It’s about time to replace my very old desk chair. I’ve had it for 13 years, and it was a hand-me-down from friends… so I really have no idea how old it actually is. However, finally, the hydraulic height adjustment refuses to stay up, and, being slightly taller than the average woman, that’s a problem.
I thought I’d share with you my research and impressions of what goes into a really good office desk chair. After all, there are thousands of options out there which can make for quite a decision adventure.
Let’s start by getting clear on the four key attributes that I believe are essential for finding the right desk chair for you.
Four Keys to an Ideal Desk Chair
A desk chair has the ability to fulfill its potential only if it’s functional, comfortable, and beautiful. So, here are the four specific attributes that I’m looking for in my ideal desk chair.
- Wheels – For me, a desk chair has gotta be rolling. I like to be able to easily move around and shift further and closer from my desk without having to lift and yank at the chair. So, no flat, peg-legged chairs for me… even if I don’t aim to win any roller races with this chair.
- Adjustable – Our bodies are all shaped differently, so it needs to be able to adjust to my perfect height at least, but additional adjustments can also be good. My current chair has the ability to either rock or get locked upright which I use constantly, so that’s a functionality that I will definitely be looking to replace.
- Fit the Office Decor – If your office design is shabby chic and the chair looks like it belongs on the Starship Enterprise… that might be a problem. So, finding something that’s visually attractive and coherent with your office aesthetic seems like an important essential. While I’ll be honest that my office aesthetic doesn’t always feel as “pulled together” as I might wish, there are definitely some options that will be easy to exclude from what would probably be called my “Transitional” design aesthetic, (and yes, I do mean the interior design term “transitional”, as opposed to contemporary, classical, Tuscan, or Arts & Crafts. Not just that it’s in transition from looking stupid to looking polished… although occasionally that also feels true.)
- Feels right for my body – We all have sat in a chair that just feels amazing. It holds you in exactly the right way with the perfect amount of padding and support. We’ve also all sat in chairs that might as well have been covered in pointy nails, with arms that were too high, the back too straight, and simply felt all wrong. The challenge is that most of us can’t tell that something is going to feel right until we test is out. So, yep, might need to spend some time in the actual stores to find the right chair.
The combination of these four attributes will likely set me (and you) up to find the right chair for your office desk.
The Wide World of Desk Chairs
So, just for the fun… let’s collect some interesting options:
Image from Front Gate
Image from Meelano
Image from Target – Alera Office Chair
Purple! Wow!!! Image from The Purple Store
White Leatherette Classic Chair… image from FFSense
Chair from Ikea. Image from Better Homes & Gardens.
And…here’s your Star Trek Chair… just in case!
The SUPER chair! Image from Homedit
Now, I could wander into the world of ball chairs, kneeling chairs, stools, and others… but I just know they would never work for me. So, we’ll save those for another day.
Therefore, it’s probably time to run off to the store and plop in a lot of different chairs! I’ll keep you posted when I decide about my new chair.
