Desky Contourra Office Chair Review: Pros, Cons & Verdict

Have you heard of an office chair company called Chairsky? Me neither. That’s why I got nervous when Desky offered to send me the Contourra. The company is famous for building outstanding standing desks. But a chair?

Isn’t this a bit like my dentist diversifying into haircuts?

Well, no. This is a new trend among Aussie standing desk manufacturers (I’ve reviewed UpDown’s Ergo ProFlex and Ergo Elite before, and walked away with positive feelings. Mostly).

But this was my first look at a Desky chair, and I didn’t know what to expect.

Spoiler alert – this is a genuinely comfortable, attractive, well-made mid-range chair. But it has a couple of quirks that I need to tell you about.

Above: The Desky Contourra looks fabulous in light grey. The colour is one of the most successful parts of the design. (It costs $50 more than the all-black version – but is 100% worth it).

Is The Desky Contourra Right For You?

Reasons To Buy The Desky Contourra Office Chair.

Let me emphasise this before I get into the complaints: the Contourra is comfortable.

The seat is a secure bucket that looks heavily inspired by the Aeron’s. (Clearly, someone is fond of the “if you’re on a good thing, don’t change it” school of thought).

Above: The bucket seat has a lovely waterfall front edge that prevents it from cutting off blood circulation to your feet.

The first impression is of an unmistakable suspended mesh feeling – without bouncing or sagging that you get on cheap and nasty office chairs. You feel like you’re sitting in the Contourra, not perched on top of it.

The secure feeling doesn’t mean you’re immobilised. The backrest yields when you shift your body, so the chair won’t insist on keeping you completely still.

However, the backrest’s considerable width puts a limit on bigger stretches – your elbows will eventually encounter the frame. Especially if you’re petite.

Above: The Contourra’s all-mesh construction is on full display here. On a chair with this much exposed mesh, the material’s appearance matters.

The lumbar support is similarly convincing – is you like yours to feel confident. I do. I don’t buy an ergonomic office chair hoping it has a flaccid, polite lumbar pad.

Contourra’s remains strong – even with depth control set to minimum.

Thankfully, it spreads the pressure across a broad, meshed area, so your lower back feels supported rather than prodded. The net effect is that of strong lumbar that doesn’t jam a hard lump into your back.

It’s one of the Contourra’s best features. Desky says my chair is “grey”, but it’s actually a smart-looking grey-back weave that is both durable and gentle on the skin.

If you have an office with a lot of neutrals and blacks, the grey Contourra will fit right in.

It fits alongside dark furniture without becoming a dominating black object, and it picks up lighter tones as the light increases.

Above: Desky Contourra (left) and Herman Miller Aeron (right). Which one looks better? (Let me know in the comments).

I put the Contourra next to my grey (sorry, I meant “mineral”) Aeron, leaving the Desky’s headrest off to help it look cleaner and accentuate its silhouette.

Frankly, I prefer the Contourra’s front view – it looks decidedly more modern and, dare I say, premium.

Without the headrest, the Desky’s front angle is its best. The chair looks more like a luxury item than ergonomic equipment.

But the headrest complicates the buying decision because – unusually – I like it.

Contourra’s headrest is legitimately useful. Substantial in size and perfectly shaped, it was the first headrest to challenge my dogmatic disdain for headrests.

I can see why you’d want to use it – even though I’d likely keep it off.

Above: The separate lumbar pad is always offering plenty of support – even when retracted.

The seat-depth adjustment is excellent.

I have long legs, and sliding the seat forward gives them support – without leaving a dangerous-looking gap behind me.

There’s even a useful spot to put your feet – if you like to tuck them underneath.

The base spokes have small grippy supports – instead of leaving your shoes to slide around on a smooth finish. Great touch, Desky – one I haven’t seen before.

Taken together, the Contourra offers a very competent working position. It feels close to the ErgoTune Joobie, which is a compliment.

The main control is a masterclass in UX design. A metal handle that feels cool to the touch, it moves the seat pan up, down, locks the tilt and increases seat depth.

The tension control beside it is round and plastic, so you can distinguish them by touch without having to bend over for a visual inspection.

The remaining controls are exactly what I’d expect at this price point: 4D arms with height, width, pivot and depth. Recline that locks in 4 positions.

Above: The metal control handle and the grippy footrests are on full display here.

Fortunately, the build quality doesn’t undermine the strong first impression.

The plastics feel pleasant to the touch. The levers don’t feel like they’ll snap off when I use them. I did not hear any unwanted squeaks or rattles.

It feels less substantial than some of the premium chairs currently crowding my home office. But against its direct competitors (ErgoTune Joobie, Updown Ergo Elite) the construction feels reassuring.

Desky provides a flat 6-year limited warranty, with normal wear and tear excluded.

Reasons To Avoid The Desky Contourra Office Chair.

Above: The blue highlight in the middle looks … questionable.

Remember how I raved about the Contourra’s appearance from the front?

Its rear is less persuasive.

The blue accent in the middle looks borderline tacky to me, and the exposed red springs and chrome wheel details seem to speak different design languages.

I would have preferred a more consistent, restrained finish.

But these are reservations, not deal-breakers. It’s still attractive as far as ergonomic office chairs go – and these criticisms will matter less to younger people.

In fact, if I was 25 again, I’d probably think the red springs look “sick”. Just like the shocks on my Supra.

Above: The controversial arm caps. Note the shallow channel in the middle – and the raised tip.

Desky’s armrests give me stronger reservations.

Their armcaps have grooves for your forearms and raised tips that resemble little ski ramps. Initially, I thought the design would work well for upright tasking. But after using them for a day, I like the design a lot less.

To get comfortable, you’ll need to manoeuvre your hands and wrists into the right spot – instead of putting your arms down wherever they naturally land.

The raised front edges become less pleasant when you recline and continue typing. If you recline:

Silver lining? The grooves are perfect for digging your elbows in. They locate and hold your elbow bones, keeping them precisely in the middle.

But unfortunately, the pads don’t lower as far as I want.

I can get away with this because I’m tall – but I can imagine this becoming particularly troublesome for people who are shorter than 165cm.

Above: Contourra’s headrest is almost over-engineered. Large and adjustable, it is possibly the best I’ve tested.

The armrests also flex more than I would like when I push against them to stand up.

The single-bolt attachment is the root cause – and a questionable design decision at this price point.

Thankfully, it has a metal threaded insert, so I’m not worried about the joint eventually coming apart. But the resulting structure doesn’t feel as planted as I like.

My final criticism of the Desky Contourra is aimed at its recline tension control.

For context, I weigh 110 kg, and I like working with the recline unlocked. I usually crank up the tension until it balances out my weight. On most chairs, this means setting the tension to the maximum.

Contourra won’t give me that balance.

That’s frustrating because the reclining movement itself is excellent.

Smooth and buttery, with none of the unpleasantness that would make me avoid leaning back altogether. I have no objection to how it travels; I object to how little control I have over whether it does.

If you like to lock your chair at a chosen angle, this quirk will not matter. It’s also less likely to affect you if you are less heavy.

I reckon Contourra is strong enough to balance bodies that weigh 90kg or less.

How The Desky Contourra Stacks Up.

This chair scores highly across all main categories. The return policy is the weakest area.

My Final Verdict On The Desky Contourra Office Chair.

I was afraid that the Desky Contourra would disappoint me. A standing desk company moving into chairs? It’s a ballsy move.

Being good at making desks does not automatically qualify one to sell the chair that goes underneath it.

It’s an attractive, rock-solid office chair with solid ergonomic credentials and a legitimate 6-year warranty.

But a couple of weeks in the chair revealed a couple of quirks that made my verdict more nuanced.

The weak-ish tension control is a big one. It’s a deal-breaker for my 110 kg frame, but won’t be for regularly sized people.

As for the “ski ramp” armcaps? They’re not ideal, but you’ll likely learn to live with them. Especially if you view them as an acceptable trade-off in what’s otherwise an outstanding office chair.

The price is also a factor. At the time of writing, Contourra costs $799 in Black or $849 in Light Grey, without the retractable footrest, before delivery.

It’s competitive, but at the higher end of the mid-tier ergonomic chair spectrum. Competitors like the Ergotune Joobie cost $699, and you can have it in any color.

Today, I wouldn’t squabble with you over $100-150, but back in my uni days, that was three weeks’ worth of Ramen noodles. It could be just enough to sway me the other way.

Steven