Ergonomic WFH chair with playroom vibes

June 14, 2022 8:02 AM

Now that I've been working from home for 2+ years, perhaps it's time to get a comfortable chair. Bonus: I'm moving my workspace into our about-to-be-completed basement that will be a combo workspace/playroom/hangout room, and would like a chair that fits the vibe.

I'd like to keep this purchase as inexpensive as possible with the requirements, but seeing that my official schedule will eventually be remote 3 days a week, I'd like to get something truly comfortable.

I also tend to need to prop my feet up as I (female) am average height but with a longer torso, so my legs don't comfortably reach the ground if I'm at the correct height for my desk. I am also currently pregnant, and eventually will be pumping in the space.

For style/color:
--I have this desk, and it will be coming downstairs with me (while legs/light wood surface).
--The wall I'll be facing (accent wall) is a dark true blue (Georgian Bay).
--The remaining walls are a light/medium fun blue in the same color family (Resolute Blue).
--Carpet is a cream/beige herringbone pattern, inspired by this one but a bit darker.
--Trim/accents/doors/built-ins at the other end are all in white.

posted by DoubleLune to Shopping (7 answers total)

The Swopper is not for everyone, although I've been enjoying the multiple degrees of freedom to bounce, twist, sway and pitch for many years. It's about the most playful chair I've ever used (check out that giant spring!) and has a wide range of height adjustments. In a previous office I used it with a foot rest (and foot pedals).

My partner uses the HÅG Capisco Puls, which is also super adjustable and is also very weird looking so that you can sit on it in many different orientations. It has a built in foot rest, although I don't find it as comfortable as they do.
posted by autopilot at 8:26 AM on June 14, 2022

The Swopper and the Capisco are both on Fully, which I think is probably the sort of selection you’re after. I’d caution you not to get too wild, or at least to be ready to return them; my wife wanted a WFH chair that was a little out there but after two tries (kneeling and saddle) went for something much more traditional (although brightly colored). Or give something wild a shot; supply chain delays aside, what do you have to lose!

The reach-the-ground thing should be remedied with a separate footrest for ideal ergonomics.
posted by supercres at 8:57 AM on June 14, 2022

There’s also chairs like this that I keep getting instagram ads for (and will continue to now that I’ve clicked on the website) that are supposed to be really versatile.
posted by supercres at 8:59 AM on June 14, 2022

Personally, the weirdest... and the most playful chair was the BeYou chair that was on both KS and IGG. You can "transform" the chair so you can sit on it 10 different ways. However, it's STILL in pre-order and won't deliver until October.
posted by kschang at 9:10 AM on June 14, 2022

I have a Fully Tic-Toc rocking stool (adjustable, I pad it with a Purple sitting cushion on most days), and I ADORE IT
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 9:28 AM on June 14, 2022

In the end, it depends on your ergonomic needs and your need for "playfulness". I generally find that most office chairs are bland black or beige or gray, and it's the "gaming chairs" that comes in brighter colors. But those chairs vary in quality greatly, and you pretty much have to pay a premium to get the ones that would last, and often, those are the companies that have the most size, material, and customization options available.

Your feet problem can be solved either by an adjustable desk that you can change the height on, or a foot rest. Foot rest is obviously cheaper. :D And you can probably get a foot massager instead!

I personally bought a refurb Herman Miller Aeron. Which, while a bit expensive, so far was built like a tank and will outlast ANY of the previous office chairs I bought.
posted by kschang at 9:43 AM on June 14, 2022

I work for an architecture firm and we have Aeron chairs in the office, which are great. I brought mine home at the beginning of the pandemic but eventually we were supposed to take them back. With this in mind I took advantage of an opportunity offered by our interiors dept to get an alternate chair using our discount. It was the SitOnIt Seating Hexy Chair. Once I received the chair, I spent time sitting on both of them and found I actually liked the Hexy better than the Aeron (I also use Purple seat and back cushions for maximum ergo).

The nice thing about the Hexy is it has a lot of color options, so you can have a nice ergonomic chair but with fun color combos.
posted by Preserver at 7:14 AM on June 15, 2022