Shopping for a new office chair? I’ve curated a list of top Sydney office chair showrooms that allow you to view, touch and sit in the chairs they sell. Most retailers cater to the premium end of the market, but I’ve also included budget-friendly options for people on a shoestring.
If you don’t love trundling around Sydney furniture showrooms, I’ve also provided a list of the best direct-to-consumer office chair brands that offer rapid delivery anywhere in Sydney.
(Related: Best Office Chairs In Australia [Ultimate Guide]).
1. Sydney Office Chair Showrooms.
Above: The Living Edge showroom in Alexandria warehouses one of Sydney’s most comprehensive premium office chair collections.
Buying an office chair is an intensely personal experience. If you plan to spend more than $800, I highly recommend you visit it in a showroom and compare it against other options.
Expert Tip.
Buy a chair that feels right for your body, not the one with the best marketing.
1. Living Edge.
Living Edge is to office chairs what Apple is to computers. Their Sydney showroom is a work of art, and worth a visit for its architecture alone.
Specialising in high-end office chair sales, Living Edge is the master distributor of Herman Miller and Knoll chairs in Australia.
- Address: 74/4D Huntley St, Alexandria
2. Steelcase Sydney.
Located conveniently in Sydney’s Law Courts precinct, Steelcase is one of my favourite office chair brands. Their products are easy to underestimate because they’re not ostentatious or pretentious.
Most of its office chairs cost between $800 and $2,000, focusing on user comfort and ergonomics as guiding principles.
- Address: 75 Elizabeth St, Sydney
3. Mark Alexander Design.
Luxury, grand, statuesque. These words come to mind as you stroll through their showroom.
Not for people who like to be subtle or understated, Mark Alexander Design offers bold, striking office chairs that scream, “I’ve made it”. Every Woollahra mansion needs one.
- Address: 26/44 Market St, Sydney
4. Space.
If you’re decking out your home office with chairs from Space furniture, you’ve probably made some good business decisions.
Minimalist, crisp lines meet with elaborate backstories and quadruple-digit price tags.
- Address: 84 O’Riordan St, Alexandria
5. JasonL.
A short drive down the road from Space is another huge Australian success story, albeit one that caters to a very different clientele.
Sydney residents can visit either the Western Sydney or the Sydney CBD showroom, ask questions and get patient, intelligent answers from in-house office design experts.
- Address: 3/29-31 O’Riordan St, Alexandria
2. Direct-To-Consumer Chair Brands That Deliver To Sydney.
I’ve given you an extra helping hand if you’re a Sydney resident needing an office chair without enough time to visit a physical showroom. Check out your options below.
1. Ergotune Supreme V3.
Winner of my Best Ergonomic Chair in Australia award, the Ergotune Supreme offers the best balance of ergonomic features, comfort and cost.
It’s also a great chair for people with bad backs. Unlike most ergonomic chairs in the $500-$800 range, it’s also quite attractive.
2. Humanscale Freedom.
This automatically adjustable high-back office executive office chair is an engineering masterpiece. You won’t find any levers or knobs to wrestle with.
Its weight-sensitive mechanism does all the thinking for you, and – before you raise your eyebrow in doubt – rest assured that it’s remarkably effective.
3. Herman Miller Cosm.
The prettiest chair on the market, Cosm is available in 3 back heights, 6 colours and 3 armrest options. Like the Freedom chair, it’s fully automatic, which makes it a great option for people who hate fuss.
If you’ve ever felt frustrated while waiting for colleagues to adjust their chairs before you could start a meeting, you’ll intrinsically appreciate the value Cosm offers.
(Related: 11 Best Ergonomic Office Chairs For 2024).
4. Ergohuman Elite.
Available either via the Ergohuman website or Temple & Webster, the Elite is one of the world’s most competent office chairs.
Available in leather, mesh, or hybrid mesh/upholstery construction, it features a handsome design that is best suited to professional services firms and home offices.
3. How To Buy A Used Office Chair In Sydney.
Above: as of this morning, for example, there are 24 used Aerons for sale around Sydney.
You may have some reservations at this thought, and rightly so. I don’t recommend buying an office chair second-hand – with one exception.
The Herman Miller Aeron is an ultra-premium office chair you can consider buying second-hand because of its modular design and rugged construction.
- Aerons are unique because they hold their value incredibly well, and examples of these chairs last over 10 years.
If something goes wrong with your Aeron, a strong network of Sydney repairers is at hand to recondition or replace parts.
As for where to buy one, I have one tip – Gumtree.
While a brand-new Aeron will set you back upwards of $2,500, a three-year-old example on Gumtree should cost around $1,600. Models between three and six years of age cost about $800.
Steven