Academic Equipment: The Chair
When you sit down to do your work, on what do you sit?
I realize that is worded like a riddle or a kid’s joke, but it’s not intended as that.
Rather, it’s just the second installment in an occasional series about the things academics tend to use—the tools, equipment, accessories, and other products we need (or want) for our work. This one is about chairs and other forms of seating. (The first one, a couple of months ago, was on work bags.)
The Libro Chair by Gruppo Designer Associati Milano
Do you have a particular chair, or type of chair, you use and would recommend to others? Or one that you’ve looked into and would like? Do you prefer one kind for the office and another at home? Do you prefer different types of chairs for different types of tasks (say, one for writing and another for reading)?
Perhaps you forgo the traditional chair and opt for a stool, or a sofa (in the office?), or something like this. Tell us about it (and include links, if you’d like).
Maybe you skip sitting altogether and work at a standing desk; if so, save that for a future installment on desks.
Your seating suggestions, based on your experience, shopping around, or even wishing, are welcome, as are criticisms or warnings about certain chairs, as well as questions about them for others.
This is a crucial question. I firmly believe in minimalism for chairs and other office accessories because it fosters a clear, uncluttered mind. In philosophy, our goal is to penetrate the surface and explore the pure, simple ideas beneath the layers of complexity and confusion. Sitting on an elaborate or overly complex chair, with its myriad settings and features, would contradict this philosophical vision. Therefore, I prefer a simple white Ikea chair. Its straightforward design and functional simplicity align perfectly with the minimalist aesthetic, and the color white symbolizes theoretical purity, reinforcing the clarity and focus essential to philosophical inquiry. https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/gunde-folding-chair-white-60217799/?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADqyA2NevZkiyOO0rqRq5wlTiVrFU&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkdO0BhDxARIsANkNcrfDmJk9UtowCmXojysj5j5dvaC0RP-XEXqQSfN3zXdETyGFszWXLMQaAgKDEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
I recently upgraded to a Branch Ergonomic Chair. It is much more comfortable than the cheap office chair I used previously, and has improved my posture and back/neck pain.
I got one of these, too, not long ago, for use in my home office. It’s a very good chair, and less expensive than many others of its type. I’m quite happy with it. Link: https://www.branchfurniture.com/products/ergonomic-chair?pb=0
At work I have an old Steelcase Leap, which is great, but I did not have to pay for it myself.
I’ve been tempted to get a small sofa for my office at the university, but I cannot get myself over the hurdle of how it may appear to both students – I’m a man and don’t want to give off the wrong vibes, if you know what I mean – and colleagues – I don’t want my fellow profs or chair thinking I’m sleeping on the job. Profs who have sofas in their offices: Have you had these concerns? How have you dealt with them? Are they silly?
My mid-career colleague has *only* sofas in the office, and they are known for hard-working and productivity! Definitely no judgment there.
I’ve had this exact concern myself!
I have a sofa in my office *specifically* for sleeping on the job and I’m quite happy to admit to it. Powernaps improve productivity!
I have a sofa in my office. But it’s complicated.
I have a desk, with a chair. Nobody sits in it except me. This part of my office is separated from the rest by double-sided chalkboard.
In a different part of my office (yes, my office is big: 15×15), I have a set-up for meeting students. There’s a faux-oriental carpet from Ikea that helps to define this space. My sofa is there, and it’s for guests. Across from the sofa, with a small coffee table in between, is the chair where I sit when talking to guests.
The sofa is closer to the door than my chair is–so guests don’t have to get past me to get to the door. The point is to make students or other guests feel like they aren’t trapped. I mean, I hope they would never feel that way! But the set-up is intentional.
Do I sometimes use that sofa when I’m alone and the door is closed? I will not deny it. But when you come into my office, what you think is “meeting space” not “nap space.”
I like the David Hume Chair. A leather chesterfield “chair conceived as an island devoted to reading, rest and relaxation. The chair’s contours invite the eye to wander along its sinuous pathways, offering both aesthetic pleasure and a promise of ergonomic comfort.” Click my name to see it.
The same company sells a George Berkeley chair, a John Stuart Mill chair, and a Francis Bacon sofa. I’ve added their Ralph Waldo Emerson bed to my birthday wish list. It can be had in size large for a mere $30 625.00. https://fleminghowland.com/products/david-hume-leather-chesterfield-chair/
This company is really missing out by not offering a sofa bed named after Hegel. The perfect synthesis of couch and bed! Also, I assume the “Cromwell” is named after Oliver Cromwell in which case it is an outrage and a slander. What kind of self-respecting Puritan is going to own much less sit on a chair that comfortable and decadent? The “Cromwell” should be a straight backed wooden chair with no padding. Like this bad boy:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/john-calvins-chair
This Nietzsche chair rules. https://www.costco.com.au/HARA-CHAIR/Hara-Chair-Nietzsche-2H-V/p/53342
OK but after you’ve awakened from your dogmatic slumber in the Hume chair, you need the Kant stool:
https://www.italiacollezione.com/kant-stool-casamania
It “blurs the line between art and nature”
I use an old oak office chair from the 1930s, both at home and in my office on campus. They’re solid, they’re comfortable, they swivel, they tilt, and you can find them for $10 at a surplus store.
Steelcase Leap – expensive but completely worth it, fits almost all frames (5′ – 6’4″), and is very ergonomic.
I love this chair! We have two in our home, and we got them for about half the standard list price by ordering them remanufactured from a Michigan company called Crandall Office Furniture (https://www.crandalloffice.com/). Highly recommend them for customer service and quality.
I have chronic lower back pain that is exacerbated by sitting. My discs are messed up between L3 and L4 and L4 and L5. I’m sure many of you can relate.
I have never found a chair that I can sit in without pain. I prefer to recline or stand, as I have no pain in those positions. However, if anyone has a specific desk or reading chair recommendation for these specific problems, I am eager to read them. It’s much easier to do certain kinds of work while sitting.
Seconding Amanda on the Steelcase Leap.
The Human Scale Freedom Chair uses minimally adjustable passive ergonomics, and looks cool.
Both of these would be worth a thought for those with back pain, Ian.
In my opinion, and that of some ergonomics people I’ve talked to, chairs with mesh seats, like the Aeron, are not great choices for back pain: insufficiently supportive.
I’ve used all 3, and currently have Leap at home and Freedom at work. YMMV
Here’s an instructive article on back treatments:
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/8/4/15929484/chronic-back-pain-treatment-mainstream-vs-alternative
Note that ergonomic seating is a work safety issue: so you may have leverage with procurement, esp. if you have documentation of issues like back pain.
Madison seating is an online vendor that has unusually good prices on high end chairs. Fair warning: they may be “grey market.” Delivery times long, and customer service limited, but savings worth it, IME.
People contemplating couches at work may wish to check with their supervisor; some institutions frown on them for spaces used for meeting with students.
Comfy chairs like Barcalounger work for snoozing, and may appear more professional.
I keep a rolled up yoga mat in my work office. Works for snoozing and busy day workouts, and keeps the naps short.
There are tons of horrible reports about Madison seating (and their affiliates, which are all based in Elizabeth, NJ); different chairs arrive than what was purchased, chairs are broken, dirty, etc. I don’t care about grey market, but after reading all the bad reviews, I decided to look elsewhere.
I’ve bought several chairs from Madison Seating. As I intimated, they are not a “white glove” vendor, and I wouldn’t be surprised by some headaches. For me, the savings, 50% off or more, was worth it. For others, plus hundreds of dollars for a better customer experience might be money well spent.
FYI, there are “prime day deals” today at Amazon on the Steelcase Leap and Branch Ergonomic chairs. Links:
I’ve had this chair from Ikea for five years now. Turns out it’s also really good for napping in, if you’re a cat. https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/langfjaell-conference-chair-gunnared-green-grey-white-s99567329/
After a couple of decades with an old wooding dining chair, I finally upgraded to a Steelcase Leap when I found one for $5 at the local Goodwill. While the minimalism of my wooden chair might have been aesthetically pleasing, my aging body cares not a whit about that and prefers the comfort and support of my new chair.
I recently got for father’s day a chair back massager and oh… my life works
In a broad sense of ‘chair’: I find standing (sometimes walking) more efficient than sitting for thinking philosophy, so I envy one of my professors, who has a treadmill in his office (and of course, the space for that).