help! i’m looking for a new office chair
When my boyfriend moved in several months ago, he didn’t bring much more than his clothes. The one piece of furniture that came with him was his desk chair. It’s comfortable, functional and ergonomic, and yet I can’t get past the typical office chair style. I know it’s superficial, but I’d prefer a less comfortable chair that looks good in the room. I don’t think he’ll go for that idea, so I’m searching for a chair that meets both demands. In the past, Apartment Therapy has recommended the Cherner Side Chair, with the caveat that it’s pricey, as well as the much more affordable Patrik from IKEA. (We notice the Patrik is also the choice of Nicole at Making It Lovely.) So what about you — do you have more suggestions for a desk chair that is both stylish and functional? — Erica P.
October 7th, 2008 at 10:50 am
If it’s comfortable, why not recover it? You could even pick one pretty fabric for the seat and chair back, and another fabric for the back (the part you see when the chair is pushed in). I can’t think of anything to make the feet (wheels?) of the chair prettier, but if you make the fabric part more attractive, nobody would ever notice the feet part anyway. Plus, fabric is (almost) always cheaper than a new chair!
October 7th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
You might look for places nearby that re-sell used commercial office furniture. We found my husband’s desk chair at a place like that because we were disappointed with the quality available at home office stores, and it was a good choice. There’s a lot of junk in places like that, but also some very high quality and surprisingly stylish (and comfortable) options.
‘used’ office furniture isn’t nearly as ‘used’ as home furniture - this stuff is built to last. Also, I’m not sure if you can buy many of the models new at retail, or only by the truckload. YMMV, with any reseller but it’s worth a shot, and is good on the budget.
October 7th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
That’s a good point on an office furniture outlet — I actually got two Herman Miller clamshell chairs from one once that were just $25. You can do quite well on a variety of things if you are willing to look.
October 7th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
i have the whit Linder office chair. i <3 it! i guess it’s supposed to be some DWR knockoff, and that will do for me anyway
here’s a link if you’re interested:
http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/lider-office-chair-white-vinyl-leatherette
October 7th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
I have a crush on this one, but it’s waaaay outta my price range:
http://badadvice.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/09/lust.html
October 7th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
It’s funny - we went through the exact same thing this year! My husband loved the comfort of his office chair but since our office is also in our living room, it was hard for me to look at it without thinking of corporate cubeland. Finally, when the arm rests started to actualy disintegrate, he agreed to move on…to the Patrik! A world of difference
October 8th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
I would say that you may want to upgrade to a ergonomic chair. I personally like the Aeron, aaaaaand I found this site that sells them preowned. Its called preownedaerons.com and apparently their customer service is some of the best around.
October 9th, 2008 at 9:01 am
We just got a pair of the chairs linked below from Crate and Barrel (yay for wedding registries!). They aren’t as cheap as Ikea nor as extravagant as Aerons. Much sleeker than our old junky office chairs!
October 9th, 2008 at 9:02 am
er
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=1080&f=24062&q=desk+chari&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1
October 9th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
amusingly, the Ripple chair above is a rip-off of my all-time favorite, the “eames group” office chairs from Herman Miller. You can get knock-offs now, tho they’re still a bit spendy. Still, great style! The Crate and Barrel solution is a good one!
October 13th, 2008 at 5:07 am
[...] 3. Looking for affordable office furniture? Try a commercial outlet. PlantingOaks advises: “Look for places nearby that re-sell used commercial office furniture. We found my husband’s desk chair at a place like that because we were disappointed with the quality available at home office stores, and it was a good choice. There’s a lot of junk in places like that, but also some very high quality and surprisingly stylish (and comfortable) options.” Click here here for more office-ware suggestions. [...]