If you've been out looking for the "perfect" office chair, you'll soon realize there are many factors to consider before taking the plunge. We know some people hate Aerons, some prefer mesh fabrics, and some just need plenty of options to look at before making the decision. But before throwing down hundreds of dollars, make sure you consider these 3 important factors...
The Office Stylist suggests:
1. Comfort 2. Look/Design 3. Price
"Comfort, for most people will be number one but depending on your budget and design, other factors will matter after that. My top two places to find stylish, affordable office chairs are IKEA and West Elm."
Personally, we avoid IKEA office chairs like the plague (due to cheap materials, bad ergonomic design, and cheap overall aesthetic), but we're sure their prices will he hard to beat compared to the more pricier options (like the Humanscale Freedom chair seen above). Usually, after you hit the $1000 mark, you're only looking for fancier finishes and fabrics that may be considered a mere luxury rather than contributing to proper ergonomics.
What do you consider when purchasing an office chair? Is there a "right" price tag for proper comfort? Let us know below!
[Images: Humanscale]
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Not sure why the the bad mouthing for ikea. Maybe the 20 dollar chairs aren't suitable, but certainly their higher end chairs are great.
I have and LOVE my Markus chair: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00103102
It looks great, and its SO damn comfortable. Its also been in several of the featured offices on the site.
I see it as a game of tug and war where comfort and style battles what you can afford. When I am looking for a new office chair I try to keep in mind that I spend about 40hrs a week sitting in the same chair so the comfort part of it is really important. I don't want to spend more money getting the kinks out of my back because I decided to cheap out on the thing that I spend so much time using. It's like your bed in my opinion you should have a comfortable bed.
I lucked out when I moved to Dallas last year in 2010 and found a Herman Miller Mira chair at a resell furniture shop called Again & Again for about $150 when the chair normally costs about $800.00.