric and caster options for wood or carpet. Best chair ever. Sitting in mine right now. So, so happy to be here, safe, healthy and writing this post.
Do you have a chair you love? Share your chair back to us. We should hashtag that maybe? Hope you all have the best day possible. Sit up straight (per my mother.)
xoxo,
A
PS: Follow along with me on Pinterest for more Home Inspiration and other random distraction via pretty visuals during these crazy times. xo A
We need an office chair with no wheels, since the desk is close to our stairway. I love the CB2 one pictured, but was hoping for something less than $200. Any ideas?
C: do you need for it to be adjustable height, or just clean look/stationary/more affordable? xo A
Clean look and stationary (and comfortable) are the primary concerns. Adjustable would be amazing!
C: Ok…I’m ready for you. I’m super quick when I have the exact right answer off the top of my head and at the tip of my tongue…sometimes I need a deep think. This was one of those. And for some crazy reason, it all came to me this morning. So here’s too many words, first, and then I made you your own Pinterest Board. Not sure if you figured out a chair yet, and if you did, please send, we love experiential education around here. If you didn’t, I have a bunch for you to choose from. Here’s the thing, the CB2 one that you liked…I could do one of those strong arguments that I do for why that one is “worth” its price. It’s unique in style, presence, design, and function. There are not many stationary desk chairs that adjust as that one does, and are that good looking. That said, $500 is a chunk of change. So I tried to pin all chairs in the $200 or less range (ish). And I chose the ones I did, because for the most part they are reproductions of two of my all time favorite stationary chairs to sit in and for looks. The originals are Saarinen and Eames, and they make $500 look like a bargain. That said, so, so many vendors reproduce similar. Even the best reproductions of those chairs, the ones with the exact same measurements, are in the $500 range. But there are plenty of reproductions of them that are so close, and good, and strong, and pretty, that are in the sub $200 range…so those are the ones I pinned…15 of them. Check those out and see if any of them work. Also, on the board, I put a section called, “Originals for Reference” so that you can see the super expensive ones that are reproduced, or similar on the rest of the board. Both of those originals were designed for office use in the first place, people just also love them as dining chairs, they are arguably super well designed for comfort and posture first, so anything close, is a safe bet. KK…enough words. Sorry it took so long to get my head to a place where I was willing to say anything other than “But I LOVE the CB2 chair, let’s just do that, it’s special.” It is, but so are all of these other alternatives, that I’m confident in the design of. xoxo A
https://www.pinterest.com/AnnmarieNaplesHomeDesign/stationary-desk-chairs/