When you shop for a chair, what features are must-haves?
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Us Girls..Our Views 
What kind of chair?? Lawn chairs have to be comfy and I like the kind that have the holey fabric so they dry quick. As far as a living room chair, it has to be deep enough so my long legs are comfy!
This kind of depends on what I want the chair for. For my computer chair I need it to swivel and it HAS TO have arms. Rocking is nice too.
If it’s a lay back and relax chair. For watching tv, reading, knitting or napping, I like a nice firm chair. Big like a “man’s” chair. It’s got to recline to an almost laying position and it’s got to have a really comfy but solid head rest. Big arms and enough room to hold my knitting bag next to me in the chair.
This was a good question SKL. I’ve never really thought about this to this extent.
There’s a chair at a furniture store that I occasionally go in to “visit”. It’s on clearance for $1275. I’m waiting for it to be slashed down to about $600, and I’m all over that puppy! It’s one of those massaging chairs… oh, dear god, is it amaaaaazing!!! It’s like getting a professional back/neck massage. I want that chair in the worst way.
Otherwise, like everyone else said, it depends upon the chair. For kitchen, or for when I decide to be musical, it has to be a hard wooden chair with a straight back. I tend to sit up on the edge of my chairs, so it has to be solid. For my computer/office chair, a swivel is a must, as are wheels, arms, and adjustable height. For relaxation/tv watching, I like to kick back, so a “lounger” is good – a big, cushy lounger. If it rocks, I’m totally sold. For reading, I really like a rocking or glider chair with an ottoman, so I can put my feet up.
One thing… no leather. We have a set in our basement that is absolutely beautiful, sooo comfortable – it’s a couch, loveseat and chair. Big, cushy, solid, comfy. But they’re leather!! And if you’re in shorts, man, you stick like glue. And they don’t “breathe” if you’re sleeping on them. So no leather, please.
Well if it’s a lawn chair it definitely has to have a cup holder and leg rests. A regular chair has to be a recliner/rocker and needs to be comfy.
I am not picky when it comes to chairs, sometimes just laying on the floor is the most comfortable spot in the house. We don’t actually have a “computer chair” we either use a kitchen chair or one of those swiss exercise balls when using the desktop comp.
I came up with this question because the chair I sit on all day at my computer broke, and I had to replace it. It is pretty amazing how many different kinds of chairs are out there. I think there may be more chair designs than living humans on the planet.
So here’s what I needed for my work-in-the-bedroom chair, in order of importance:
1) LUMBAR SUPPORT!
2) Affordable.
3) Not huge.
4) Not ugly; a dark color.
5) Swivel, even though the old one wasn’t. People come in and expect to have a long discussion, so always facing the wall doesn’t work, and I have too many achy joints to twist my neck or back for more than a moment at a time.
6) No arms. With the tiny space I have to work with, arms would get in the way.
I ended up with a $40 office “task chair” from Staples. It does the job nicely.
When I used to watch TV, I had the hardest time getting comfortable in any seat. Finally I asked my parents to buy me a half-moon (?) chair for my birthday one year. It’s in the shape of a hollowed-out hemisphere. The reason I like it is that I can rest my back and curl my legs up. I have to have my feet up and my knees bent or I’ll get a backache. I have a chair of similar shape, made of bamboo, in my bedroom. It swivels and I used to sit in it a lot in the morning. I’d look out the window, sip my coffee, and watch the sun rise. Then I’d turn my back to the window and read with the sunlight coming over my shoulder. All of this was done to pleasant music, usually for about 1.5 hours. Need I say that was before I had kids?
I’m actually on the hunt for a new “baseball” chair right now. I have two I have been going back and forth with all season, which both I hate! The one reclines too much and has a foot rest. That’s fine for relaxing, but I do not relax during baseball. I am up and down, up and down. I don’t sit still, especially when Bailey is pitching. I don’t want to recline either when I am watching them play. The other one, is TOO straight up, and very uncomfortable. I need one in between, with 2 cup holder.
When I’m looking for living room chairs, I look at color, comfort, durability, price. I need good lumbar support.
#1 Comfort #2 Style #3 Price
Ditto.
As with most of my furniture in my house it must be free! I think the only pieces of furniture I actually bought were a bookcase and my oldest daughter’s bed. Everything else has found its way to me from someone else!