The types of chairs and seating arrangements for the office are always open-ended questions, there is simply no lack of styles and designs.
From glamorous chairs to swanky functional features, modern designs bring some of the most innovative aspects literally to your work table, ensuring complete comfort with style, even while doing the most boring assignments.
Indeed, you could get a chair with all of the features that you are looking for. But, things can still get a bit tricky when you have to match your chairs with the rest of your office decor, get chairs specifically for long meetings, or get the appropriate one according to the designation.
Not all designs work for executive meetings, and neither will a plush, modern, metal-accented chair be good enough for someone who likes it old-school.
This is precisely why we have prepared the following list of what we think are some of the best types of office chairs you could get right away for your desk!
Check them out right now!
Style
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Industrial-Style Office Chair
The industrial style pretty much defines minimalism with the essence of dynamic professionalism in every sharp line that it reflects through its layout.
These chairs come with an enduring and highly detailed construction that makes them last for a substantial period.
These usually come with an exposed metal frame and straight design lines, which make them stand out in a particular space. But despite all the sharp details, an Industrial-style chair can be just as comfortable as other chairs if it’s got a well-upholstered seat with proper height-adjusting mechanisms going for you.
You could expect these chairs to come mostly in dark to neutral tones that work well with most kinds of decor scenes. The ones with hand-stitched details could be expensive but would be worth the price you pay if you want to turn your chair into the focal point of the room.
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Kneeling Office Chairs
Kneeling chairs are designed to provide you with the maximum comfort possible.
The kneeling desk chairs are strategically designed to reduce the pressure on your spine, enabling you to sit in a neutral position for spinal movements. This makes sure that your lumbar region is relaxed and well-supported throughout the day.
These chairs help you to keep your core muscles fit and improve the circulation of blood in your body, which, in turn, helps you to focus better and work more efficiently.
Kneeling chairs are usually available in several colors and textures. One of the main benefits of these chairs is that they come with a well-padded and extremely well-supported seat that ensures absolute comfort for the user.
The only reason you could say that it isn’t generally kept in the office is its design which may look pretty out of place, for that matter.
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Rustic-Style Office Chair
The rustic-style office chair brings in the true rustic glam with its exposed pine and log construction that is designed to provide you with all the comforts of a modern layout.
A perfect companion for a cabin office, the rustic chair mimics a log construction pretty much like that of a wooden cabin and makes for a charming and calming ambiance for your office decor.
Owing to the solid construction, it goes without saying that the rustic-styled chair is one of the most formidable chairs out there that will easily last a couple of decades.
The benefit of having such a chair is that it comes with the convenience of casters and swivel from contemporary chair designs. You can easily retrieve all your essential items without having to get up.
However, on the downside, these chairs may be extremely heavy and bulky, which may not help you while moving them around.
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Craftsman or Mission Style Office Chairs
The Craftsman-styled chairs are mainly preferred for their traditional designs that make for a dynamic style statement. And although these are not the most functional ones that there are, these look uniquely beautiful, standing apart from ordinary designs.
These could be easily substituted for conventional office chairs and look especially charming in Craftsman-style residences, for that matter.
Craftsman or Mission-style chairs, as they are also known, come with a solid wood construction, sharp lines, and attractive outlines. However, these are generally more expensive than most other chairs and don’t come with wheels or swivel mechanisms.
But these look truly iconic given their luxurious, dark wooden frame with a lighter, neutral-toned but luxurious upholstery.
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Contemporary or Modern Office Chairs
Contemporary or modern designs for office chairs bring in an element of style and fun in an otherwise serious ambiance. Quirky designs in attractive tones can look brilliant and make a unique office decor statement.
Apart from brightening up a severe and dull office environment, you can expect these modern designs to bring you the comforts of a functional layout that is also easy to use.
They may have more exposed metal frames and parts. The seats may be faux leather with an injected foam material for extra comfort.
These could also be made of bright vinyl with colors ranging from bright oranges and pinks to charming neutrals like browns and grays.
Vinyls are easy to clean and provide more comfort than other traditional materials.
Mechanism-wise, these chairs may come with extra supportive parts such as a footrest and reclinable backs to ensure maximum comfort for you.
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Traditional Office Chairs
The traditional office chairs look gorgeous in a home office decor or a spacious office interior. These are often substantially decorative and make for a dignified appeal.
These desk chairs are available in a variety of materials such as expensive wood, metal, and plush upholstered leather seats. They are often kept as the centerpiece or main attraction in a room.
These chairs generally come with the traditional swivel and roll mechanism. This allows you to navigate all around the room to reach important objects and documents while still sitting in the chair.
Additionally, you can expect them to have a pneumatic lift for height adjustments, that lets you have the required height to the desk or table, making the setup more comfortable for you.
These chairs could be called rather ornamental and are typically used for the official rooms and cabins of CEOs, bankers, and managers.
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Transitional Office Chair
The transitional office chairs, as the name suggests, could be called a combination of contemporary and conventional designs.
These provide you with the versatile and charming design of a modern layout, along with the immense comfort of a traditional structure.
Perfect for those who like the straightforward designs of a traditional office chair but still wanna add some fun elements to its appearance, the transitional chair does its bit by providing ample comfort with style.
These come in a wide range of colors and styles, including blacks, neutrals, grays, and even neons. You could also pick from a lot of different textures as well. These come equipped with all the modern mechanisms of convenience like swivel and roll designs, sturdy casters, and height-adjusting pistons.
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Farmhouse or Cottage Style Office Chair
The Farmhouse or Cottage-style chairs come with simple, minimal design in solid layouts without any moving parts.
These chairs come with a beautiful lattice-work with a formidable wooden construction. These are somewhat similar to the Craftsman-style chairs and offer the same, rich dark finishes on itself.
But, although these are some durable, long-lasting chairs, they don’t come with cushions or upholstery which brings the score down for comfort.
Farmhouse or cottage-styled chairs are available in many different styles and finishes and look charmingly different than your ordinary chairs in a given space.
These are also versatile enough to be kept anywhere in the house.
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Mid-Century-Style Office Chair
The Mid-Century style office chair is a bit off the mark than ordinary designs. Although it cannot be entirely called a transitional style of chair, it does come with a combination of a dated layout with a few exceedingly functional, modern features.
It works especially well with modern decor and holds the potential of adding a cohesive look to your office space.
Mid-century styles usually come in shades of grays and neutrals with a wide range of textural variations to choose from. However, it could look out of place real soon if you do not have just the right pieces of furniture to go with it. You could tell that it doesn’t score very high on versatility.
It does come with a functional swivel and caster, along with height-adjusting mechanisms to make it a comfortable and convenient fit for you at work.
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Glam-Style Office Chair
As the name suggests, the Glam-styled office chair is what you’d wanna bring into your working space when you want to turn up that full glam mode high on!
It is starkly opposite to what most office chairs look like and focuses particularly on luxurious styles and plush comfort scenarios.
These are especially highly admired by designers, makeup artists, fashion bloggers, and professionals from the glam industry. However, don’t let that discourage you. No matter which profession you’re in if you wanna get your hands on a high-glam chair, then do so by all means, as it could drastically change the mood and ambiance of the room in a flash.
These do come with a swivel and caster with a hydraulic piston for height adjustments to provide you optimum comfort.
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Tropical-Style Office Chair
The Tropical-style office chair ushers in a beachy, summery feel, making your boring workspace seem like a holiday spot, for that matter.
These are generally made using wicker or wood and Abaca, which makes for a charming design for your office.
The tropical-style chairs are generally pretty comfortable, owing to their lightweight construction and materials. These are well-suited for lengthy meetings, which require you to sit for long hours. You can rest assured that you won’t walk around with a backache when it comes to tropical-style chairs.
These may be available in both swivel and caster variations or sans those.
Desk Chair Features
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Adjustable Height
The settings and mechanisms for height adjustments are one of the major factors to be considered in an office chair. You must be able to adjust the height of your desk chair so that you can be as comfortable while working as possible.
Chairs without adjustable height mechanisms could get increasingly uncomfortable after prolonged hours of sitting. If you’re not able to adjust the height of your chair, then that can lead to backaches and sore muscles.
This happens as a result of your body being in a stiff position all day long, or if you have to strain to see the computer or continuously reach out to objects placed away from you on the table.
Chairs with adjustable height systems can comfortably accommodate people of all heights to be at their most comfortable positions with the height of the desk.
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Proportionate Chairs
When you’re getting a chair for office space, the dimensions and proportions of the same would matter a lot. Each person has a unique shape and size. It will, therefore, be a pretty wrong move if you go for excesses when it comes to the size of your office chair.
While small dimensions will be pretty uncomfortable for heavy-set and large-frame people, extra-large sizes would not be the ideal fit for petite people.
Medium-sized chairs usually do a good job of making most people comfortable owing to their versatile designs. However, you do have to make sure that the back support is sufficiently tall so that it provides optimum comfort to its users.
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Ergonomic Chairs
The traditional, straight-backed chairs are slowly becoming pretty much outdated even for old-school people, for a legitimate reason. They aren’t as ergonomic as modern chairs can be.
Ergonomic, contemporary designs make your office chair an incredibly comfortable seating arrangement, offering a bunch of impressive features.
Some of these include adjustable height, armrests, footrests, dedicated lumbar support, an efficient swivel, or a tilting mechanism for maximum support and comfort since you have to be in it for an extensive period.
These also come with breathable mesh and fabric that wicks away sweat and keeps the issues of heating at bay.
And when it comes to designs, there is an unending range of modern layouts that are now available in the market for you.
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Learniture Ballard Series Mobile Tablet Arm Chair with Book Storage
The Tablet Arm Chair comes with an attached writing surface on its arm. These are ideal additions for smaller office spaces and generally do not come with swivels or casters, but instead with hairpin legs.
These are space-efficient options, but given their all-metal body, these may not be the most comfortable choice on the list.
However, the additional writing surface provides some extra support when it comes to having a bit of space for keeping your belongings.
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Wheeled Office Chairs
Chairs with wheels offer the great benefit of moving around in your space without having to get out of your seat.
It often happens that you have to reach out for vital files, documents, or stationary that may not be kept on your desk or table and instead, kept in the cupboard behind you or some other shelf that is not within your immediate reach.
It could be a hassle and pretty frustrating for you to get up time and again to get these things.
But, if your chair has wheels, then you can easily scoot over to the desired place and do the needful.
These also make it easy for you to pull out or push in the chair under the desk every time you leave or arrive at the office.
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Chairs Without Wheels
Although chairs with wheels can make it a lot easier and more convenient for you to move around and work, if you have limited space in your office, then you can opt for chairs without wheels. These are pretty simple to use and keep, and they are the most versatile when it comes to design.
Since you wouldn’t need to move that much in a smaller office, to begin with, you do get a wide variety of such chairs to choose from.
The most common ones could include hairpin legs (to reduce obstruction) or turned legs that look elegant, lattice-work on the back support, and comfortable cushion seats.
However, on the downside, they can be difficult to pull out from under the desk or to move to a different part.
Make sure to go for decent upholstery and the kind of color that matches the rest of the office furniture. Blended in, it can look great anywhere.
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Swivel Chairs
The swivel system in a chair is an exceedingly functional and, not to mention, fun aspect to begin with.
Chairs with swivels enable the user to look in any direction just by giving it a quick spin while sitting in it. It helps you quickly retrieve things or look in the direction of anyone talking to you, even if that person happens to be standing behind your chair.
It also makes for easy movement behind the desk, letting the user have a bit more free space.
And, all who want to have a bit of silly fun, can spin around a bit in their chairs to shake off the boredom of work. No wonder swivel is that one aspect, people hands-down love to have in their chairs!
However, do make sure that the swivel has a control mechanism for your chair. Otherwise, your chair may spin out of control, throwing you off or making you dizzy.
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Chairs Without Swivel
If you are looking for a more classic, streamlined, and precise look, then you could easily opt for an office chair without a swivel. It makes for a powerful appeal.
There is no lack of style and design when it comes to chairs without swivels, as they are simple, traditional chairs as is.
However, to make a bold statement, you could go for the ones made of solid wood in dark finishes or acrylic. You can even choose between faux leather or high-end upholstery, for that matter. These chairs also often come with ornate legs that look simply beautiful.
These can lend a dynamic appeal to the overall decor scenario and make for a unique, individual statement if you get all the aspects right.
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Ball Chair
The ball chair is a new, innovative style of workplace chair that helps the user to move around a bit so that they are not stuck in the same position throughout work hours.
These are inflatable stool-like seating arrangements that encourage movements but, at the same time, come with a top that is strong and stable enough to hold up a weight of approximately 250 pounds, supporting heavy or petite frames easily.
These can be pumped up when they get deflated and are space-efficient enough to be kept in small offices.
Yet, these aren’t the most comfortable on the list, given they lack most of the functional features of modern chairs, for that matter, such as back support, caster wheels, swivel, or height adjustments.
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Exercise Ball Chairs
The exercise ball chairs are somewhat like the standard ball chairs that come with an integrated base. This is more like a yoga or exercise ball, which you may use in your gym or for home workouts.
It is used for strengthening your core, even while sitting and working for a prolonged period. The thing that makes it a viable seating arrangement is a base ring which the “ball” comes with. The base ring keeps the ball from rolling off and maintains a balance for the user, helping them to correct their posture.
However, these aren’t exactly comfortable for working in peace, as you will have to maintain your balance at all times, and perform for workouts than for official work.
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Tilt Control Chairs
It is physically involuntary, normal, and satisfying to lean back on your chair from time to time after a prolonged period of working. People generally do this to catch a few moments of shut-eye before resuming their work, and for that very reason, your office chair needs to have a tilt control.
Chairs with tilt-control systems allow you to stretch those stiff muscles and decompress the spine to release tension.
If you’re using one without tilt control, then it could get increasingly uncomfortable and even severely painful, sitting upright for long hours. Chairs without tilt control can also pose a risk of toppling over if you put too much pressure on them while leaning back.
All of these issues could be solved using a chair with tilt control that takes adequate care of your comfort and is available in many styles as well!
According to various studies, the best office chairs for people suffering from back pain are those that recline 135 degrees or more.
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Lumbar Support Chairs
When you are sitting in one position in a chair for significantly longer hours, you are bound to end up with sore and stiff back muscles, resulting in a lot of pain. And if the chair that you are using doesn’t come with proper support for your lumbar, then the aches could be severe, developing into chronic conditions.
Chairs that do come with lumbar support ensure that you are sitting in the correct posture. These provide well-structured and padded support for your lower back, which is the lumbar region so that you can be entirely at ease and comfortable while working.
While the general tendency is to slouch while working in a chair without a lumbar support, the ones that come with it ensure that your back is kept straight throughout the entire length of time.
These chairs are available in many different styles and look good in almost any working space.
Chair Arm Options
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Armless Office Chairs
Armless office chairs come with all the functions of the modern chair, including hydraulic piston height adjustments and comfy back support.
These are available in many styles, colors, and textures along with the benefits of beautiful, polished metallic frames and plush cushions.
Armless chairs come at a pretty reasonable price than most other chairs. These are also versatile enough to be used in not just the office but in any private or commercial place.
However, a significant disadvantage to such a type of chair is that they come without armrests. If you’re working on a computer for most of the time, then you’d require armrests to relax your hands.
Also, if you hold a lot of meetings or want to have a comfortable seating arrangement for long hours, these won’t be the ideal choice.
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Office Chairs with Fixed Arms
Most chairs come with fixed armrests to provide you with ample support when you need to take a break from continuous typing, writing, etc.
This is one of the main components that define the chair and make it comfortable for the users.
You can get many kinds of styles and designs for a chair that has fixed arms. But, do make sure that the chair that you’re buying comes with armrests that can accommodate your frame comfortably without flaking in size.
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Chairs with Adjustable Arms
Many modern office chairs that are designed ergonomically for the purpose come with adjustable armrests. These allow you to raise or lower the arms of your chair to get you a comfortable position for resting your hands.
These ensure complete comfort for your hands whenever you want to give them a break from working.
However, adjustable armrests only feature modern layouts for office chairs. Unfortunately, you can’t have these in traditional styles.
It comes especially beneficial if you share your desk chair with other users or have difficulty finding one with the appropriate armrest height for you.
Material
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Fabric Office Chair Seats
If you are opting for fabric seats for your office chairs, things would be pretty cozy for you since these score higher on comfort than most other elements for the seats. Fabric or upholstered seats are way more versatile than any other component. These look beautiful, and the range offered for fabric designs is practically endless, to say the least.
Be it intricate detailing or a minimalistic appeal, fabrics will get you the best results any day.
Also, you could easily use fabric upholstered seats for both modern and traditional layouts.
But, the only thing that kills the functionality of fabric is the fact that it can be a huge hassle to clean them frequently and maintain their gloss. You would probably have to spend substantially on getting them dry-cleaned or spot-cleaned professionally.
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OFM Essentials Collection Executive Office Chair
Well, you do not have to think twice when it comes to the durability and finish of the leather. Not only does it look stunning, but it also ensures long-lasting use and foam protection.
Since leather makes a dynamic and strong appeal, it is highly desired and admired as a decor element for professional spaces.
Leather has warm undertones, which help to complement and enhance the effect had by the rest of the components in the room.
One of the main advantages of leather is that it can be cleaned off very easily and doesn’t disintegrate under the onslaught of water and sweat.
However, leather can be considerably expensive.
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Flash Furniture Mid-Back Black Mesh Swivel Ergonomic Task Office Chair with Flip-Up Arms
Mesh seats are way more breathable and lightweight than most other fabrics or materials. These wick away heat and sweat, keeping your seats a lot cooler than standard upholstery or leather chairs. By allowing the circulation of air through the mesh material, a mesh chair ensures the evaporation of moisture that may otherwise cause discomfort or even bacteria. For the same reason, it also keeps the chair from becoming malodorous in any way.
One of the main advantages of mesh chairs is that these tend to comfortably mold to your body structure than other materials. These also come with integrated lumbar support to ensure optimum comfort for the user.
The design of mesh chairs is simple, lightweight, and versatile for any space.
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OSP Home Furnishings Deluxe Wood Bankers Desk Chair with Brown Vinyl Padded Seat
Wooden chairs are some of the sturdiest materials for chairs and can hold up for years. Given the versatile nature of wood, you could get a million designs of wooden chairs out there to suit your requirements.
You could also get several beautiful finishes and stains for your wooden chair. These further come in gorgeous, intricate details for the most part.
However, it could get very uncomfortable to sit on the hard, wooden surface for long hours. In that case, you’d have to buy a separate cushion for the purpose.
Also, wooden chairs generally don’t come with the functional features that modern chairs offer, and that adds to the discomfort of the user.
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Faux Leather Chairs
And if you want to get the high-shine finish of leather without breaking the bank, then you could go right ahead and get yourself some gorgeous faux leather seats for your chairs.
The number of styles and designs that faux leather offers are pretty much uncountable and are stunning, to say the least.
Faux leather will generally come with an injected foam cushion core for the utmost comfort. These can be easily cleaned and come at incredibly reasonable rates, much cheaper than genuine leather.
However, do make sure that the quality is decent as faux leather will wear out much sooner than the original leather, to begin with.
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Vinyl Chairs
Coming next to faux leather, vinyl chairs work exceptionally well to provide you with all the advantages of contemporary layouts and functions.
Vinyl is a comparatively more durable material than most other ones and is easy to clean and maintain.
It is also way cheaper than wood or leather. Vinyl chairs are available in both bright, vibrant colors as well as muted, elegant tones. These also provide ample comfort along with all the conveniences of a modern layout.
The only thing that can be an issue is that these could stain easily with pen inks, markers, or paints. This may require you to off-gas your vinyl chair after you purchase it.
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Plastic Chairs
Plastic chairs for the office do offer some fascinating designs, given the versatility of the material. These can also provide you with the benefits of useful features such as height adjustments, swivels, and casters.
Some durably built models of plastic chairs can go a long way in providing ample comfort and convenience for a sufficiently long amount of time.
The major benefit of plastic chairs is that they are a lot cheaper than other types of chairs and could look charming owing to their modern designs.
But, in all probability, these wouldn’t last as long as chairs made of other formidable materials and work well only for temporary arrangements.
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Can office chairs be recycled?
A lot of materials go into making office chairs. These materials could be difficult to separate from one another when the chair outlives its usefulness. This is why it may not be a very cost-effective method to recycle chairs. Also, you wouldn’t find many recycled chairs on the market, to begin with.
These chairs could be made of materials such as metal, plastic, wood, leather, and fabric. It becomes a tedious job, even for the recycler, to tear the chairs apart and see what materials could be recycled. And, hence, more often than not, they end up in landfill.
However, there may be some used office furniture stores in your area that may recycle used office chairs.
But the better option for the user is to try and donate these, resell or give them away.
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Can office chairs be repaired?
Office chairs can get damaged due to many factors, including heat, sweat, moisture, and mildew. These problems could be solved accordingly, and repairs could be done methodically to rectify these specific issues.
If there’s an issue with any mechanism or metal frame, then it could be expensive to repair.
Depending on the severity of the problem, you can decide whether to repair or replace your office chair.
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Can office chairs be regassed?
No, office chairs can not be regassed. Although one can attempt to do this, the chances are that it wouldn’t work that way. That’s because even if you do not adjust the height all the time, the gas from the cylinder will leak out over time, reducing its functionality.
The seat will then gradually sink to the bottom even if there isn’t anyone sitting on it. Sometimes the gas cylinder of a chair may take as long as ten years to give away completely. And if you are especially fond of, then you could replace the gas cylinder in your chair.
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Can used office chairs be sold?
Used office chairs may be sold. But if the market for used seating in full in your area, then it can be a hassle selling used chairs. In such cases, it may be better to look for a third party to get rid of the items, sometimes at zero charges. At times, finding someone who will spend time and effort to eliminate the furniture may suffice.
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Are office chairs suitable for gaming?
This depends on the type and quality of the office chairs you mean to use for gaming and on personal preference. Some might say these may be uncomfortable, but then some may have a different opinion.
The best option will be to test these out for yourself. Apart from good looks, comfort should be the major factor at all times.
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How tall are office chairs?
The height of office chairs depends significantly on their style and to an extent, on the brand that you’re opting for. However, in some cases, you may find some common “brackets of sizes” for office chairs.
It is difficult to find different sizes since there are so many different options available. For instance, there may be a neck-rest adjustment, along with a high backrest on some chairs.
Office chairs may usually range from 31 to 40 inches overall.
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Can office chairs be reupholstered?
Yes, office chairs can be reupholstered. However, the feasibility of doing that can depend on several factors, such as cost or the emotional value of the chair for the user.
Also, it can take a lot of time to reupholster a chair since the existing upholstery has to be completely removed for it to be upholstered again.
Replacing a worn-out chair could be a more feasible option for some than opting for reupholstering their chair, but that again will depend on personal preference.
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How wide are office chairs?
A standard office chair will have a seat that usually measures between 19 inches and 21 inches.
This will generally accommodate people who are about 5’4” to 6’1” in height.
However, it will depend on the style of the chair and the person’s unique body shape and size, for that matter.
And that was it for our extensive guide on some of the best styles of office chairs you could consider for your desk right now!
We hope you found this guide to be useful and informative enough for your inquiry.
We’ll be back with more such topics real soon!
Till next time!
