How to Choose the Right Office Chair for Guests?

When bringing a guest into an office, making a good first impression is important, especially when that guest is a potential client or business partner. Is playing a power move and having office chairs for guests smaller than the boss’ chair a good idea? The days of doing that are mostly gone. 

Currently, most people want to make that good first impression by making their guests feel comfortable. That brings up another question, though. How comfy should these chairs be? Should guests be lying back in their chairs away from the person who’s trying to sell them something?

The best guest office chairs are the ones that force the person to sit upright and remain in an attentive position. The chair can’t be too hard, though, to the point where it’s uncomfortable. Ideally, these chairs should achieve that balance between ergonomic and comfy.

Considerations When Choosing Guest Office Chairs

How can you find that balance between a comfy chair that has positive ergonomic features? That’s not the only thing to consider when buying guest chairs for an office, either. Would you purchase a leather office guest chair when the rest of the employees sit in upholstery chairs?

Apart from looking for a comfortable chair, it’s also essential to ensure that the guest office chairs match the chairs in the building. Unless the “new” chairs will be part of an external waiting area. Buying larger, more comfortable chairs for people to wait in could make more sense in that situation.

Types of Guest Office Chairs: Review

There are different types of chairs that you could choose to add to an office space. Since you could be looking at different reasons why you’d want these chairs to feature in your office, it’s a good idea to look at multiple types of options. Each situation will have its perfect fit.  

Standard Guest Chairs

These are usually the typical black mesh chairs you can bulk order from plenty of companies. The benefit of these chairs is that you can typically buy many of them at a low price. They don’t tend to take up that much space either, so they can be a great option for companies that get plenty of guests during the day. 

The downside to these chairs is that they are not all that comfortable. People can sweat a ton in them if it's a hot day. Having chairs damp from the sweat of other guests isn’t exactly welcoming to the next people who arrive and have to sit there.

Ergonomic Office Chairs

Ergonomic chairs are considerably more comfortable to sit in for longer periods. Two main issues, though, keep companies from adding them to larger waiting rooms. The price for these chairs is typically high, and there aren’t too many ways to order many of them at once. 

There’s actually a way around both of these issues that we’ve figured out, but we’ll get to that in a bit. Having ergonomic chairs as guest chairs for an executive office can be a great way to make a good first impression. They can also feature as guest chairs within the office, not just outside in a waiting room.

Stackable Chairs

Stackable chairs tend to be even cheaper than the standard guest chairs. They also tend to be smaller, so that means that you can fit more people in a waiting room. Usually, the downside with these chairs is that they’re uncomfortable for anyone, even through short waiting periods. 

The small size and the fact that they can be stacked against each other make them easier to store. Are you going to be making a great first impression with these chairs? Definitely not, but they may be the only option for people on a tight budget.  

Executive Guest Chairs

Going with executive guest chairs as the option for your office can be smart when the rest of the chairs within the office are similar. It’s a way to even out the playing field. The guests that are arriving, which can be potential business partners or clients, will feel on the same level as the executives pitching them an idea. 

These executive office guest chairs can also be a great option for VIP-style waiting areas. However, larger chairs may not be great for smaller, cramped waiting rooms. They’re also not going to be the cheapest chairs you’ll be able to find on the market. Ultimately, they serve a unique purpose that doesn’t fit every budget or need.

The Best 3 Office Chairs for Guests

Now that we’ve explored several of the types of options available, we can talk about three guest chairs for executive office spaces that we liked. Remembering that different chairs can cater to various office spaces is important. The physical space available in each spot can also factor into the decision. 

We’re saying this to explain why this top three is in no particular order. In fact, one of the things that was important in deciding which three chairs to choose was ensuring that the chair in question could be a good option for various offices. Without further ado, here are the best office chairs for guests.  

1. Autonomous ErgoChair Core

You could argue that this is more of an ergonomic computer chair than a guest chair. That’s a fair argument, but the price tag and the fact that this chair can be acquired through the Autonomous Bulk Order Program make it a great option. Any company could decide to fill their entire office with these chairs. 

In doing so, that company fulfills one of the elements that we mentioned is important when it comes to guest office chairs. That is the sense that both the people within the company and the guests are on a level playing field. When guests see everyone on the same ergonomic chairs, they will feel welcomed. 

If you order this chair through the bulk order program that Autonomous run, it’s almost one of the best office chairs under $200. The asking price for one unit is $299, and there’s up to a 7.5% discount if a company orders enough chairs or other office equipment. Standard guest chairs at this price would be a good deal. 

The chair features extra support in the lower back area, which makes it one of the best chairs for scoliosis patients within its price range. It’s also easy enough to recline considerably while keeping your back straight. Even though the ergonomic features are simple, they are enough to make sitting in this chair for a long time a comfortable experience.

Speaking of comfort, the seat is covered in a polyester fabric with a foam interior. It’s thick enough that you won’t feel like you’re touching the chair's framework. One of the biggest issues with office chairs is having a hard seat area. This chair does a good job of preventing that problem. 

Some people could argue that the chair doesn’t have too many ergonomic features, particularly to be advertised as such. Then again, that can be a positive, though, because this chair also doesn’t have a lot of moving parts. That usually helps make sure that they last longer.

ErgoChair Core

Without Headrest & Legrest

282 reviews

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Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
This is a chair by one of the best chair brands to buy bulk office furniture from.	It may not be the most elegant option on the list.
Simple but effective ergonomic features make this chair very comfortable.	The chair may not be the ideal guest chair in certain scenarios.

2. West Elm Work Kent Collection

There are quite a few options within this collection that are interesting. These chairs are more similar to what we think about when we talk about standard guest chairs. They tend to be smaller and not necessarily great for taller guests.  

The collection includes desk chairs with no wheels and options with wheels that could work better for workers and not guests. We liked the woven fabric on some of these options. It gave these chairs an elegant touch you may not get with some of the mesh options.

You could argue, though, that the same woven fabric we liked isn’t the ideal material you want to sit on for a long time. It can get itchy and give you some trouble, particularly in hotter climates. If the chairs are mostly used inside with the AC on and for a short period, people will be more than okay.   

An interesting option within this collection is a mix between a stool and one of those office saddle chairs. It has height adjustment features, making it a great option for dentists and other professionals. The chair can also be a guest chair in places with tall tables. 

Many of the options within this collection fit the mold of being more traditional guest office chairs. You can find guest office chairs with arms or without. There are a ton of different options to choose from. In fact, there are ways to craft a unique chair from the different fabrics and sizes the brand offers. 

You can also pay a bit more per chair regardless of which one you pick from the collection. These chairs are meant to provide that touch of elegance. To be completely fair, that is something that you won’t necessarily get from other options that are selling pure office chairs. 

Are chairs from this collection a good option? They can be a very good option for people who are trying to set up a more formal waiting area. Sitting in some of these chairs for a long time, though, may not be all that forgiving on your back.

West Elm Work Kent Collection

130 reviews

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Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
You can create a unique chair from all the options available.	Some options are not going to be too comfortable.
If you want chairs with an elegant touch, these options are for you.	These are not chairs you’ll be able to purchase on a tight budget.

3. Steelcase Move Side + Guest Chairs

It’s safe to say that you won’t find a leather office guest chair in this collection. These chairs are perfectly suited for larger waiting areas. Other places can use these chairs to set up a cafeteria or dining room for employees. Even some restaurants could potentially benefit from the look and feel these chairs provide. 

These are stackable chairs, making them much easier to store than all of the other options we’ve discussed so far. We want to return to what we mentioned before revealing our top three. As we mentioned, each of the three chair types fills completely different needs. 

It’s unfair to provide a direct comparison between each of the models. What we like the most about these chairs is that they’re sturdy but can provide a good look for some of the places we already mentioned. It’s not like you’d be setting up a restaurant with stackable chairs that look disposable. 

These chairs will not be making the top ten for the best big and tall office chairs or any list regarding chairs for scoliosis patients. They tend to be much harder and, therefore, more uncomfortable for people than other options we’ve looked at so far.   

The size, though, makes them great for the waiting room at a doctor’s office. They are not going to be taking up a lot of room. This means you can set up more seating options in a small office. As we said, they’ll give you more style points than some of the cheap plastic chairs you can find out there.   

This collection includes tall chairs that can be a good option for places with equally tall tables, like sports bars. They are made from durable materials, which is one of the biggest advantages from this line of chairs.

Steelcase Move Side + Guest Chairs

420 reviews

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Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
These are quality stack-up chairs that don’t take up a lot of room but can also be durable.	They are the least comfortable chairs of the three options by a wide margin.
The color variety in these chairs can make them an interesting option for a wide range of places.	These chairs may not be as affordable as some businesses would like them to be, especially if they need to buy many chairs.