The most important piece of furniture in our office is our prized chair! It is where we spend hours on end. We spend the majority of our day sitting on chairs, whether we’re working in our home office or a corporate one. Hence, this piece of furniture needs to be not only comfortable but ergonomic, and aesthetic as well. For me personally, I should be able to sit on my chair all day, feeling inspired and productive, and constantly churning out good work. I know sounds like an impossible feat, doesn’t it? How could one furniture design do all this and more for us? Well, I don’t know if finding the perfect office chair is possible, but the Typo Office Chair by AMDL Circle comes pretty close. Let’s take a look!
Italian studio AMDL Circle designed this simple yet powerful office chair for the furniture brand Mara. What sets this seemingly ordinary chair apart is its playfully bent form! It is an ergonomic office chair with a light timber base and backrest, that have a gentle curve in their form. This gently curved shape sets the chair apart and serves as the ‘focal point’ of the entire furniture design.
The subtle wood is contrasted by a colored metal structure which in turn creates a distinctive and vibrant silhouette. This intriguing contrast adds a lively element to the chair, taking it from an everyday furniture design to something refreshing. Mara worked with AMDL Circle to create the design, and which is the result of “unconventional fine-tuning”.
“By bending a square-section steel tube along the diagonal, the material deforms, curling and sharply creasing,” said Mara. “This detail generates the intentional and sought-after ‘error’ that is the soul of the project.” “Typo, as a typing error, is almost an accidental mistake,” concluded the brand, explaining the product’s playful name. Much like its name, this office chair is defined by what initially seems like a mistake, but is in fact an intentional detail that adds personality and character to an otherwise somber and humble wooden furniture design.
As we near the final days of 2023 (known in some circles as either one of the best years in gaming history or one of the worst) the massively popular gaming hobby shows no sign of slowing down in terms of public reception. In fact, Statista predicts that 3.1 billion humans (a little less than half of the current global population) will regularly play games as a hobby by 2027.
But can you truly call yourself a “gamer” if you don’t spend at least a little time and money decking out the room you play games in? I’m half-joking; of course there is no specific “correct” way to play video games in your own house. But there are quite a few gadgets and cool decorative items you can use to make any gaming room more impressive.
Whether you’re a PC gamer who wants an extra edge, a racing game enthusiast who wants maximum immersion, or if you simply want to make your entertainment center a little more comfortable, you’ve got a number of options at your fingertips to trick out your gaming room to match your style. To help you out, I’ve come up with a list of gaming room accessories that immediately come to mind, including a few mainstays I’ve used in my personal gaming setup for years.
1. Playseat Trophy – Logitech G Edition
Playseat is one of the best racing chair brands you can buy from, and this collaboration between Playseat and Logitech (called the Playseat Trophy – Logitech G Edition) is probably the best option for an all-rounder racing chair with direct drive wheel support plus all the other bells and whistles you’ll need for maximum immersion. It’s also advertised to naturally conform to the shape of your body thanks to Playseat’s patented ActiFit material, so you can theoretically sit inside of it and race for hours without developing aches and cramps. It’s a little expensive at an MSRP of $599.00, but it’s hard to find a decent racing chair below that price range, and critics love the mix of features and high build quality.
2. Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel and Pro Racing Pedals
If you’re going to invest in a high-quality direct drive racing wheel and accompanying racing pedals, you’re going to want to go straight to the best one on the market. That’s the Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel and Pro Racing Pedals bundled together for around $1348.99 – which, yes, is expensive, but if you’re in the market for a high-end racing setup anyway, is money even an object? GamesRadar+ had some especially kind words for the Logitech G Pro Racing Wheel, highlighting the powerful force feedback, robust customization options, and advanced features throughout the design. It’s also widely known as one of the sturdiest racing wheels around, with IGN’s slightly less enthusiastic review still giving credit to Logitech for delivering on its commitment to quality.
3. Cololight Smart RGB LED Gaming Lights
Hexagonal LED wall lights are a popular and stylish way to decorate any gaming area or entertainment center, and I find the Cololight COLO PLAY Ultimate Fusion Set offers the best price balance for the widest range of features as it’s designed around PC gaming setups – letting you sync a wide range of lighting systems (like Razer Chroma) with Cololight’s hex lighting pieces. The included COLO PLAY light switch sits comfortably on your desk and is especially useful to quickly cycle your hex lights and PC lights by simply twisting a knob. Not only that, but the company pledges to plant a tree with every purchase made on its online store, which is a nice gesture on its own.
4. Secretlab MAGNUS Pro
Sit-stand desks are an excellent centerpiece for any modern PC gaming setup, and one of the best-rated desks in 2023 is the Secretlab MAGNUS Pro. It’s spacious, sturdy, and has a number of quality-of-life features like electric height control, a cable management system, and even a little headphone hook for added convenience. It also contains a rather impressive integrated RGB lighting system, making for a unique and stylish design. Its height is configurable via an array of buttons conveniently accessible on its front panel. It’s expensive, but the reviews are unanimously (overwhelmingly) positive, with GamesRadar+ calling it the best sit-stand desk they’ve ever tested when they reviewed it in February 2023.
5. NEWTRAL MagicH Ultra Adaptive Support Home Office Chair
I personally dislike most gaming chairs I’ve ever sat in. I’m a firm believer that the secret to buying a proper gaming chair is avoiding them altogether, and instead investing in a really nice office chair. After all, office chairs are designed to be sat in for at least eight hours a day by office workers of all builds and ages. Their most critical function is comfort, and the NEWTRAL MagicH seems to push the boundaries on just how comfortable an office chair can be. This Kickstarter-backed office chair is advertised to provide full support in any sitting position, whether you’re sitting upright or reclining back. As someone who spends a lot of time sitting down in the same computer chair all day for both work and gaming, I’ve been looking for something that adapts to my needs throughout the day, and the NEWTRAL MagicH is on the tippy top of my wish list.
6. Logitech G560 LIGHTSYNC PC Gaming Speakers
I’ve been using these Logitech G560 2.1 PC speakers for years now, and I still recommend them as a compulsory purchase for any modern PC gaming setup. Their sound quality is decent enough – these aren’t going to compete against a proper 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound system, or even a nice pair of monitors. However, for the $200 MSRP, you’re getting a powerful 2.1 PC speaker system that also provides a ton of visual ambiance. These speakers double as LED lights that beam colors onto the surface behind your monitor. They can be configured via Logitech G HUB software to mimic the visuals on your monitor itself, creating a dynamic backlighting experience that heightens immersion when playing games and watching movies. Just remember to turn up the brightness to max and boost the subwoofer in the acoustics menu, otherwise these will be a lot darker and a lot quieter than advertised.
7. Samsung Odyssey OLED G9
The most stylish gaming PC monitor you can currently buy is the 49-inch Samsung Odyssey OLED G9, which looks incredible at 5120×1440 resolution with 1800R curvature. The Odyssey OLED G9’s integrated HDR 400 support should produce crisp and rich colors thanks to its OLED display, which doesn’t rely on a backlight and therefore negates the need for local dimming to generate deep blacks and bright whites. It’s designed for gamers first and foremost, running at up to 240Hz refresh rates with built-in support for AMD Freesync. Reviewers especially like how it produces near-instant response times, giving off no perceptible input lag. From a purely aesthetic perspective, the minimalistic design of its stand and the integrated RGB backlights make the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 a centerpiece rather than an eyesore.
8. Xbox Mini Fridge
The Xbox Mini Fridge is admittedly a bit goofy, but then again, it’s not a “real” fridge. What was originally a meme product designed to build up hype for the then-new Xbox Series X in 2020, is still a genuinely cool item to have sitting around in any gaming room. It’s small, with a sleek black chassis and bright green inlay that mimics the design of a proper Xbox Series X. But its best feature is the integrated green LED that gives it its visual flair. Besides, it’s perfect to store a few cans of soda in since it is, after all, classified as a mini fridge.
9. Govee DreamView T1 Pro TV Backlights
Console gaming is way more immersive with a dynamic TV backlight that beams colors onto the surface behind your TV to match the visuals on-screen. Thanks to the Govee DreamView T1 Pro, you can light up your entire entertainment center across three different zones. It’s all controlled by a single camera placed on top of (or below!) your television screen, which can interpret the colors on the screen into information which tells the lighting zones which color to display at any moment. In action, the wide range of lights and colors displaying across the entire entertainment center makes games and movies come to life.
10. PDP REALMz Gaming Controllers for Xbox/PC/Nintendo Switch
Unique gaming controllers are a great way to personalize your gaming room, and thanks to the PDP REALMz diorama controllers for Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch, you can impress your friends with artsy designs that feature popular characters and backdrops. What really stands out here, though, is their transparent design, which makes them look retro. These are a great gift for any gamer in your life, or you can decorate your own gaming room with the wide assortment of styles and colors offered by PDP REALMz.
In the ever-changing office environment and work-from-home setups, the fundamental structure of chairs and tables has remained remarkably unaltered, culminating in vertical pressure on the spine. Of course, standing desks lend a helping hand, but that’s not too exciting for the lazy ones like me.
A pathbreaking progress for ones like me was made with the LEVUS, a chair featuring a distinct laid-back design. This innovative solution presented a reclined work arrangement; however, it seems, that was just the beginning! A Michigan-based furniture manufacturer, ErgoQuest, has transcended all boundaries to introduce an even more astonishing creation: the ZGW-0b zero-gravity reclining workstation.
This new workstation is engineered to liberate us from the shackles of back and neck pain, reigniting productivity with the choice of customizable adjustments. It is a solution designed to facilitate work in positions all the way from zero degrees to upright, ninety degrees.
Central to this innovation is the ErgoQuest ZGC-1 motorized chair surrounded by a robust steel mast capable of accommodating up to three 34-inch monitors. Those who seek the pinnacle of multitasking can mount a fourth monitor. Enhancing the workstation’s functionality further are two side tables, providing room for your essential tools and laptop(s).
ZGW-0b pays meticulous attention to comfort and convenience by adding in a padded wrap-around keyboard tray. ErgoQuest ZGC-1 chair’s motorized recline and a motorized leg rest offer the laziest amid us a workstation to reckon their own. But for the price tag of $6,595, it may just be out of the reach of… well it’s anybody’s guess! Weighing 650 pounds, ZGW-0b is a gateway to a new way of working, one that upholds the future of laziness in the name of postural wellness and enhanced productivity!
The Nouhaus Ergo3D isn’t your average ergonomic chair. It’s a spectacular high-back seating device with a 3-segment backrest, dynamic lumbar support, 4D adjustable orbital armrests, and a class-4 hydraulic gas-lift main pillar. It looks like a million bucks, feels like a million bucks, and instantly transforms your office into an ‘executive chamber’ without breaking the bank.
Designed by the folks at Nouhaus, who know a thing or two about haute, high-end seating, the Ergo3D is the company’s flagship ergonomic seat. The high-back chair looks like a modern throne, going well beyond mere ergonomic requirements by even evoking a sense of visual superiority. Sit on the chair and its 3-part backrest conforms to the shape of your spine, providing support yet comfort in what the company calls its unique ‘Just-For-Me’ Lumbar Support System. While your back gets the elite treatment it deserves, the Ergo3D’s adjustable headrest cushions your cranium through the day, giving you a nice place to rest your noggin during deep thinking sessions.
The entire Ergo3D’s seating surface and backrest come clad with Nouhaus’ HD ElastoMesh fabric that’s breathable, comfortable, and provides optimal air-flow to reduce sweating and sticking as you spend hours in your chair. The chair’s backrest offers 135° of tilt, while the chair’s polyurethane armrests are designed with 4D orbital fixtures, allowing you to adjust direction on each axis as well as tilt for a user experience that’s tailored to your needs.
As comfortably regal as the Ergo3D looks and feels, it’s designed to be equally robust, with an aluminum frame that houses a class-4 heavy duty hydraulic gas lift platform on which lies your seating surface. The Ergo3D also comes with smooth and silent blade wheels (like the ones seen on roller blades), allowing you to easily glide from one corner of your office to another without making that cringe-worthy high-pitched squealing sound.
Despite its features, the Nouhaus Ergo3D doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket the way a similar chair from Steelcase or Herman Miller would. The company designs and manufactures cutting-edge seating solutions for both the home and office, but does so on a consumer-friendly budget. The Ergo3D, for instance, starts at a mere $369.99, and comes in 4 color options along with a 3-year base warranty on your chair.
As we’ve become more dependent on computers for our way of life, whether for work, school, or entertainment, we’ve also become more sedentary and bound to our chairs. Physical issues such as RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) and CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) have brought to light our less-than-healthy postures when sitting, especially in front of a desk, which, in turn, brought about a new class of ergonomic products, including ergonomic chairs. While the latter do aim to bring proper support to our backs and necks, they often require that the person actually adopt a proper posture, something that unfortunately doesn’t come naturally to most people. Rather than forcing people to adapt to the chair, this innovative ergonomic chair adapts to humans instead, automatically following and adjusting to the person’s body to bring full support, whether they’re sitting upright, leaning forward, or even reclining to rest.
There are plenty of ergonomic chair designs in the market today for workers, gamers, and everyone in between. What most of them have in common is a fixed shape of the backrest meant to support the sitting posture, with cushions for the back and neck to provide some comfort. Unfortunately, these designs presume that the person is already used to sitting correctly, which would ironically make the need for an ergonomic chair pointless. Different people have different sitting styles and some are more comfortable sitting one way over another. Rather than taking sides, NEWTRAL MagicH takes the neutral ground, pardon the pun, to provide proper support that adapts to you, not the other way around.
Ultra Adaptive Full-back Support – NEWTRAL MagicH supports your entire back in any position, reducing stress on your spine by 20%-50%.
Auto-Adjusting Headrest – Their auto-adjusting headrest seamlessly adapts to the contours of your neck, providing optimal support in any position.
The secret behind this seemingly intelligent chair is the auto-following backrest and its partner, the auto-following and adjusting headrest. These spring-loaded components contract when you’re sitting back or reclining, but they expand to give support to your back and neck once you start to lean forward. So whether you’re reclining to take a break, sitting a bit back for a more comfortable working posture, or leaning forward for an intense typing session, NEWTRAL MagicH provides the support your body needs to stay in good working condition and avoid injuries.
Say Goodbye to Leg Discomfort – Relax and stretch your feet during those long work sessions, promoting healthy blood flow and reducing the risk of leg and foot discomfort.
4D Extended Armrest – Are adjustable to your preferred height with a travel length from 5cm to 9cm, allowing you to find the perfect position that suits your needs.
And it doesn’t stop at the back and neck either. The NEWTRAL MagicH Pro includes an ergonomic foldable footrest to also give your legs and feet a break, while also promoting healthy blood flow. The Pro model’s 4D Extended Armrest also helps alleviate fatigue on your elbows, arms, and shoulders by letting you adjust the position of the armrest to your personal comfort. In fact, almost everything about the NEWTRAL MagicH can be adjusted to suit your body and sitting style, including the depth of the seat to the angle of the chair, reclining back as far as 134 degrees for a more comfy rest.
Revitalize Your Workspace – Their detachable tray provides the ideal solution, offering convenience and utility for both work and gaming.
Divided-stress-zone Cushion – This intelligent design ensures that your weight is evenly distributed, alleviating pressure on your thighs and promoting better blood circulation.
But wait, there’s more! NEWTRAL’s detachable laptop table lets you detach from your desk without actually detaching from your work or game. The built-in adjustable laptop stand lets you set up your computer just the way you like it, while holders for phones and tablets put your important apps and contacts within easy reach. There’s even a cup holder to make sure you stay hydrated with your favorite beverage. Why bend over backward to adjust to an ergonomic chair when there’s an ergonomic chair that can adjust to you? With the NEWTRAL MagicH auto-following ergonomic chair, you can say goodbye to pain and discomfort and say hello to healthy productivity, no matter which way you prefer to sit.
Inspired by the features found in its line of vans, Volkswagen Norway created a motorized office chair with all sorts of bells and whistles. The chair’s features include LED headlights, a seatbelt, a seat warmer, a horn, a tow hitch – even an entertainment system. So basically, an office chair that’s even nicer than my car.
The foot-pedal-operated chair has a range of about 7.5-miles and a top speed of just over 12 MPH. It also has a backup camera and proximity sensors and a touchscreen entertainment center with integrated speakers. For reference, my car has a boombox sitting in the passenger seat operated by eight D batteries.
Unfortunately for business executives with corner offices and private bathrooms, the chair isn’t actually going to be sold but was made as a marketing piece to highlight VW’s van features. Which, from what I could gather, aren’t that different than other manufacturers’ van features. Those companies didn’t put them all in an office chair, though, which is why I’m only buying VW from now on. When’s the new microbus coming out anyways?
Who on earth would have imagined a mobile office chair to come from the house of Volkswagen? Yes, this is not a gimmick, rather, a unique piece of furniture with a deep automotive connection at the functional level.
The all-electric chair is created by the German automotive giant’s Commercial Vehicles division (situated in Norway) in collaboration with creative strategy firm Try. They’ve rolled in as many features in an office chair, as one can think to have from the existing line-up of vehicles. Quite wittily, the VW press release says the creation is “to laugh at people who are stuck working an office job.”
It can drive and have LED lights, an infotainment system, and assisted systems too. Now, that’s too much for an office chair if you ask me. The user-friendly features are also adapted from the VW electric cars for a workplace on five wheels like none other. Months of work have been put into the making of this work-from-home furniture that isn’t yet road legal but looks absolutely wantable.
For a geeky automotive affectionate the VW chair drives at a top speed of 12.4 m/h and a maximum range of 7.5 miles. There’s a rear-view camera and 360-degree sensors to detect anyone hurling your way while driving in the hallway. To keep the occupant engaged, the entertainment system comes preloaded with feel-good songs, so that you’re glued to the chair all the time. When wintertime hits, the seat warmer keeps you cozy for binge-watching hours at a go. The chair has a storage compartment to keep all the gadgets handy and even a trailer hitch for all the paperwork.
For now, the chair is not available to buy, but still, it’s on the back of the mind of VW because they “always prioritize people who actually need a car for work.” The consolation though is the fact that the fully loaded electric chair can be test driven at local dealerships in the coming months.
A good thing about visiting a dentist is that recliner with a lumbar curve you lay back on while a random dude fiddles with your tooth. What if there was a similar option to work out of? Wish granted; enter the LEVUS!
If you spend most of your productive hours of the day in front of a computer, it would be a miracle if back pain and sitting discomfort is not a part of your everyday routine. Current offices are built to ruin our backs and health, and that didn’t even change with the work-from-home overflow during the pandemic. Our backs, shoulders, and necks are still under the painful pressure of sitting for long hours on traditional chairs.
Irrespective of how comfy they vouch to be, the basic structure of the chairs remains the same: vertical spine pressure is the final outcome. With the laid back setup, LEVUS presents itself as a perfect solution for WFH and modern office cubicles struggling slouching workforce. The LEVUS is basically an adjustable set-up where you work in a reclined position with all the important equipment ergonomically placed around you.
Built for comfort, the idea of LEVUS is compelling to invite a gamer in with a widescreen display cocooning you as you have no mercy on the opponent slouching in his gaming chair. Even though the gaming industry will have an inclining intention to boost the sales of something as comfy as this; the workstation can be a great companion for creators and everyday office warriors alike, especially those who hate being forced to sit straight. They can just get into the contraption, lean back, and reduce the vertical pressure on the spine.
The solid and lightweight aluminum structure of the LEVUS is extremely flexible, catering ergonomically to user needs. Shipped flat-packed, the structure is easy to assemble, you can rock a number of monitors, adjust the headrest, have the mouse station positioned on either side, and roll down the keyboard table for the most comfortable work/gaming possible.
New designs for office chairs are being introduced rapidly, especially since the pandemic forced many people to stay at home. Community lockdowns mean working or studying from home. And when things are done remotely, you must have a proper home office or online school setup.
There are plenty of office chairs available, but we are not sure what percentage is environment-friendly. There are green options, but we don’t hear much about them. The Path Task Chair is a fine example of a sustainable product that is made of recycled materials.
Humanscale has come up with a Path task chair made in the United States. So if you live in the US, you can easily buy the chair and not worry about additional carbon emissions due to shipping. The new Path Task Chair is available with a higher price tag that reads $1,200, but it’s greener in several ways.
The “new path forward” reference is for Humanscale’s efforts in choosing a new path where sustainability is part of the equation. For example, a chair uses about 22 pounds of recycled plastic—about half is ocean plastic, while the rest is from reclaimed fisherman nets. Humanscale aims to deliver eco-friendly products with materials that are sustainable and through a production process that also increases the project’s efficiency. The plant where the chair is manufactured in New Jersey is solar-powered and uses recycled rainwater. Humanscale is also proud to say that the Path Chair “removes 6 kg of CO2e from the atmosphere, replenishes 15 gallons of water, and generates 23 kWh of energy.”
Humanscale wants to introduce a new standard in sustainability. Upcycling materials such as plastic nets and plastic containers greatly impact the planet. The top plate, arm support, and mechanism housing are made with post-consumer and industrial aluminum and steel. The chair’s structural components are “green” so you’re doing Mother Earth a favor.
The company has been making waves in the industry by working on getting certifications that matter. Humanscale boasts of using healthy materials, sustainable operations, and material transparency. All these and more allow the firm to receive Level Certification.
Path Designer Todd Bracher describes the chair as not just “an exercise in aesthetics or an assembly of pre-existing components, rather it is ground up mechanical invention, material innovation, coupled with next-level sustainability.” Parts of the chair include a mesh-like textile called FormSense Eco Knit. This provides self-adjusting lumbar support that is a custom fit for every user. The yarn used is also made with 100% post-consumer recycled polyester from upcycled plastic bottles.
The Humanscale Path Task Chair is available in different colors and comes with a silhouette that can fit any home or office interior. It delivers seating innovation with ergonomic consideration for most of the population. The chair features Gravity Mechanism that adjusts recline support automatically for each user. It doesn’t come with any knobs or bulky levers.
The Routine Chair designed by Yubin Lee and Minkyoung Song is a refreshing take on what the user would actually fancy getting comfy in for the rest of their digital work life. The smart chair (yes it is actually smart) adjusts the position of the headrest, arms and reclining angle based on the app-controlled schedule during the day!
How one feels while working sitting all day long in the office chair plays a vital role in overall productivity and well-being. The ergonomic comfort keeps creatives like us in the zone and I’m sure all you professionals might be looking for another stint of the work from home regime given the current scenario with the new coronavirus variant. Even under normal circumstances, having a feel-good chair to sit on without any discomforts has its own set of merits. In a marketplace filled with the likes of Herman Miller, Secretlab and Steelcase creating an ergonomic chair that betters them is a feat on its own.
The Routine Chair is in a true sense a future-forward creation that anyone would love to own one day. Its ability to seamlessly transition into the most preferred position according to the users customized routine or in-built presets gives it the tactical edge over big guns like Herman Miller. It’s partly like the hanging Ella Office Chair with the movable pivots, but the ability to have the most preferred ergonomic position based on the time of the day or the usual work routine positions it starkly different.
A level up on the Herman Miller ergonomic office chair which most of the gamers, designers and digital artists swear by. Another office chair design that made waves for its out-of-the-box thinking that is ultra-comfortable to sit in, the Ella Office Chair got us longing for an even better office chair design that solves the intended purpose without much fuzz.
There are three modes for the smart chair – work, chill and rest to toggle from when you are not using any timed presets. It’s just like your connected smart home elements like window shades or smart bulbs – doing everything in an automated manner without you even bothering about it. Now, that’s the kind of chair I would wish to have at my disposal to churn out thought-provoking write-ups, every single day!
