Is there a non-rolling, non-swiveling, office chair?

November 25, 2019 3:06 PM

Looking for an office chair, ergonomically suitable/adjustable for a medium size 5'6" woman to sit in for typing at the computer for extended periods. The catch: no wheels, no swiveling. My person has a hard time with balance, and I'm looking for a stable chair with arms that is non-swiveling, non-wheely. Does such a thing exist in the world of office chairs? Or is there a way to hack a regular office chair, e.g. to stop the chair from swiveling?
posted by LobsterMitten to Shopping (14 answers total)

Search for "office guest chairs" or "office side chairs" - those are the chairs that might be on the other side of the desk in a fancy office, and they are general like 4-legged-type chairs. You can add "ergonomic" to that too. Casters are much easier to deal with/remove than the swiveling, probably.
posted by brainmouse at 3:12 PM on November 25, 2019

Do you want it to be height-adjustable? Here's one that's height-adjustable with arms, but doesn't swivel. I think that brainmouse is right that "guest chair" is the phrase to use.
posted by bluedaisy at 3:15 PM on November 25, 2019 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: My reservation about "guest" chairs has been whether they're ergonomically good for longer periods of sitting; it seems like they're generally less-padded, less-supportive, less-adjustable with the expectation that people will only sit in them for a short time. But I'm not super-knowledgable on ergonomic stuff, so that concern might be misplaced.
posted by LobsterMitten at 3:29 PM on November 25, 2019

That's often but not always true. Depending on what type of chair she wants (an aeron-type mesh or an "executive"-type padded leather, or other?) There are options. "Guest" chair really is just the nomenclature that means "has legs". Heck, there's even an actual aeron guest chair.

As with all chairs, it's much much better if she can shop in-person or at somewhere with free returns, and I'm not sure of your price point, but there are a lot of options. Here's a few places to start: Target (good for returnability), Wayfair, Amazon, Zuri Furniture (these guys are *super* helpful if you reach out to them)
posted by brainmouse at 3:37 PM on November 25, 2019 [3 favorites]

Or is there a way to hack a regular office chair, e.g. to stop the chair from swiveling?


I'd try putting some super glue on, around and in the swiveling apparatus. Sure, the chair will never swivel again, but I read this as that being the point.
posted by General Malaise at 3:42 PM on November 25, 2019

Adding Home Depot as another option that could allow for returns.
posted by brainmouse at 3:42 PM on November 25, 2019

You can get a swivel lock as an after market accessory for chairs. You can also replace the casters on many chairs, either with glides or with locking casters. You have to get these in the right sizes to replace the ones on whatever chair you choose, but there are a few standard sizes so you should be able to find a fit.
posted by jacquilynne at 3:47 PM on November 25, 2019 [7 favorites]

Steelcase used to make a lot of these. They have one model, the Cachet,that might work (scroll down on the page, that have versions with no wheels). They're not cheap, but they're well made and pretty adjustable.
posted by jessamyn at 6:00 PM on November 25, 2019

You can also replace the wheels with Stationary Castors on any office chair of your choosing. (but make sure they share the same diameter pin)
posted by nickggully at 6:06 PM on November 25, 2019 [3 favorites]

Another not so cheap option might be a Herman Miller Aeron guest chair. I've seen them locally on craigslist, etc for around $100.
posted by goHermGO at 7:05 PM on November 25, 2019

I'd go to a furniture store and look at dining chairs. Many of them are uncomfortable, but many are also very comfortable for long periods. I think something like this one could be good for a desk chair.

Upon re-reading, you asked for arms as well. In that case, a chair of this sort of styling was pretty standard for desk chairs until we started adding swivels and casters.

Regarding adjustability, if she finds a chair that fits her, does it need further adjustability? Would trying out some chairs in person solve that problem?
posted by hydra77 at 8:42 AM on November 26, 2019

Response by poster: Testing in-person would be ideal, but is tricky for Reasons. If it fits her, then it doesn't need to be adjustable. So maybe I should just be looking at seat heights that are already correct for her -- is the correct seat height just under her knee, when feet are flat on the floor and knees at ninety degrees?
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:52 AM on November 26, 2019

In my opinion, the correct seat height depends on the table, and should be optimized for her upper body to comfortably type/write/whatever on the desk (for me as a shortish-torsoed person, it's basically as high as possible where I can still get my thighs under the desk, otherwise I can't get my arms in a useful position) and then a good, adjustable footrest to deal with the other side.
posted by brainmouse at 12:55 PM on November 27, 2019

Response by poster: Thank you everyone for the suggestions - I'll be looking through these nicer options with her.

Just for the moment, we've gotten the heaviest/stablest "guest chair" with arms they had at the local Staples -- it's the Marco bonded leather guest chair. It's slightly padded and not adjustable, not ideal for long periods of sitting, but she says it works okay for her needs and is great for getting into/out of, very sturdy and stable. So that's a big improvement over the previous situation.
posted by LobsterMitten at 1:43 PM on December 5, 2019