The office chair you use every day can make you love work or hate it. It can be the difference between your body getting a break and your body breaking down. However, it is an important part of the office that often gets overlooked because of traditional office chairs. This is ironic because an office chair plays a vital role in a person’s productivity. The ability to recline and place your body in a nearly horizontal position can help you physically and mentally. When you find the best reclining office chair, your body will benefit from improved circulation, pressure relief, and have complete body support.
This complete guide is designed to answer any question you may have about reclining office chairs. We will be looking at how to choose a reclining office chair, benefits of a reclining office chair, importance of ergonomics and maintaining a neutral spine and the problems with traditional office chairs.
Best 10 Reclining Office Chairs
| Product | Brand | Material | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swivel Armchair Recliner and Footrest Stool | Giantex | PU Leather | 4.5/5 | |
| 8548BRW1 Swivel Reclining Chair with Matching Ottoman | Homelegance | Bonded Leather | 4/5 | |
| High Back Reclining Executive Office Chair | LCH | PU Leather | 3.5/5 | |
| Embody Chair - with Graphite Frame | Herman Miller | Polyester Textile | 4/5 | |
| Combo set with Swiveling Mahogany Wood Base | Flash Furniture | Bonded Leather | 4/5 | |
| Executive Big and Tall Recliner | Merax | Bonded Leather | 3.9/5 | |
| High Back Office Chair with Footrest | Viva Office | Bonded Leather | 3.5/5 | |
| Ergonomic Series Office Reclining Chair | Merax | Breathable Mesh Fabric | 3.5/5 | |
| Swivel Office Recliner & Ottoman Set | Merax | PU Leather | 3.5/5 | |
| Executive Reclining 8902-D01 Office Chair | Glamour | PU Leather | 4/5 |
How to find the Best Office Chair - Need to know points!
When examining an office chair there are two categories that need to be looked at.
The first category revolved around technical components of the chair. These include mechanisms, height, durability, ergonomic design (back support, headrest, footrest etc.), and size.
The second category is focused on the aesthetic components of the chair. These will determine how your chair fits in your office; how does it complement your office? Does it have the appropriate upholstery? Does it have the appropriate color and pattern? Although these factors are not as important as the technical ones, they will be the ones to guide your decision.
Technical Components
Tilt & Return: Taking a quick break can help improve productivity because it allows the brain and body to gather itself and rest. By tilting back and relaxing, you will provide a much-needed break for your body that traditional office chairs don’t provide. An office chair that gives you the ability to tilt back and then quickly return to the upright position is much easier to use than one with multiple adjustable levers or knobs.
Headrest: A supportive headrest can help reduce any neck and should pain you are experiencing. You will be able to work on projects for longer periods of time because your neck isn’t tightening up and causing a headache or general tension.
Height: Adjustable height control is an absolute! By controlling the height of the chair you will easily be able to find your optimal sitting position.
Tilt: An office chair that gives you the ability to control the tilt angle is most likely prepared to offer adjustable support as well. Reclining angles are tough to figure out, but you would much rather have the ability to choose yours than not.
Armrest: Adequate padding on the arms increases comfort and support while reducing the effects of carpal tunnel syndrome. Having adjustable arms also gives users the ability to feel support from the neck down to the fingertips.
Footrest: Some reclining office chairs include a pop out footrest that provides great support. By raising your feet you can improve circulation and reduce the chance of cramps in your calves and feet. They also provide a natural feeling for when you want to lay back for a quick nap!
Aesthetic Components
Upholstery: Office chairs need to present a sense of professionalism and sleek design in order to maintain a contemporary look. These chairs are usually made of leather, faux leather or bonded leather. It best to avoid reclining chairs that are upholstered in different types of fabric because they present a more casual, living room style vibe. Although, this may work great for doctors’ offices or one-on-one personal sessions. Lastly, focus on chairs that have clean lines as chairs with multiple lines don’t go well with increased padding.
Color: This is a personal choice but most professional reclining office chairs are black, silver or brown. These colors work well with traditional office décor.
Reclining Office Chair Reviews
1. Giantex Swivel Armchair Recliner and Footrest Stool
Details
Summary
This swivel reclining chair is the perfect buy for open office spaces. It is upholstered in high-quality PU leather that wraps over a solid metal frame foundation. The 360-degree swivel provides you full mobility in the office. Furthermore, it is created with a sleek thin design that is modern in appeal and doesn't take up a lot of space in the office. The ottoman is also sleek in construction and comfy for your feet and legs.
As a reclining chair with extremely positive and recent reviews, the Giantex's overstuffed padding, easy to clean upholstery and knob adjustability, which gives you complete control, are why it is so popular.
2. Homelegance 8548BRW-1 Swivel Reclining Chair with Matching Ottoman
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Summary
Next on our list, is a beautiful aged dark reclining chair. We absolutely loved the entire look of this chair, the highlighted dark brown color, carefully crafted button tufting design, and wing-back styled arms. An executive style feeling accompanies this chair, as well as extra padded foam that can be seen in the upper back region. It adds layers of comfort to provide the perfect balance between relaxing and work.
Exuding power and sophistication, chairs from the Aleron Collection are built with a round plated oversized metal base to increase stability, along with a 360-degree swivel for fluidity in your work space. To complete the set, a matching ottoman provides you full-body support and takes pressure off your legs as you work throughout the day.
3. LCH - High Back Reclining Executive Office Chair
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Summary
Reviews for the LCH office chair show why people consistently buy this recliner. Boasting a 60% 5-star rating and 20% 4-star rating, popularity continues to rise because of its waterfall seat edge, which lowers pressure on your back and behind your legs, as well as its high back construction.
Ergonomic design gives you access over the locking system and recline angles, which range from 90-165. To improve comfort, the flip out footrest provides an added bonus for relaxing and napping. Constructed from top quality materials, PU leather and feel soft synthetic leather, you can easily improve any work space. To provide maximum stability, LCH focused to make a nylon base and they also included nylon protective rolling casters. Lastly, the weight capacity of this chair is 250 lbs., which is backed by LCH's one-year warranty.
4. Herman Miller Embody Chair with Graphite Frame
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Summary
Focused on enhancing the health of users, the Herman Miller chair is designed by physicians and Ph.D.’s to maximize support. It is designed for individuals that sit for 4 hours or longer per day and are constantly in a position to damage their bodies. Supporting the back begins at the base of your spine and is dependent on integrating sacral support. The back-fit adjustment that Herman Miller developed allows the backrest of the chair to be aligned with the natural curvatures of the spine to reduce any structural damage that could occur. This is complemented with adjustable seat depth, adjustable armrests, a tilt limiter, carpet casters, and a graphite frame and base.
The backrest and seat are made from a dynamic matrix of pixels which are designed to prevent heat buildup and respond to your body’s movement. Additionally, tilt design provides a deep support for people that work at multiple computers and the narrow backrest provides users the ability to flex, bend, stretch, reach and twist easily. This is a huge bonus for people that work in a small space. Our favorite part is that the seat is constructed to distribute pressure evenly. This allows oxygen and blood to flow freely, which helps reduce fatigue and improve focus.
5. Flash Furniture Recliner and Ottoman with Swiveling Mahogany Wood Base
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Summary
Flash Furniture made their own version of a plush padded reclining office chair that imitates many luxury office chairs. Although it isn’t premium luxury, it is still a great option for the home office or living room. The recliner and ottoman combo is thinner on the outside and heavily padded on the inside. Flash Furniture has done a wonderful job limiting the bulkiness of the arms and making the overall chair sleeker, a style they aren't known for.
We found that the swivel seat is smooth in function and the adjustable lever is easy to use. Your home hardwood is protected with safety floor glides and a solid wood base. The chair and ottoman come together with the mahogany finish and top-quality ball-bearing swivel. For most users, the best part is that it is extremely affordable.
6. Merax Executive Big and Tall Recliner
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Summary
Featuring double stitched upholstery, Merax makes a splash with their Executive Big and Tall Napping recliner. It is equipped with 2 cms of high-quality sponge and extra padded armrests. Movable lumbar support gives the back an adequate amount of support to push through long work hours. The pop-out footrest extends easily, which makes taking a quick nap extremely easy.
The chrome base holds the stability of the recliner while you use the swivel mechanism equipped with Nylon casters. This allows you to easily move on tile floors or carpet. Our favorite feature was the movable lumbar support because it reduces pressure on your shoulders, neck, and back. Furthermore, it helps align your back!
7. Viva Office High Back Office Chair with Footrest
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Summary
The Viva office chair is a piece of furniture that gives customers important features while maintaining a great appearance. The chrome base portrays a polished finish with nylon casters that extend the life of your floor. Weight capacity is 250 lbs. to ensure that a wide selection of people can use the chair. Adjustable seating height and a fully adjustable high back act as reinforcements. Most importantly, the ergonomic back and widened headrest work to guide your body to proper placement and full layout support.
Customers will also receive double padded contoured headrest, backrest, and seat cushion support. This works well with tilt tension control that allows for increased movement and stability, as you see fit. Finally, the flip-up arms are great for people who enjoy the comfort of an armless reclining chair without the trouble of removing and detaching the arms.
8. Merax Ergonomic Series Office Reclining Chair
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Summary
The Merax Ergonomic Series Office chair is definitely one of the more popular reclining chairs on the market. People love its adjustable armrests and headrest that provide customizable support. A 130-degree reclining feature gives you the ability to recline and feel safe with the chairs safeguard mechanism. Our favorite feature is the chairs S-Curve backrest! This is designed prevent those uncomfortable and annoying backaches from sitting too long. Looking at office chairs you will notice they don't look the greatest. People shop for functionality and looks, which the Merax has. Its mesh fabric is aesthetically great and breathable.
9. Merax Swivel Office Recliner & Ottoman Set
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Summary
The 3rd and final Merax reclining office chair and ottoman set proved to be vibrant and fun as the first two. However, it features a cozier look compared to its sister chairs. It is ergonomically designed and features a cushy armrest and comfy headrest. The matching ottoman is thin in design with a metal look and similar round base. The PU leather has shown it can stand the test of time in reviews and is comparable to luxury executive chairs.
10. Glamour Executive 8902-D01 Office Chair
Details
Summary
Glamour displayed their simple, but good looking reclining office chair that is filled with practical ideas for functionality. Its thick supporting double padding securely guarantees comfort and support. The ability to adjust your recline angle position with a simple button press is creative and smart. The high-back design is ergonomically constructed and focused to support different sized individuals in different environments. It also includes the standard features of a reclining office chair; 360-degree swivel, heavy base with casters and a tilt & lock mechanism. It does have a feature that other chairs don't, which is its height adjustability gas cylinder.
Ergonomics – The Future of Reclining Office Chairs
Many consider the most important factor for a reclining office chair to be the ergonomic design and structure. You’re going to be sitting at your desk for 8+ hours and if you have a traditional chair you won’t be getting the support you need.
You may be wondering, what does ergonomic design even mean? To put it simply, a reclining office chair that is ergonomically designed is created to fit a specific environment and role. In the case of the reclining office chair, ergonomic construction ensures that the recliner was engineered to fit the work style office space.
What does that include?
It includes adjustable controls and flexibility in regards to support, body construction, and posture. The average human experiences an increase in physical and cognitive overload in the workplace; an ergonomic office chair reduces that pressure. That is why corporations and businesses are promoting free-flowing environments that are ergonomic in their entire structure.
Since ergonomics is focused on diverse body structures and shapes, they can accurately predict posture changes that may occur during short periods and long periods. Since every chair will fit every person differently, ergonomic design helps improve how comfy the chair is for everyone.
Functional & Health Benefits of Reclining Office Chairs – 10 Advantages!
Modern furniture has to do a lot more than just look pretty; it has to have increased functionality, benefits, and advantages over its competition.
Why should you get a recliner chair over a regular living room chair? Why do some mattresses have memory foam and others don’t? Are heated winter jackets better than regular winter jackets? All these questions display functional advantages for competing products. This leads to the question, what benefits does a reclining office chair deliver?
Again, we can break the advantages and benefits down into two categories. The first category is functional benefits. These are the features that we can test and physically examine that separate a reclining office chair from a traditional office chair. The second group is geared towards providing health benefits. This group will outline the improvements you will feel from using a reclining office chair compared to a regular one.
Functional Benefits
Recline: This is the biggest distinction between reclining chairs and traditional chairs. Traditional chairs don’t allow users to pull a lever to move the back of the chair and rise up. This can be a huge help to those that struggle with sitting in one position for too long.
Extra-padded headrest, armrest and cushion seat: Reclining chairs on average include increased padding because they are designed for supreme comfort. When you sit down in a recliner you will notice the immediate difference.
Ottoman or Footrest: Recliners typically feature ottomans or footrests that help support the legs.
360-degree Swivel: Recliners feature a 360-degree swivel that is more controlled and structurally sound.
Durability: The materials used to construct reclining office chairs are often of a higher-grade than regular office chairs, such as premium leather used for the top leather recliners.
Health Benefits
Correct Posture: Chairs that provide users with the ability to align their spine and shoulders correctly improve posture.
Stress Relief: Studies have proven that laying back on your muscles is an effective way to lower your overall stress.
Better Breathing: As you recline your chest opens up and your lungs begin to fully expand. This helps your airways and gives you the ability to breathe deeper.
Improve Blood Circulation: Having your feet lifted in the air and lowering your back into a layout position allows the circulation in your body to improve.
Reduce Spinal Pressure: One of the biggest benefits is reducing the pressure on your spine. Years of improper posture and hunching over have caused the spine and lower back to take on increased stress. Having the ability to recline in your office chair allows you to fight back and reduce spinal compression.
Maintaining a Neutral Spine: Why is it important?
The best posture for human beings is always to keep a straight back, tall hold, and aligned shoulders. As we have come to know this posture is rarely maintained and very few people constantly practice adequate posture. Yet, recent research has revealed that maintaining a 135-degree angle between your torso and your thighs helps decompress the spine and reduce back pain. This position helps lower spine movements and reduces slouching positions that constantly hurt your posture.
A by-product of this is that people put excess pressure on their legs and eyes. And worst of all, this will come back to bite you 100 times worse in the future. You will not be able to maintain several angles and you will slowly notice the difference between your ability to reach and maintain neutral positions.
Tips to maintain a neutral spine
The Decline of Traditional Office Chairs
A traditional office chair was great….15 years ago. The times have changed and they simply can’t compete with the best reclining office chairs. They lack innovation and have failed to make any significant improvements. Simply put, technology has developed and created better and efficient ways to comfort and support the human body.
The biggest factor that traditional office chairs lack is that they are not designed to provide increased support and relax the body. They do provide some support, but when you compare them to the functionality of a reclining office chair, they don’t stand a chance. The one factor that traditional office chairs had was that they were priced better than reclining office chairs. But, that is no longer true, the reclining office chair easily matches and rivals traditional prices. That means that the only factor that traditional chairs had, is now taken away.
One of its biggest flaws is that the traditional chair is designed “one-size-for-all”. This is wouldn’t be a problem if everyone was the same size, but that is not the case. The absence of ergonomic design makes it difficult for the traditional chair to be considered for a wide range of people. It is easy to see how this would be very harmful to people who are using chairs that don’t fit their body needs for over 8 hours!
You lack neck support, shoulder support, and lower back support, that is crucial to the health of the lumbar region. You will eventually experience the numbness trickle down to your legs and set in. Along with these issues, traditional chairs have much more. Below you can read the full list.
Why Traditional Office Chairs Suck
Health Faults
- Inadequate neck support
- Lacking lumbar support
As hours pass by you will notice that your neck is getting increasingly sore. You start to rub it because the muscles are under stress and the tension is set in. Eventually, muscle spasms will build and cause severe headaches.
Technical Faults
- Non-adjustable Height
- Not Designed for Comfort
Armrests are set at certain heights and cannot be moved. This causes discomfort in the arms, prevents blood circulation and increases chances of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, we hope our reclining office chairs guide was informative and able to answer any questions you had. We believe each of the reclining office chairs that we selected for our list is theme adjustable, comfy, ergonomically designed, and improves productivity. As you sit at your office desk for many hours working away, it is important that the chair you're using is comfortable and supportive. The last thing you need to worry about is an aching back, sore legs, and body stiffness.
Wow…super informative. Just a quick question, are there any benefits to having a pullout footrest over an ottoman style one?
Hey James!
The biggest benefit for a pullout footrest is the space you save. A lot of times you want to put your feet up without having an entire ottoman under your desk. It can take up quite a bit of room if your desk if touching the wall and there is limited space. Hope that helps, if you have any more questions let us know.
All the Best,
Felix