Choosing the right chair for your home office
As an IT consultant working for multiple clients, I have spent over 20 years working in many offices, sitting in a variety of chairs. From this experience I found that most companies provide staff with poor quality chairs, despite not having any back problems, I would often have a sore back at the end of the day.
At home, I bought a HermanMiller Mirra chair – it’s now about 15 years old, but it looks and actions as if it were new. Although it was expensive, I consider it one of the best purchases I’ve made for my home office. My review is:
- It feels like a quality product
- I haven’t had any backache, even after working very long hours
- I haven’t had any mechanical or material faults or issues with it – even after 15 years
- No squeaks or rattles
- I don’t foresee the need to replace it any time soon, but if I did, I wouldn’t hesitate to replace it with the same (updated) model
Simply put, your chair is the item that you will have the most contact with. It affects your posture and therefore your health. A good quality chair will last much longer than multiple ‘okay’ quality chairs, saving your money in the long-term.
Checklist for a home office chair
Here is checklist of items to consider when choosing a chair for your home office:
- Is the height of the chair adjustable (check the minimum and maximum values if it’s adjustable)
- Do you want a chair with arms? If so, how much adjustment should they have?
- Will the arms of the chair easily fit below the desk?
- Do you want a chair with adjustable tilt/recline?
- Do you want a chair with a high back?
- Do you want a chair with a head support?
- What sort of lumbar support would you like?
- How much overall adjustment do you want the chair to have?
- Do you need wood or carpet castors?
- Do you want a mesh or cushioned seat?
- Would you prefer airflow or a warmer feel (i.e. padded seat and back)?
- How long can you try it at home and return it for a full refund?
- How long is the warranty?
I have my chair adjusted for height and arm-rest position – I am very comfortable and supported and rarely change these settings. The only setting I change on a regular basis is the recline position. – I set it to a fixed, upright position when typing, but allow partial or full recline when on calls or watching videos.
Specific use cases
Of course, your might have additional requirements, for example as part of your job, you might need to move around often, you might need to lean forward more (e.g. for architect/design/drawing) or you might have a medical condition where it’s beneficial for you to have added support.
Try before you buy (if you can)
Whichever chair you get, ideally you will try before you buy – or make sure you can try it at home and return it if needed, as the look and feel of chairs are a personal thing and you will be spending a lot of time with it!
In this video review of three $200 budget office chairs from Ikea, David gives a good review of each, mentioning what he likes and dislikes about each of the styles.
Think about posture and support
Your tasks or medical condition might require chairs with specific features or support. Posturite have lots of information on the different types of office chairs that are available and have a chair finder tool that might help find your ideal type of chair.
Suggestions on where to buy a chair
HermanMiller have a Home Office section on their website, it’s worth heading there to see which chairs they suggest for working from home.
Amazon have a wide variety of chairs and you can return them if they aren’t suitable. Check out their Amazon Warehouse section – you can sometimes find chairs that are in new condition, but cheaper because of damaged or missing packaging!
Many large office, department and home furnishing stores have office chairs available on their website and in-store. Read up on them on the website, then go and try them in-store.
Useful accessories
Some chair related items that you might want to consider:
- Would your floor benefit from a floor protection mat?
- Would you benefit from a footrest?