Office

1. Herman Miller Embody Chair With Graphite Frame – The Ultimate CEO chair

Of all the chairs that a modern CEO (or somebody aspiring to become an executive) should put in the office, Herman Miller Graphite Frame is the No. 1 choice.

First of all, you won’t have to explain one bit about your chair – just saying “It’s Herman Miller chair, the executive version” will turn people envious. Everybody knows this high-end brand, and pretty much everybody wants one (not everybody can afford a Herman Miller though).

Secondly, this outstanding office chair hits all three major requirements for an executive chair:

1. Employees perceive you as a manager. Just by looking at the chair and knowing that’s the Herman Miller executive chair will convey a firm and persuasive message – this person is in control.
2. You perceive yourself as the head of the office. An executive chair should fit you like a well-tailored business suit. Herman Miller graphite chair definitely makes you feel like a million bucks, with confidence to boost up your productivity and stature.
3. Ergonomic masterpiece. Designed by 2 famous designers with the help of 30 physicians and PhDs to work out how to create the most comfortable ergonomic chair for the office.

Here is how the Embody chair for executives looks from the side:

Regarding the features, it is the top of the line chair. The most important thing all these features work toward is for you to feel comfortable and improve your focus and even add to the work ethic.

What Makes It The Absolute Best Refined Chair For Office?

If you work in the office for more than 4 hours a day, the Herman Miller graphite chair features will be your most important companions. The executive chair was specifically designed to stabilize and enhance spine and posture health.

The base and the frame, as seen in the photos, is made out of hard black graphite. This alone gives it a tremendous look that’ll not easily be forgotten by whomever you have a business meeting with.

It is important to first customize the Herman Miller managerial chair features to your stature. The black armrests and adjustable seat depth should be adjusted according to your height and arm length.

The whole point of the Embody chair is to embody your full form precisely. Having a well-tailored chair that fits your body form perfectly will not go unnoticed.

Anybody who sat across a person who sat a chair that was too large or too little for his or her form will understand just how important an impeccable chair in the office is.

Graphite base of Herman Miller chair is covered by a rhythm fabric. This is an uncommon fabric for a chair because honestly, it is too expensive for a normal chair. However, a senior executive and CEO should be able to afford it and experience all the benefits of the fabric.

Rhythm is smooth soft to the touch and it fits the graphite frame like a glove. The added value is that prevents heat buildup. If you have problems with sweaty shirts because the leathery back of your chair doesn’t dissipate heat well enough, you will find the executive chair by Herman Miller quite refreshing.

Because of the unique and precise design of the chair, it has to be shipped in one piece. That alone speaks volumes about the chair itself.

Try »I don’t have to assemble my chair, it comes in one piece«.

It also makes quite a scene when a fully assembled Herman Miller chair arrives at the office, fully assembled. Everybody notices.

Of course, it does make returns a bit more difficult; but generally, you don’t have to worry about that. This premium chair does come with the bulletproof 12-year warranty but it’s unlikely to need one: one-piece sturdy Herman Miller chair that looks fit for a CEO is as durable as it looks.

Herman Miller chairs are prized above almost every chair; there is no chair like it, and Herman Miller knows that it offers great value (and image) with all of their chairs.

In short, this is hands down the best executive chair for the office.

Pros

Pros

• Bragging rights: it’s Herman Miller after all.
• Rich rhythm fabric is top-notch.
• Magnificent design. It looks like a masterpiece in the office.
• Graphite base and frame.
• Durable with a 12-year warranty.
• Makes itself a presence in a boardroom.

Cons

Cons

• Steep price point.
• Comes fully assembled; makes returns harder.

2. GM Seating Ergolux Genuine Leather Executive Chair (No. 2 Pick)

This is a sleek and leather chair that lives and breaths modern design. White ergonomic genuine leather chair by GM Seating brings to the table exactly what Herman Miller chairs might lack:

Genuine top grain leather.

Authority and leather go hand in hand (I hope this doesn’t sound too wrong). The old-school people will always connect executive chairs will fine leather. A chair that you find in a lawyer’s office will almost always be made out of leather; it gives the office an aura of knowledge and respect.

The modern CEOs and the younger crowd, however, value design and ergonomic properties much more than the fabric of their chair for managing the office.

GM Seating Ergolux combines both:

• Fine-grain leather.
• Modern design and ergonomic qualities.

Here is how the perfect marriage of the old-school and new-school looks like, in terms of business chairs:

Aside from the looks, high-quality leather and ergonomics, there is a full package of customizable settings that come with the GM Seating managerial chair for the office.

Things like seat slide adjustment, tilt tension, 3D armrest and back support can be a bother to set at first. However, when you have customized it the executive chair should fit you like a glove – and it won’t offset your spine in the years to come.

Adding to the standard package of ergonomics properties that are common to other high-end executive chairs, is the unique lumbar support system. Ergolux chair has perfected the lower back support; sitting on it you’ll experience your pelvis more forward a bit which elevated the tension and the curvature of your spine.

The exceptional lumbar support feels like somebody took away 10-20 pounds of your upper body mass. All that mass is now supported via the lower spine support element of GM Seating chair. In effect, it gives you more upper body power and improves the movement of your arms.

The GM Seating also provides the 5-year limited warranty in case something goes wrong with the office chair.

Pros

Pros

• Old-school leather gives confidence.
• Modern design is fantastic.
• Ergonomic properties are above average.
• Exceptional lumbar support.
• Can choose chrome (a bit more expensive) or white leather.

Cons

Cons

• Arms are not perfectly fixed (and will move if you pull on them).
• Not everybody loves unique lumbar support.
• According to one review, shipping is sub-standard.

3. Aeron Embody Chair By Herman Miller Review (No. 3 High-End Executive Chair – Great Task Chair)

If you go through some of the reviews of office chairs, or even executive chairs, you are bound to encounter the following question:

“Are Aeron chairs still the best office chairs in 2018?”

Herman Miller Aeron chair is widely famous for being the best task chair for the office. Hard-working people, the doers, love it because it increases focus and decreases fatigue of sitting for longer than 8 hours.

If you are a leisure-loving CEO and want to send the message ‘look at me, I don’t do long hours, I make smart decisions and work only 4-6 hours per day’, the Aeron is definitely a chair you’re looking for.

However, if you’re hardworking, ‘let’s get it done’ kind of person, who dedicates a lot of time to the office management and work, and need to be relentless in determination and focus, the Aeron is the ultimate executive chair for yours.

What makes Aeron such a great task chair, especially for executives who work longer hours, is the effortlessness of sitting in it.

If you have even done a 12-hour shift in the office, you know that sooner or later you’ll start feeling your office chair grinding in your back. You have to walk around a bit, stretch or even go to the water cooler just to relax your back a bit.

With Aeron chair, walking around and stretching are optional. If you have to catch a deadline and do an all-nighter, the best chance for not having some back pain problems in the morning is Herman Miller Aeron chair at your back.

There are 4 factors that contribute to the seating effortlessness Aeron is known for:

1. Kinemat tilt mechanism. You don’t have to customize everything as with other high-end office chairs; this mechanism ensures that your neck, shoulders, knees, and ankles will pivot effortlessly.
2. The heat-dissipating fabric. Aeron is covered by follicle suspension designed specifically to dissipate body heat. What does that mean? No sweaty shirts at the back.
3. “Waterfall” edge. This is a specifically designed part of the seat where your thighs are. The waterfall design keeps the pressure off the thighs. This ensures that the blood will flow from upper to lower body effortlessly – the result is increased physical durability and focus.
4. PostureFit mechanism for the pelvis. This is a kind of lumbar support that moves the pelvis forward and thereby decreasing how curved the spine near your kidneys is. Aeron’s spine alignment is a contributing factor when it comes to decreased back pain.

Being primarily a task chair, it isn’t as prestigious as Herman Miller executive chair (No. 1 pick). Nonetheless, it gets a lot of prestige from the Herman Miller brand itself and is quite a statement.

Aeron chairs are always associated with hard-working people who need to work for long hours in the office.

Some negative concerns are pointed out by the reviewers; the Aeron chair is not fully customizable. Some people hate having to set every setting, other people love it. With Aeron chair for office, you don’t have to customize it; in fact, you really can’t do all the big changes yourself.

If you have more than 300 pounds, this might not be a chair for you. Despite the size C of the chair supporting 350 lbs, the comfortable executive chair ceases to be comfortable and ergonomic.

On the upside: you have the 12-year warranty from Herman Miller you can always call upon.

Pros

Pros

• Most famous task chair.
• For hardworking people.
• 12-hour office seating should include Aeron – the best overtime chair.
• More affordable than Herman Miller graphite chair (No. 1 pick).
• Heat-dissipating fabric does its job well.

Cons

Cons

• Not for people over 300 pounds.
• Without full customization.
• Not everybody is a fan of multi-level ergonomic features that made Aeron famous.

4. Flash Furniture Traditional High-End Chair For CEOs

Before the 70s the Flash Furniture leather chair would truly be a chair every CEO and the executive would fall all over their tails to get.

Much has changed from the 70s, though, chairs that managers seat upon are no different. In fact, we have seen a distinctly modern design of chairs evolving with one thing in focus:

Ergonomics.

However, not everybody loves the new ergonomic wonders. They can look commercial, aggressive and are obviously way less comfortable than traditional leather chairs.

A CEO can hardly imagine him or herself with a glass of whiskey and a cigar in the new Herman Miller chairs. This is where the traditional executive chairs come in.

Here is how the best of the old-school chairs for CEO’s looks like:

Traditional professionals such as lawyers still prefer the standard genuine leather office chairs. That gives a sense of not only certainty and stability but also of higher class.

If a modern CEO, for example, being ‘new money’ needs a bit of ‘old money’ class, placing a burgundy leather office chair in their office is the easiest first step.

More than one review, however, worries about how it holds up after some time. The leather is a very durable fabric and the Flash Furniture chair is sturdy but the chair’s legs might be a bit too weak.

It also lacks all the modern ergonomic paddings, tilts and supports that the new-age chairs have. Admittedly, some padding is available and the Flash Furniture is definitely the most comfortable executive chair on our list, but in terms of today’s ergonomic standards, the traditional chair cuts a bit short.

Nonetheless, all in all, this is one of the finest standard leather chairs, most appropriate for old-school styled bosses and stylish lawyers.

Pros

Pros

• Traditional look and feel.
• Rich burgundy leather.
• More comfortable than other ergonomic chairs.
• The reasonable price tag for real leather chair.

Cons

Cons

• Not ergonomic by today’s standards.
• Leather can be shipped with a cut or two.
• Comfortable, but not healthy for a bad back.
• Weak point: the chair’s legs.

5. Balt Butterfly Executive Office Chair

Some people can’t handle full mesh office chairs. Others see them as stylish and breathable.

The style of executive chairs is a bit of a subjective thing. However, the full mesh chairs are definitely made for breathing.

That includes you and the chair. Mesh office chairs such as Balt Butterfly will readily dissipate heat through the mesh; and the positioning of the mesh ergonomic in such a way that you’ll be able to breathe easier.

Are mesh back office chairs comfortable for 8+ hours of work?

Of course, they are. Similar to Aeron chair, mesh chairs are made for hard-working people who spend quite a bit of time (and overtime) in the office.

If you look at the photo of Balt Butterfly mesh chair, you’ll notice the natural lumbar support for the lower back and the distinctly curved headrest for neck support and increased focus:

When we talk about the most comfortable executive chairs, we usually think about traditional leather chairs. However, modern high-end chairs focus more on ergonomics than leisurely comfort.

The Balt Butterfly, nonetheless, is an ideal example of the optimum balance between modern ergonomics and comfortable executive chairs.

Comfortable; yes.

Sturdy and durable; not so much.

The problem of Balt mesh chair is its fragility. It is a wonderful chair for office but many people who bought it said that in 2 or 3 years, you’ll have a problem with either a leg, one of the plastic pieces or the arms.

If you can afford a new executive chair every 2 years, this is definitely a good choice – for the following 2 years, after which you’ll have to fix it or buy a new one.

What makes the mesh chair so hard to resist is the comfort level that it can provide.

Pros

Pros

• Most comfortable modern executive chair.
• Designed with ergonomics in mind.
• Full mesh is breathing and dissipating heat.

Cons

Cons

• Can break down in 2 or 3 years.
• Can’t brag about the reputation like Herman Miller chairs have.
• Sub-optimal composition with some weak spots (legs, arms, plastic parts).

1. Sauder North Avenue Writing Desk Review – My Personal Pick (Best Overall)

I’m going to be a bit subjective about this small writing table because, well, it’s the one I’m using.

Of course, I love how the Sauder North Avenue writing desk looks. Not only is it sleek and solidly built, but it is also the smallest writing table on our list. And it gives me a boost of creativity, but maybe that’s just me.

I love how spacious it is given its size. It’s basically Hermione’s bag of writing desks. What makes that effect?

The table for writing being very narrow. It’s more than 40 inches long but less than 20 inches wide. For comparison, most laptops are about 12 inches wide. Here is how this smallest writing desk looks like:

This is also the lightest desk for writing. In no regard does that make the Sauder North Avenue a lightweight. It weighs a bit over 40 pounds. Translation?

The design is new as well. In fact, as you’ll see in this Sauder North Avenue review of the writing desk, there were no reviews at the beginning of 2020. Why? Well, it’s a completely new desk – and not only the best writing desk of 2020 – but in general.

So, if you have to write on a laptop, and need a simple and sleek design desk, this is a good choice.

Despite being the smallest and lightest (and looks great), the best thing about it is the price. Do you know of any writing desk that would cost under $100 and look like this?

I don’t. That’s why I bought it in mid-2017 and it has served me pretty well. Even the coffee spills go off nicely.

Pros And Cons Of Sauder North Avenue Desk

2. Signature Design Writing Desk Review – The Slick Black One

The solid wood structure of Signature Design table amounts to about 50 pounds of weight. If you have a strong guy in the office, he will be glad to move it around for you. Otherwise, this is not a piece of cake table to move around so be sure to find a perfect spot for Ashley Baybrin’s design desk the first time.

It will give plenty of space, though. Almost 1008 sq. inches in total and if you look at Signature Design vs Sauder North Avenue desk, the Signature is wider by more than 5 inches. Here’s a look:

It is almost twice the price of the Sauder North Avenue table. However, if you need a lot of storage space around your desk, the Signature Design desk will do great.

What I love about it is the style and the authority it gives. This is not a lightweight table and the person sitting behind it is not considered a lightweight as well. On the other hand, it is not ‘too big’. You don’t want people to the thing you’re compensating for something with a huge writing desk.

Setting up this desk is quite a task – it’s not about the putting-it-together or bolts – it’s just that it’s heavy. It’s a good idea to have someone – a husband, secretary, coworker – help you bring it to the office because, you know, it’s 50 pounds.

The style of the table is amazing. Just one look at it and you know it’s been designed by someone like Ashley Baybrin. But as always, you’re the ultimate judge when it comes to design.

3. Sauder County Line Writing Desk Review – Best-Value Pick

In short, Sauder Country desk is the best standard writing desk. Our No. 1 pick can be a bit narrow for some, the No. 2 pick can be too heavy.

If you’re looking for a solid and standard writing desk, with some (but not too much storage space), have a look at Sauder Country solid wood desk:

Pretty much everything about this desk is standard:

• Weighs 70 pounds
• About 1100 sq. inches of desk space
• 2 drawers – big and small one
• The design itself is standard

This is the no-nonsense writing table. Of course, it’s an older model and might not have as modern design as other desks for writing. Luckily, this is reflected in the price – it’s not much over $100.

Oh, and it does come in 2 colors – Rum Walnut and Salt Oak.

While other tables can be installed in 10-20 minutes, the Sauder Country desk is a bit more complex. That doesn’t mean you’ll need more skill than putting together an Ikea cupboard but it does take time. How much time to set up this writing table?

Well, but you only have to do it once, and after that, you have the best value writing table in your office.

Here are the pros and cons of Sauder Country Line desk:

4. Crown Mark Fairfax Review – Desk For A Gentleman

This is for people who are willing to spend more on writing desk style.

Crown Mark Fairfax table is the crown jewel of the office. The way it looks, people will immediately pinpoint it as the center of the office. So, if you want to impress people entering your office, you are sitting behind this desk:

The Crown Mark table has an old-school look. If you imagine a table from the 18th or 19th century, this is how it should look like.

Do you really want to put a laptop on this writing table though?

Those two drawers you see on the left and right contain real documents. Not the ‘files’ we have on laptops but real paper ones for serious business.

Modern tech guys would hate this. Don’t expect start-up guys or modern IT companies to have such refined tables. This is for stylish people. The look here is very important.

And yeah, it does look expensive. If you have a look at the Crown Mark table again, how much do you think it costs?

If you said $500, you would be quite right – it does look way more expensive if you compare it with other writing desks. But is it?

Not really. True, it is a more expensive writing desk than the others but it’s not $500.

If you’re looking for some gentlemen’s style, here is the Crown Mark writing table for your office.

5. Buena Vista Writing Desk Review – Standard And Cheap (If You Know How To Put It Together)

The last one on our Top5er list is the Buena Vista writing desk.

My first impression was – “Hm, Buena Vista, sounds Cuban, this is a table that Ernest Hemingway would like” – but sadly I was wrong.

It is a solid writing table but it has a too standard design. Unlike the Crown Mark desk with its 86 pounds of high-quality wood, the Buena Vista has only 70 pounds (the dimensions are practically the same). That means the quality of the wood is not as high as with Crown Mark.

That’s why it should be cheaper. And, fortunately, it is.

Have a look at the Buena Vista design:

The reviews are mixed as well. The good ones talk about Buena Vista table being a good-value desk. And it is, it costs less than $150. Oh, and it sure is sturdy.

The negative reviews? It’s a pain to put it together. You’ll need some skill with the tools or to call an expert which will cost you quite a bit. The drawers don’t fit as well as they should.

If you’re good with tools and prefer standard tables, this is a good option – because it’s very affordable. In most cases, however, calling an expert to install it is just not reasonable for a table and the bill is going to be about $100.

1. Serta Office Chair Review – Best Overall Office Leather Chair For Comfortable Sitting

Serta is the best full grain leather desk chair and if you came here for some comfort, be comforted. Serta leather office chair is the most comfortable chair to have in the office.

Just look at that deep and layered padding:

Can you already feel how the leather embraces you from all sides? The downside is that it’s really hard to stay awake in this chair. It’s just so comfortable!

The added bonus with Serta leather office chair is the BIM active lumbar support. This is just a fancy working for saying superb lumbar support – wherever or however you move, the chair aligns perfectly with your spine and body. Be sure to check out this video about the dangers of having an ergonomically not sufficient chair. 

This leather home office chair is more about relaxing than work. It would be perfect for a home office, where nobody can see you sleep, actually.

Pretty much all Serta office chair reviews talk about how comfortable it is (by the way, you should check out our post about the comfiest gaming chairs if you’re a gamer). The negative scrutiny of Serta chair, however, speaks about being too comfortable. I’m not sure if that is a pro or con of Serta office seat.

Another bad thing about is that small people have problems with adjusting it to their size. If you’re under 5 feet, you should choose another chair.

2. Gates Executive Chair Review – Top Genuine Leather Chair For Active CEO (Or For People Who Want To Become CEO)

Do you know how hard it is to find a leather computer chair that would actually be made out of genuine white leather for $600? Well, it turns out it’s impossible.

However, if you’re prepared to spend a bit more, you can buy a genuine leather office chair. It’s called ‘Gates executive chair’ and this is how it looks like in white leather (you can also pick black, dark brown or cream version):

In addition to being made out of real white leather, the Gates chair (it’s made by Zuri Furniture) has distinct high-back support. You can also see that this white leather chair with a high back is sheltered from the right and the left, and there are even the arms there to rest your arms.

With back and arms covered, let’s go-to legs. A special feature of Gates leather office seat is the so-called ‘Waterfall design’ of the seating place. It is a bit of a cushion under your knees designed to elevate leg pain. Mind you, this will not help if you have some serious leg pain but if you are a morning runner or have a morning workout routine, the waterfall design will help soothe the leg muscles.

And what he says it’s true – you will hardly find a better value high-end office chair with a high back like this. There is a problem with leaning back a bit, but a CEO should always be on his or her toes, right?

3. Flash Furniture Armless Leather Office Chair Audit – For Stylish People Who Want To Get Noticed

This is a leather desk chair that your stylist would recommend. Flash Furniture chairs have a bit of design edge over convention chairs and their Flash Furniture leather office chair is a perfect example of this.

Do you like the minimalistic design? You can view the Flash Furniture armless chair for yourself:

Apart from the design, you’ll also notice that this is an armless black leather office chair. No arm support is quite a big deal -,, especially for your core.

Armless means that you will have to strengthen your core from time to time and train your abs. If you’re not an active person, better steer clear of the Flash Furniture office chair.

Nonetheless, you will get a little help with the mid-back support. But, mind you, only a little. There is a reason why they call mid-back support office chairs the “task chairs”. You will do your work while at the same time work on your core.

Looking good in the office is a vital part of this chair.

In short, it is very chic but you have to be able to handle it. Your whole posture should grow from this chair but you will have to put some work into it and people will notice!

However, what is better than everybody knowing how well-defined your core is and looking effortlessly chic at the same time?

4. AmazonBasics Executive Office Chair Review – Terrific Budget Choice

AmazonBasics has a line of office chairs that you don’t need the hustle over. The AmazonBasics high-back executive chair in black leather is a basic office chair made for a very reasonable price – you’re not paying for a luxury brand such as Zuri Furniture or Flash Furniture.

This leather work chair is all about the functionality and it actually is very comfortable to sit in, even for 1o hours or more. Here is how it looks like – it’s a black bonded leather office chair:

The AmazonBasics black office chair has all that you need to rotate or move around. 360-degree swivel? Check. Large no-nonsense rolling casters? Check. High-back support? Check. What else do you need?

It’s basically for someone who needs a new reliable chair. Period.

If you want to stay on the budget, the AmazonBasics leather office chair is a smart choice. If you want to show off big time, look at some luxury brand instead but be prepared to pay two- or threefold more for exactly the same kind of leather work chair.

5. Alera Neratoli White Faux Leather Office Chair Review – Best Style-For-Price Office Chair

Alera Neratoli leather chair for office is the new chair on the block with a play on standard chair design. Translation: It is a standard leather computer chair. It looks modern. And it has the waterfall design for knee and legs relief.

What distinguished Alera chair from other outstanding leather office chairs is the combination of great style and low price tag. Why?

Well, style is expensive. Luxury brands invest heavily in a neat style which can bump a chair for $200 or more. Alera, on the other hand, just copies the style and creates a great piece of modern chair design for under $200. Total. Here is how Alera Neratoli white leather chair for office looks like:

There are some issues with quality, however. The chrome on the arms is not a durable as we would like it to be.