We often underestimate the importance of a great office chair. When in reality we really shouldn’t. We spend the majority of our day sitting on chairs, whether we’re working in our home office or a corporate one. Hence, this piece of furniture needs to be not only comfortable but ergonomic, and aesthetic as well. And we’ve curated a collection of chair designs that meet all these criteria! From a task chair that is made using 70% recycled materials to a fortune cookie-inspired wooden work pod – these innovative chair designs are not only a boon to your back, and help you maintain a healthy posture, but are also super comfy to sink into, and will perfectly match the interiors of your modern office. Enjoy.
1. The Coffin Office Chair
Shaped like a coffin, this intriguing-looking wooden chair perfectly represents your emotions for your dead-end corporate job. This chair was designed for those who are completely fed up with their jobs!
Why is it noteworthy?
This conceptual coffin chair captures all the dreaded emotions employees experience throughout their workday. It represents the doom and boredom one feels as they sit through another pointless meeting that could have been an email!
What we like
- Inspired by Rene Magritte’s painting titled The Balcony (1950)
- Perfectly captures the feeling of having a dead-end job
What we dislike
- There’s no cozy cushioning to get comfy in
2. The Sphere Office Chair
The Sphere Office Chair was designed by Japanese furniture brand Okamura and is a sleek and good-looking office chair made using recycled fishing nets that were salvaged from the ocean.
Why is it noteworthy?
The Sphere Office Chair features a “3D physical fit shell” with a kinematic structure that effortlessly adapts to the contours of the user’s body. This allows the users to sit for long periods of time on the chair without feeling any discomfort or fatigue.
What we like
- The chair adapts to the contours of the user’s body, making it super comfy to sit for long periods of time
What we dislike
- The aesthetics of the chair are quite similar to other office chairs on the market
3. The Liberty Ocean Chair
The Liberty Ocean Chair is designed by Humanscale, and as its name signifies, was built using one kilogram of abandoned fishing nets found in the ocean.
Why is it noteworthy?
The Liberty Ocean chair range claims to be “first task chairs made from recycled fishing nets”, and is a brave and commendable effort on the part of Humanscale to tackle the evergrowing issue of ocean plastic.
What we like
- Claims to be the first task chair made from recycled fishing nets
- Ergonomic and minimal
What we dislike
- The aesthetics of the chair are quite similar to other office chairs on the market
4. The Nouhaus Ergo3D
This brilliant high-back seating chair isn’t your average ergonomic chair. It features a 3-segment backrest, dynamic lumbar support, 4D adjustable orbital armrests, and a class-4 hydraulic gas-lift main pillar, and is called the Nouhaus Ergo3D.
Why is it noteworthy?
This high-back chair looks like an interesting modern throne, and features a 3-part backrest that conforms to the shape of your spine, providing you with support and comfort via the company’s unique ‘Just-For-Me’ Lumbar Support System.
What we like
- Conforms to the shape of your spine
- The adjustable headrest cushions your cranium through the day
What we dislike
- No option for personal customization
5. The NEWTRAL MagicH
Called the NEWTRAL MagicH, this intelligent and ergonomic chair features an auto-following backrest, and its partner, the auto-following and adjusting headrest.
Why is it noteworthy?
These spring-loaded components contract when you’re sitting back or reclining, but they expand to give support to your back and neck once you start to lean forward. The chair provides support to your body, irrespective of which position you’re sitting in, offering you the ultimate working experience.
What we like
- Provides support to your body and avoids injuries
What we dislike
- The armrests, while highly adjustable, are not removable.
6. The Peacock Chair
Dubbed the Peacock chair, this unique-looking chair is designed to eliminate distractions and noise during work and help employees maintain a better work/life balance.
Why is it noteworthy?
From the name itself, this chair has a peacock-like shroud that will give a signal to the people around you and also give you a sense of privacy and temporarily put away the noise around you. When the peacock’s “feathers” are up, obviously the one sitting on the chair wants to be left alone to focus and work or read or have some sense of peace.
What we like
- Dampens the noise around you
- Gives you a sense of privacy
What we dislike
- There are similar products on the market
7. The Nice Chair
Designed by Ali Shoieb, the Nice chair is designed to be a ‘disassembled chair’. Space-consuming furniture is the bane of tiny modern-day apartments with space constraints. Hence, Shoieb wanted to design a furniture piece that does not occupy too much space and can be assembled and disassembled with ease.
Why is it noteworthy?
The minimal wooden chair can function as an ordinary chair to sit on, or even a rocker that can be moved back and forth. The rounded bottom edges of the Nice chair allow it to rock back and forth, creating a harmonious lull that could guide anyone to fall asleep. On, the other end, you can slide in a tabletop between the ridges on the arms of the chair, transforming it into a convenient space to work in.
What we like
- Multifunctional furniture design
What we dislike
- There is no way to stop the chair from rocking while working
8. The 5° Chair
The 5° Chair is an office chair that can rotate at 360-degree angles, lean back and forward, and tilt from side to side. The chair was designed by Seoul-based design firm 250 Design and is a comfortable and ergonomic seating option.
Why is it noteworthy?
The chair’s seat plate cozies up to and hugs your hips for support from the bottom, with added cushion for comfort. Similarly, the backrest plate forms the shape of your back to bolster your posture and encourage an upright spine. The 5° Chair’s legs are reinforced in the core with angled wave springs that can tilt in any direction, while the chair’s spindle can lean from side to side, 5 degrees from its center point. The rotatability of the 5° Chair allows it to adjust to your body’s natural movement, offering support from every angle.
What we like
- Adjusts to your body’s natural movement
- Embedded wave springs provide the chair with stationary mobility
What we dislike
- Does not feature wheels, so isn’t a portable design
9. The Fortune Chair
Designed by Hyeyoung Han and Hanyoung Lee, the Fortune Chair is really a mix between a bean bag, chair, and a pod, and it also happens to look like a fortune cookie. Much like its name suggests, the Fortune Chair is, in fact, inspired by a fortune cookie.
Why is it noteworthy?
Once you crack upon a fortune cookie, which is a pretty exciting process by itself, you’re rewarded with an inspirational little note that provides you a sneak peek into your future or gives you some cliche motto to live by. Although the experience is quite old-school now, there’s no denying that it’s quite fun and amusing as well. And these are the sentiments that the designers wanted to capture in their chairs.
What we like
- The chair includes a fortune cookie-inspired wooden outer wall, which functions as a covering frame that surrounds the user. This outer wall creates a cozy, comfortable, and private space for the user to sit in
What we dislike
- The chair may not complement the aesthetics of modern contemporary offices
10. uuma
Called uuma, this portable table and chair combo is built from fiberglass and provides the unit with much-need portability and durability. It is a customizable furniture unit that is made up of 4 parts that are modular.
Why is it noteworthy?
With the umma, you can have a comfortable seat that can raise or lower on demand and can be clipped open to reveal a height-adjustable table. This table and chair can then be equally comfortable whether you choose to place it outside or inside in your home office nook. This means, with uuma you can work wherever and whenever you can find the right motivation and creativity you need for your work.
What we like
- Can be used in multiple settings both indoors and outdoors
- Highly portable and durable
What we dislike
- The design may not be very ergonomic or comfortable to work on for long hours
