Best Home Office Chairs

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Originally published March 29, 2021 and updated November 12, 2023.

Since I work from home and spend many hours a day at my desk, finding the best home office chair was critical. There are several important factors to consider when selecting the right chair and finding a comfortable chair that looks stylish was at the top of the list.

Thanks to Wayfair for helping me finally find the perfect home office desk chair for me. All opinions are always my own.

I’ve never had a real desk chair chosen just for me. Over the years I’ve made due with an endless parade of dining table chairs and have shared a couple of home office chairs that fit my much taller husband perfectly (and didn’t fit me at all).

I finally got tired of making due. My workload has increased and the addition of unruly officemates (my husband working from home and son doing school from home) have necessitated more hours spent at the desk in my office. As a result, I’ve been on a quest for my dream desk chair, a proper office chair, for months now.

I’ve been looking for a modern office chair because my home office is right next to the front door. When you enter our house, you immediately see my office and my desk chair. It’s important to me that what is visible is a stylish office chair and office.

I’m a short(er) person, so finding a desk chair that meets the unique needs of shorter people was critical. Spending lots of time sitting in the chair meant I wanted to find one that would both look good and be comfortable for me. A comfortable home office chair means I can be more productive, which really the purpose of a home office, isn’t it?

What is the best office chair for sitting long hours?

Ergonomic office chairs allow you to comfortably work at your desk. The ergonomic design supports your posture and body while also making it easy to access and work at your desk. There are eight factors to consider when looking for an ergonomic chair:

• Seat Height – Desk heights vary and people’s heights vary, so finding an office chair with adjustable height is usually the best desk chair and computer chair choice. There are standards for seat heights, but it really depends upon your desk height, your height, the length of your legs and what is comfortable to you.
  • Your arms should be even with the keyboard or desk top when bent to allow for comfortable typing and writing.
  • Your head should be looking straight ahead at the computer screen to prevent neck strain.
  • Your feet should touch the ground comfortably in front of you. What is a comfortable seat height varies for shorter people versus taller people. An adjustable seat is a big factor in reducing back pain.
• Breathable – The chair should be made from breathable fabric or breathable mesh. If you’ll be spending many hours sitting in the chair, you want to remain comfortable and cool. A mesh chair is often a good choice for a computer chair or task chair. While leather office chairs look impressive, they may not be the best choice as a desk chair. You should also consider the durability of the materials and look for a high-quality chair that will last.

• Seat Depth – Finding the seat depth that best fits your height and preferences is another critical factor to finding a comfy office chair, especially for short people. The seat depth should allow your knees to bend comfortably while still supporting your legs. Whether the chair has lumbar and ergonomic support, the shape and curve of the seat can also impact finding the best seat depth for you.
• Lumbar Support – Lumbar support is particularly important in a computer chair. It provides support for your spine and posture. It helps keep you from straining your back muscles by supporting proper sitting posture. Adjustable lumbar support in a desk chair is always the best choice because everyone’s needs are unique. With the adjustable support, you can create what’s in effect a custom office chair that fits you just right.
• Wheels – Most of the best office chairs have wheels. This allows you to more easily sit down and stand up from your desk. Wheels allow you to smoothly slide under the desk and find the most comfortable work position in relation to your desk. Chairs with wheels are usually also swivel chairs. This combination provides the best range of mobility and easy movement in a good office chair and works well in small spaces.

• Tilt – A chair that tilts or partially reclines can help relieve discomfort by allowing you to shift and change your sitting position. It’s important to look for a desk chair that allows you to adjust the tilt tension. If you’ve ever sat down in a desk chair and felt like you were going to immediately tumble over backwards, you understand why you need tilt tension. It allows you to adjust how easily the chair leans back so you can set if for your personal preference.
• Adjustable Arm Rests – Arm rests allow for additional support of your arms, holding them in a comfortable position, which relieves the strain on your arms, shoulders and neck. To allow for the most comfortable positioning for your unique needs, look for office chairs with adjustable arms.

• Head Support – A chair with an adjustable headrest can reduce back, neck and shoulder pain by providing additional support. Be sure to check to make sure the head support is positioned correctly for your height. Often the head rest is not designed for a short person, so being able to adjust it for your height and comfort is a necessity.

I am a shorter person and if you’re shorter than about 5’6″, you know how challenging it can be to find the best office chair for your comfort.

Best Office Chair for Short People

Most chairs are designed for people of average height. The chair proportions are not made to match our proportions. So while all the factors discussed above are important to us, we also have some additional factors to consider when choosing a desk chair for short people.

Chair Height – While an office chair with height-adjustable seats is important, I’ve never found an office chair and desk that are both at the right height. Most often, the chair height can be adjusted, but the desk height can’t. This means that if I lower the chair so that my feet comfortably touch the floor, the desk and key board height is much too high to be comfortable. Short people have to find the happy medium between our feet touching the floor and being able to use the desk without shoulder pain.

Seat Depth – I find that seat depth and seat cushion size is critical. I need to be able to comfortably bend my knees so that my feet touch the floor, but I need the seat to be wide enough to allow me to cross my legs. If you’re a short person, you know exactly what I mean. When decorum allows, you often find shorter people sitting with one leg under them or even both legs crossed on the chair as an adaptation to our feet not sitting flat on the floor.

Flat Chair Seat – Because short people often cross our legs while sitting in a home office chair it means that a flat seat cushion that is firm is best. Curved or molded seats, often found on computer chairs, do not allow for crossed legs and so are not the best choice for us. I find that a wide seat with a firm seat cushion is most comfortable.

Desk Chair with Wheels – To accommodate my feet not comfortably touching the floor, I have an additional consideration when it comes to the wheels on my home office chair. I need to be able to comfortably rest my feet on them. I look specifically for spacing that allows me to rest both of my feet on the wheels so that I can raise my chair to desk height and have my feet rest on the wheels rather on the floor (that my feet don’t reach when the chair height is raised to desk level). I specifically check that the seat depth allows me to bend my legs and reach the chair wheels. And, of course, I want a swivel chair to make getting in and out of the desk space easy.

Tall Back – I find that a desk chair with a tall back provides the best support for me. The head rests on most office chairs just don’t fit correctly for short people. The tall back on the chair provides back support while not pushing head and neck at an awkward angle.

Home Office Desk Chairs

Knowing exactly what I wanted and needed in my home office chair, I happily headed over to Wayfair to find my dream desk chair. They have a huge selection of modern designs in office furniture and desk chairs galore.

In addition to all the ergonomic features I wanted, I wanted a desk chair that was stylish and had a simple back. The back of the chair is viewed from the front door, so I want it to have a clean and attractive look.

I was pleased with the large number of chairs available at Wayfair that met my selection criteria. After seriously considering nine other desk chairs, you can see below, I chose the Melyna Task Chair and I couldn’t be happier. And I was able to receive free shipping on my order, which only made my choice even more perfect.

Updated November 2023 – Unfortunately, this chair that I sill love over two years later is no longer available. Here is a similar model and you can see my other choices below.

I’ve been using my gorgeous and comfortable chair for a week now and am ecstatic to report that it meets all my picky requirements and looks gorgeous, too. My dream desk chair is modern, lovely and extremely comfortable. I’ve sat in it for 6-8 hours of work a day and it’s kept me comfortable and productive the whole time. I’m a tough grader and I enthusiastically give my new home office chair an A+++++++++.

Home Office Desk Chairs I also Considered

These are more office chairs to consider. Have fun being inspired!

More Home Office Organizing and Ideas

• Organize Office Supplies at Home
• Home Office Organization Ideas
• Home Office Organizing Products
• How to Declutter Your Office
• Computer Desktop and File Organization
• Office Paper Recycling Bin
• 10 Recycled Office Organizers

Be sure to pin for later so when you’re ready to to find your own perfect home office chair and create your ideal home office and best work environment.

Find all my best organizing tips, hacks, printables and favorite products in the table below. You can scroll though the table and look for ideas or search for specific ideas with the magnifying glass in the upper right-hand corner (on desktop). Click on the topic and then click through the specific article.