My work office chair
The office chair I use at work is horrible, for me at least. For reference I am less than average height at 4 ft. 10 in. and I often run into many problems with how chairs and tables are designed for the “average” height person. The desk I have at work does not go lower than pictured (it’s a standing desk so it does go higher), and the chair does not go higher than pictured which is not high enough for the desk and my torso length, therefore my arms are not at the ergonomically recommended downward angle when I type on my laptop and I have elbow/shoulder issues on my left side. I use a back pillow to push me forward a bit so I’m not slouched when sitting, and a footrest so that my feet are not dangling (as I mentioned the chair is at its highest setting and I’m small). With the help of the back pillow and foot rest I manage to get by for a few hours of sitting, then switch to an hour or so of standing, then sit again when I get tired. This is my most used chair since I spend more time sitting at work than anywhere else and I really wish it was better.
My home office chair
I researched this chair before buying and it cost me a pretty penny at IKEA. The backrest is angled for good lumbar support. I don’t sit at my office chair at home as often as at work, therefore I have less complaints about this chair’s comfort level. Although I have a similar problem with my home office as my work office setup. I have to use a footrest since I raise the office chair to a high setting to have a better angle when typing on my desk. This is really more of a problem with desk height than the chair.
My cozy corner
I designed my room for maximum comfort and created a “cozy corner” for myself with many pillows and a shag rug for times when I just want to cozy up on the floor. As you can tell from the office chairs, chairs are not made for me. As a kid, I used to sit on the floor often to do homework and play and I like sitting on the floor more than chairs so I knew this cozy corner was a good idea. The foot of my bed + the pillows act as the backrest for this sitting area. I positioned the TV across from the bed + pillows and I sit here when I want to watch a movie. I also sit here when I read or if I want to get in a more comfortable position with my laptop.
Your cozy corner is picture perfect, Kathlyn! On the first chair though, it sounds like a sad mismatch between the standing desk and chair.
In general (please note, not in the case you described), I am curious if you think a chair’s height ends up as a limitation when paired with a standing desk. Is the chair supposed to nudge its user in some way to change their behavior at least for a while to abandon it for a bit and embrace the standing desk? How might such a chair be designed for comfort and to persuade supporting behaviors to do justice to the standing desk?