Trust me when I say that I now know how important an ergonomic home office set-up is and, specifically, the desk chair. Without that comfortable base to support your body, you’ll soon be dealing with aches and pains, which may even prevent you being able to work for as long as you’d like.
That’s certainly what I’ve found as I’ve been redecorating my home office. The chair has been the most tricky thing to find. I don’t know if it’s just me being picky or if I’m choosing the wrong designs, but each chair I’ve tried has been uncomfortable after prolonged periods of use.
I know how important it is to have an ergonomic working environment, especially with the amount of hours I work at my computer each week, so choosing the right office furniture to support you is key. But that doesn’t mean substance over style – I still want a beautiful desk chair, but one that feels super-comfortable and supportive for all-day use.
You may remember that I’m going for a mid-century modern design in my home office – I’ve previously shared my mood board and initial decorating photos here. I love the teal blue walls, which contrasts beautifully with my existing Ladderax shelving and my G-Plan desk.
My house was built in 1950, so the proportions of the rooms suit mid-century furniture, which tends to be a little more compact and slimline. As such, I’ve found that I have more space in my home office now that I’ve brought in the vintage pieces I’ve had in my living room for years.
The first option I tried for my desk chair was a padded velvet armchair I found online. The style looks lovely and I particularly like the wooden arm rests. The higher back and adjustable height made it easy to set it up in a comfy working position.
However, I wasn’t satisfied; I don’t think it’s intended for the amount of hours I work because I ended up with soreness in my back at the end of the day. Even with the amount of movement breaks I take away from my desk, it still made me feel uncomfortable.
I initially thought I would be sticking to my preferred colour palette of teal, orange and mustard in my home office, which is why I chose the orange velvet chair. However, I soon realised that a lot of the art on my office walls was star-related (I’d previously had star wallpaper) so this got me thinking about slightly changing the theme.
If you’ve ever seen a photo of my bedroom, you’ll know I have lino prints of rockets and a vintage moon poster, plus some atomic-style lamps as bedside tables. I decided to gather together all things space-related for my home office and turn it into my idea of a 60s space mission command centre!
Looking around for an alternative desk chair, I found this now ‘vintage’ 20-year-old Girsberger chair in my local charity furniture reuse shop for a bargain price. It was actually sold as a pair of office chairs, so I have a now spare that I can use in the corner of my office, which is nice to have for when a friend or colleague visits me when I’m working.
I love that it has winged arm rests, a chrome frame and inky blue upholstery; it seems very much like a design that would be found in a mid-century spaceflight command centre. However, I’m not sure it’s right for me; there’s no lumbar support, no wheels and it’s not height-adjustable. Plus, it doesn’t even fit into the nook of the desk.
So, I think it’s probably third-time lucky – I’m now trying out a mesh-backed, ergonomic desk chair with a head rest and full adjustability. I think it’s working well so far: at least I’m able to complete a full day’s work while sitting on it and I’ve learnt the importance of lumbar support.
I’m not in love with the design of it however, it kind-of gives NASA flight-director vibes, so I’m okay with that. And really, when it comes to supporting your body while working from home, it’s probably much more important to have a comfortable seat than an aesthetic-yet-painful one.
Have you found the ideal desk chair for working from home? I’d love to hear your suggestions and find out what kind of desk chair you’ve chosen in your own home office so please leave me a comment below to share your tips. Thanks!
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