Let’s Talk Office Chairs

We’re getting close to actually finishing up our office, and now we’re down to the point of putting in all the finishing touches that will really take this room to the next level. I still have a few tutorials to share, like the actual desk area, our DIY leather hardware and a few other things, but while I wrap up all of those details, let’s talk office chairs, because it’s still a big unknown.

Deciding on an office chair has easily been one of my biggest hang ups for the room, and I really don’t want to settle on a chair that isn’t right for the space, or comfortable enough for me to actually want to sit and work for long periods of time. I have that problem now with our current office chair. It’s not the right solution and I always get up with a backache, neck ache and a headache. Needless to say, it’s not going into the new office…. I just don’t need all those “aches”.

I’ve went back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth some more. I’ve browsed, I’ve thought about DIY’ing, I’ve considered converting an existing chair, but nothing seems to fit quite right. After taking a good look at the new space, and knowing how I want the chair to function, here’s my list of must have items…

• The chair must be at the right height for the desk. My current chair isn’t quite right and my hands are always angled up on the desk, making me very uncomfortable when I work or type for long lengths of time. Whether it’s an adjustable seat, or just at the right height, I’m fine with either option.
• The chair must be comfortable and provide good back and seat support. It must also be wide in the seat so I have room to move around in the chair. 
• The chair must swivel, be on castors for easy movement, or be light enough to move around. We built the new desk to have two “work stations”. I want to be able to move the chair around with ease. Castors would be preferred, and I know depending on the chair I choose, I can add them to help with this.  
• I’d like the chair to have arms. It feels more comfortable to me when sitting for long periods of time, but I guess this will also depend on the chair. 
• The chair must have good fabric. I’ve went back and forth on this, and specifically because we have cats…. two of them to be exact. I love our kitties, they’re part of the family and I really don’t want to declaw them… at all… but I also can’t have them scratching up my office chair. One of our kitties is waaaay worse than the other, and she likes to get my attention when I’m working by clawing my office chair. It frustrates me to no end, and as much as I don’t want to select the office chair and material based on her, I almost feel like I have too in order to maintain sanity. In the past, I’ve sprayed a cat deterrent in other areas of our home, so I’m going to try that with my current office chair to see if that will stop her bad habit. If you have any experience with this, I’d love to hear about it!

So, with all of that said, my search continues for the right office chair. I’m also not wanting a traditional “office chair”. They just look… bleh. Below, I’m sharing a few options that have caught my attention. I love the way they all look, but it will ultimately come down to the seat height, or the ability to add coasters. As you can see, I’m wanting to go with a gray color, preferably a darker charcoal tone to add some warmth and depth against the white furniture. I’d also love to see a leather chair in the space, but it makes me nervous just because of our kitty…

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The other option I’m still considering, is to have one of my wingback chairs re-upholstered for the space. A few years ago I picked up a great wingback chair at a thrift store and did my best to re-cover it… I finished the chair, but it’s not the best quality job, and I quickly realized I don’t enjoy reupholstering furniture. You may recognize the chair, because it sat in this corner of our living room for a while…

Now, it’s sitting in our basement waiting for me to decide what to do with it. My original plan was to have this chair reupholstered, but my dilemma is the seat height. Even adding castors to the bottom of the legs makes it a smidge too short, which I really don’t love. And then there’s the issue with the back chair legs being at an angle (like most chair legs), making the thought of installing small castors a little wonky. And how well will the castors work with the size of the larger wingback chair? I have my doubts.

There are so many unknowns with that option, I almost don’t know about wasting my time with it, or spending the money to have it reupholstered. What I do like about it, is that I can pick the right material that I think will hold up to the kitty, and also get the exact look I’m going for… but there’s also no guarantees the chair will work for the office purpose. Lots of thoughts rolling around in my ole’ brain and I need to make a decision.

I’d love to have you weigh in with any thoughts or ideas in the comment section!

Here’s to solving this conundrum, and having a comfy office chair!