A Guide to office chairs

Buying an office chair sounds like an easy task… until you start looking, that is. There are so many options at so many different price points that it can become quite overwhelming. We‘ve put together a guide to office chairs to help demystify office chairs once and for all.

Posture chairs

Posture chairs are highly adjustable chairs that when adjusted correctly for the user, provide ultimate support enabling the user to maintain a good posture. That makes these chairs perfect for people such as admin assistants who spend a long time in their seats. Often, posture chairs are referred to as ergonomic chairs. They will usually have a headrest option and will give users the capability of tilting the seat, varying the depth of the seat from the back rest to suit thigh length, changing seat height and armrest height and sometimes even include a lumbar support which can be adjusted up, down and to be stronger, according to the user’s preferences.

Mesh office chairs

Mesh office chairs have a mesh fabric, rather than a more traditional upholstered seat and back. Mesh office chairs offer structured support with some give, but are also extremely breathable so you don’t get sweaty legs that can result from leather or faux leather chairs.

Conference and meeting room chairs

Conference and meeting room chairs are designed for convenience and style. Meeting room chairs are designed to be stowed away beneath a table and don’t have the adaptability options of other office chairs. Typically, conference rooms are used by third parties too, so conference chairs do tend to have an element of style which can make any conference room look modern and clean – perfect for making a good impression on visitors. There is a wide variety of design and cost when it comes to conference and meeting room chairs. You can get a simple banqueting chair for around £46+VAT or a more stately bonded leather chair for just under £200.

Executive chairs

Our executive chairs tend to have a back fixed to the seat and, as such, to be less adaptable. However, as the name suggests, executive chairs are designed for executives who tend to be in and out of meetings more often, thus they naturally adapt their seating and seating posture regularly. This means executive chairs don’t need to be as adaptable as the posture chairs we mention above. The benefit of this is that executive chairs tend to have cleaner lines than operator chairs or posture chairs, making for a more stylish look.

Executive chairs still have standard adaptation capabilities for comfort though, including seat height adjustment and arm height adjustment options. Often, they will also have a backwards/forward tilt function too.

Task and operator chairs

Posture chairs can be extremely expensive, and for those businesses where staff turnover is fast, shifts are short, or maybe simply can’t afford posture chairs for all of their staff, operator chairs, also known as task chairs, offer a versatile but less costly option.

Operator chairs are more adjustable than executive chairs but take up less space making them a perfect solution for multi-station desk banks or areas where space is otherwise restricted. They usually have adjustable features, but not necessarily the full adaptability options of the ergonomic chairs. As such, they also tend to be much more affordable and, with seat height controls, adjustable armrests, castors and a back tilt control, these operator chairs, usually offer more than enough versatility for most office staff.

All of our chairs are available in a variety of different colourways, and many have fabric options too, so whatever your office needs, you can find chairs that will keep your employees comfortable and look great. For more information on any of our office chairs, please call us on 01295 565001 or chat with our friendly advisors online.