Home Office Furniture – Eco-Friendly Chairs

How to Find an Eco-Friendly Chair for your Home Office Furniture

PLUS: 6 Alternatives to Chairs for Greater Health Benefits

In my last blogs I covered setting up a home office, and finding an eco-friendly desk.  Now that you’ve allocated a space, and got a desk, you’ll need a chair.

The chair is a very important part of your home office furniture.

Spending the majority of your day staring at a computer sounds like it wouldn’t be physically demanding, but it does take a toll on your posture, muscles, and long-term productivity.  This is one area where you should not be afraid to splurge on quality. Once you’re sitting 40 hours a week on a cheap one, you will find the extra money is well worth it, if you are going to buy (new or used).

Find a chair that is ergonomic, with good lumbar support, and adjustable to fit you.

Look for models made mostly from recycled materials, and in colours and fabrics that are recycled and use non-toxic dyes and glues.  For extra sustainability, look for chairs that are Greenguard or Cradle-to-Cradle (C2C) certified – C2C means “using environmentally safe and healthy materials; design for material reutilization, such as recycling or composting; the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency” and is thought by many to be the gold standard for green certification.

Alternatively, look for more affordable chairs by buying used / reclaimed.  Always check for good lumbar support and an ergonomic design for your home office furniture.

Some people do not even use chairs; consider chair alternatives for greater health benefits.

Chair alternative 1:  the stand-up desk.  You will only need a high stool for occasional use.

Home Office: Kneeling Chair
Home Office Furniture: Kneeling Chair

Chair alternative 2:  If standing all day seems too difficult, you can at least relieve pressure on your back with a kneeling chair. Kneeling chairs tilt the thighs forward while forcing you to use your shins to support some of your weight. Kneeling chairs typically do not have backrests. The design is meant to improve spinal alignment and reduce lower-back strain.

Chair Alternative 3: the exercise ball.  As one devotee says:  “A ball is more fun and engaging throughout the day than a chair and I hear it is good for your back which feels true enough. I switch between that and a proper desk chair, though—each has its virtue.”  Some exercise ball chairs just look like oversized playground balls, while others have backrests and are attached to wheels.

Chair alternative 4: Another ergonomic variation on the office chair is the saddle chair, which has no backrest and is shaped like a horse’s saddle. Users straddle the chair and sit higher than in most desk chairs, requiring an adjustable desk set to a height in-between a standing workstation and a standard desk. Again, these chairs are designed to reduce lower back pressure. They also force users into better posture, as slouching forward is difficult on a saddle. Split saddle chairs also are available. They are meant to reduce pressure and heat around the genitals, so may be healthier.

Chair alternative 5:  Working in a La-Z-Boy chair may seem less healthy, and certainly less active, than sitting in a traditional desk chair.  However, some people with back pain are only comfortable in a recliner with their feet propped up.  If this is you, consider a rolling desk which can swivel out over the recliner. Recliner workers can also just work on a laptop computer, though experts advise using cushions between the hot laptop base and the lap.

Home Office - FitDesk
Home Office Furniture – FitDesk

Chair alternative 6:  The Fitdesk allows you to get a workout all day at work. It is a combination stationary bicycle and workstation that allows you to surf the web, work or play video games while working out.  It may be a fad device but the concept seems sound.

 

These ideas should make sure that you get a chair that will be healthy for you, and eco-friendly too!

 

See  my next blog for tips on personalizing your home office.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credits:  Office Chair (Zody) by  www.haworth.com   Kneeling Chair from www.OfficeChairAdvice.com    Fitdesk from www.fitdesk.net


Tags

eco-friendly home office, eco-friendly products, green office, healthy, work from home


  • I once read a comedy article that told the story of hoe Egypt invented the chair and got it wrong. The article went on to say that humans have been sitting incorrectly ever since. To sit healthy means good posture and no slouching, just like mom used to say. When I work from home I wish I had a floating screen so I could clean the house while doing work.

    • LOL, there’s probably quite a lot of truth in that! I look at different cultures around the world and how everyone sits differently, obviously we develop different muscles (for me, sitting on floor cushions is hugely uncomfortable), and who’s to say who is right? Definitely no slouching though – yes, mum was right! 🙂 A floating screen for multi-tasking – now there’s a novel idea – I like it! Thanks for sharing!

  • Great information, I have not seen some of those before. Are they really comfortable though? I’ve seen individuals at an office sitting on a big ball all day but I don’t think I could last that long…

    Which chair would you recommend with the most comfort?

    Liz-CoolProducts

    • LOL Liz – I can’t last a day on a ball either! I can do half a day on the kneeler, and I do find that it helps strengthen some of my muscles (even though I’ve seen studies which show the effects are negligible), but I can’t do a full day on it – perhaps I just don’t try hard enough! I end up spending the rest of the day either on an office desk or (if I’m only using my laptop and not writing or using several reference books) then the settee in my living room. My best buy was a wonderful ancient office chair in hardwood and aged leather, it was eco-friendly because it had been used by so many people already, but moving continents is not good for keeping large items. I think everyone is different as regards comfort – the FitDesk would not be of interest to me, for example, but some of my friends think it’s really cool. And I guess ultimately the important part is to get up regularly, stop gazing intently at the computer, and do a little bit of exercise – I’ll be covering that sort of thing in my next couple of blogs. It’s something I need to do a lot more of!
      Thanks for your comments!

  • After working in an office for so many years, I’ve often though about how a fitness program could fit into it. Your ideas bring back alot of memories!

    • Similar to a FitDesk, you can now buy a treadmill with a space for your laptop. All good ideas from a fitness point of view, but like most fitness equipment / home gyms, they often end up on Craigslist, having sat around unused for a long time! 🙂 You’re right though, office workers in general lead lives which are too sedentary. Thanks for your comments!

    • Well, I think it depends upon how you define “keep us fit”. But certainly a standing desk, a ball or a kneeling chair are better for your posture – even if you only use them for part of your working day. Bad posture can impact your overall health, so it’s best to be aware of it all the time. Thanks for your question!

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