Choosing a desk chair for your home office is an important decision since the selection needs to meet your physical needs and, at the same time, complement the interior design of your home.
If you sit more than several hours a day, an investment into a premium office desk chair is beneficial to your physical and mental health as well as your level of productivity while seated.
Comfort
The first five desk chair designs we have selected are designed specifically for comfort. All but the Elusion are pricey due to their quality of design and materials though certainly worth the investment.
Classic
The second group includes five design classics that look great in any home and at any desk. Please note that, excluding the Eames Management Chair, these designs may need a seat cushion if you plan to sit longer than a couple of hours.
10 Best Desk Chair Ideas
The following text is from the producer of each desk chair. Technical information for chairs, along with pricing, can be found at the producer’s websites in the links we have provided.
1-Aeron
By Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf in 1994 and produced by Herman Miller
The Aeron Chair combines a deep knowledge of human-centered design with cutting-edge technology.
With over 7 million sold, our most admired and recognized work chair still sets the benchmark for ergonomic comfort more than 20 years after its debut.
This extremely successful desk chair design is the standard for which all desk chairs made since 1994 are compared.
2-Cosm
By Studio 7.5 in 2017 and produced by Herman Miller
A balance of sculptural form and effortless function, the Cosm gives you instant comfort—anywhere you work. It was designed to be as ergonomically innovative as it is beautiful, automatically adjusting to anyone who sits down next.
Cosm was named one of the 100 Best Inventions by Time Magazine in 2019.
YouTube COSM video by Herman Miller.
3-Setu
By Studio 7.5 in 2009 and produced by Herman Miller
The Setu desk chair is shaped for people; a true example of inspiration through observation. A unique combination of flexibility and strength meets the demands of more collaborative workplaces while the dematerialized spine bends and flexes as you do.
More structural element than textile, the finely tuned Lyris 2 elastomeric material creates Setu’s one-piece seat and back. The woven suspension adapts to your sitting bones, providing contouring comfort as well as aeration to keep you cool.
YouTube SETU video by Herman Miller
4-ReGeneration
By Formway Design in 2011 and produced by Knoll
Innovative in its simplicity, ReGeneration minimizes materials and components. The straightforward design leverages flexible, durable, and sustainable materials that respond to your movements, providing comfort and support throughout the day.
ReGeneration gives you the comfort and support you need as you move about your day without interrupting your workflow.
With simple, minimal adjustments and responsive performance, ReGeneration supports the body’s natural tendency to move, promoting comfort and freedom of movement with three key features.
Clean lines, streamlined components, make this desk chair one of the most popular in the marketplace.
5-Elusion
An affordable in-house designed office chair option by Alera
Ergonomic design adjusts to fit multiple users. Cool, breathable mesh back. Contoured seat cushion with waterfall edge to help relieve pressure on legs. Height- and width-adjustable arms with soft polyurethane pads. Five-star base with casters for easy mobility.
Youtube ELUSION video by Alera
6-Eames Management
By Charles and Ray Eames in 1958 and produced by Herman Miller
Equally classic and contemporary, the Eames Aluminum Group Management Chair is lithe, with a graceful silhouette, and, because the Eameses never favored style over substance, has an innovative suspension system that creates firm but flexible support.
The Eames Aluminum Group, introduced in 1958, was named for the aluminum side ribs, which hold the one-piece seat-back suspension taught to create a body-welcoming “sitting pocket.”
6-Eames Management With Soft Pads
In 1969, Charles and Ray added individually upholstered, two-inch-thick cushions to enhance the comfort of this office chair. This version is called the Eames Soft Pad Management Chair.
7-Eames Molded Plastic with Wire Base
By Charles and Ray Eames in 1950 and produced by Herman Miller and Vitra
Made with a completely recyclable polypropylene, this durable version of the classic Eames Shell Chair has a subtle, matte texture and, like all shell chairs, a simple, gracious form that fits any body and every place.
The wire base, nicknamed the “Eames Eiffel” after the recognizable Eiffel Tower shape, is a clean and simple iteration of the classic.
*The ‘shell’ of the armless version of this Eames side chair is now produced in molded wood as well.
7-Eames Moulded Plastic with Dowel Base
The Eames Moulded Plastic chair is also produced with a dowel base. The wooden dowel legs add sophistication and warmth to this staple of modern living.
8-Tulip
By Eero Saarinen in 1957 and produced by Knoll
With the Tulip seating collection, Eero Saarinen vowed to eliminate the “slum of legs” found under chairs and tables with four legs.
The Saarinen Tulip seating collection consists of an armchair and an armless chair with a swivel or fixed base.
9-Brno
By Mies van der Rohe in 1930 and produced by KNOLL
Designed by Mies van der Rohe in 1930 for his renowned Tugendhat House in Brno, Czech Republic, the Brno Chair reflects the groundbreaking simplicity of its original environment.
The Brno Chair, an icon of 20th-century design, is celebrated for its lean profile, clean lines and meticulous attention to detail.
*The Brno Chair is produced in both flat bar steel and structural steel tubing.
10-The Chair
By Hans Wegner in 1949 and produced by PP Møbler
‘The Round One’ as Wegner referred to it with his usual provincial modesty, is one of the most famous Danish pieces of furniture – certainly the most distinctly Danish.
In its own modest and simple way, it sums up the very essence of traditional Danish woodworking and design philosophy. And it is absolutely the most important work of Hans J. Wegner.
When John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon met in the first-ever televised election debate in 1960, they sat in the Round Chair. It was chosen mainly for its comfort and genuine quality – made in Denmark and shipped to the USA to play an important role in this historic event.
Exported to America, it is now known there simply as The Chair.
To Live Large note: If you need back support while working at your desk, we do not recommend The Chair.
Desk Chair Takeaway
The best home office desk chair depends on your priorities and the amount of time you plan to be seated at one time.
In 1994 the Aeron Chair by Herman Miller brought a new precedent to the marketplace for an office desk chair with its breathable and flexible mesh design.
Since 1994, the industry as a whole has built upon the success of the Aeron Chair, and the Cosm office chair is one of its distant and effective offspring.
If you do not plan to be seated more than a few hours in your home office at one time, then many classic side chair designs should be considered due to their timeless quality of design.
Home Office Desk Lamp Ideas
See 10 desk lamp ideas for your home office HERE.
YouTube
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