Armless chairs provide comfort and versatility for those of us who work in corners, tight spaces, or often have to switch from desk to table and back.
They don’t rub up against the edge of your desk and make it easier for you to move around. They are less ergonomic than chairs with arms, but the best of them make seating almost as comfortable.
Just as a great chair without armrests can make you comfortable, a poorly designed chair can make you miserable, especially considering the amount of time we spend five days a week at work.
I rounded up the best armless chairs for your desk, whether in the office or at home. To put it together, I spent hours of research reading through customer reviews and sifting through expert opinions so you won’t have to.
You will find my picks—and buying guide—below.
Flash Furniture Ribbed Swivel Office Chair
I just love the aesthetic of this chair! It’s timelessly modern, without being over the top. And no chair arms in sight, not even a fold-away or flip-up.
What’s more, this is top-quality furniture from a reputable brand. Many offices in corporate America have Flash Furniture chairs, and these chairs have proven their ability to withstand the test of time with minimal wear and tear.
The Flash Furniture Ribbed Swivel Office Chair features ribbed vinyl upholstery that’s not only great to slouch in but also a breeze to clean—simply give it a good wipe down with a damp cloth and you will bring it back into pristine condition.
So this armless office chair is an excellent pick for those who want style, comfort, and low maintenance.
The seat itself offers plenty of padding for comfort, together with a slightly curved back for better lumbar support for your back.
It also has 5 dual-wheel castors in place, so not only is it easy to maneuver around unencumbered on the seat, but it’s also easy to maneuver the seat around, too.
The wheels are positioned on a five-star base, which is deemed one of the more stable kinds of bases for such chairs that there is. So you don’t need to worry about toppling over!
And it can take a body weight of up to 250 lbs (113 kg), give or take.
The other great thing about this chair is how you can adjust the height whenever you wish. This is perfect if you ever have multiple users on the seat or if you frequently need to switch from desk to table.
All thanks to the handy pneumatic lever conveniently positioned on the right-hand side of the seat.
It’s available in different color options; you can go for black, brown, or white uphosltery, and you can choose from a light-gray or chrome base. (As you can probably imagine, black upholstery is the easiest to clean, and white upholstery wears out the quickest.)
The Flash Furniture Ribbed Swivel Office Chair is backed by a reassuringly lengthy 5-year warranty, so you should easily be able to get quite a lot of use out of it.
Admittedly you could argue that it’s an expensive chair, but looking at the customer ratings on Amazon, a lot of people seem to feel it’s worth the money, with about 75% of reviews giving it a full 5 stars out of 5.
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Flash Furniture Ribbed Swivel Office Chair
Timelessly modern, super comfortable
If you’re looking for a stylish armless chair that’s comfortable enough to sit in for hours on end, this chair will not dissappoint.
What customers say:
The first thing customers notice about this chair is just how easy it is to assemble when the box arrives to their door.
Once that done, most customers say they can sit on the chair comfortably for hours on end, and they find it not only comfortable but also very easy to maneuver around.
Pros
- Timelessly modern look
- Ergonomic design with lumbar support for optimal comfort
- Easy to clean and very low maintenance
- The seat height is adjustable
- Composed of top-quality components
- Backed by a 5-year warranty
Cons
- This is a premium-priced chair that’s not for every buyer
- If you decide to buy from Amazon, be careful not to buy the standing desk as well accidentally, as it is available on the same product page
Also available to buy at Staples, Walmart, and Target
Yangming White Modern Swivel Chair
What I love about the Yangming White Modern Swivel Chair is that, in addition to looking sleek and stylish, it looks a bit more homely than the rest.
That homeliness comes from the softer fabric used in the upholstery, and it makes it perfect for a home office where you want your chair to fit in and not look too out of place.
It is a bestseller at a number of online retailers and brick-and-mortar stores. At Amazon, it earned the title of “Amazon’s choice” in the category of home office chairs for women.
The seat’s upholstery is plush and thick, providing a good 3 inches of thick, high-density sponge cushion for hours upon hours of seating comfort.
What’s more, the back of the chair is ever so slightly curved, which means that the chair hugs your back—adding to the feel of coziness and luxury.
There are no arms on the seat, not even flip-ones, so you are entirely unencumbered as you sit. The chair has a stable 5-star base, with PU castors on each “spoke” of the wheel for easy maneuverability.
The height of the seat is adjustable, which is perfect if the seat is going to see multiple users or switching between work and/or meeting spaces.
All you have to do is use the lever underneath the seat to adjust the height. And it has a generous maximum weight, coming in at 300 lbs (136 kg).
There are six color options to choose from. Namely, light gray, dark gray, navy blue, pastel green, dusky pink, and mustard yellow. For those of us who like colors in their office, this chair’s a great pick.
Colors, in fact, that would look nice in an office or study that doubled as a bedroom! (Keep in mind, though, that the price tag changes depending on what color you want to go for).
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Yangming White Modern Swivel Chair
Great choice for the home office
This armless chair is comfortable and homely. If you’re looking for high-performance seating that won’t look out of place in your home, look for nother.
What customers say:
Thanks to the handy instructional video on the Amazon product page, customers report that assembling the Yangming White Modern Swivel Chair is a breeze.
It’s said to be very comfortable to sit in, even for hours at a time. When you sit back, one customer says, it’s feels as if the chair is hugging you. And moving it around is easy on both hard floor and carpet.
Pros
- Homely and cozy look
- Thick padding to cushion the buttocks
- Easy to maneuver, and yet perfectly stable
- Curved back to hug your body as you sit
- High maximum weight limit, coming in at 300 lbs (136 kg)
Cons
- The fabric is not wipeable, and cleaning it may require investing in some dedicated cleaning products
Armen Living Diamond Office Chair
I just love the aesthetic of the Armen Living Diamond Office Chair with its black faux leather upholstery, walnut wood back, and chrome finish.
Simply stunning!
Fit for someone in a position of authority. And really durable and built to last to boot.
It has a full 360-degree swivel, and sits on 5 castors, making it incredibly easy to move around on. It also has an adjustable height thanks to the under-seat lever with a gas-lift mechanism.
The seat cushioning is more than ample—and it’s semi-firm, so you get the perfect balance of softness and support. This chair is a great pick for those of you looking for the right balance between style, price, and mobility, no matter if you’re gaming, working on the computer, or meeting in the office.
Amazon occasionally has deals on this particular item; check the most recent price now to see if there happens to be a deal on this product.
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Armen Living Diamond Office Chair
Sophisticated aesthetic for the picky buyer
Faux leather, walnut wood back, and chrome finish on the feet is what make this chair the most sophisticated pick on our list. But it comes at a price.
What customers say:
Customers found the chair easy enough to assemble, and perfectly comfortable for long hours at the computer, tablet, and phone.
Pros
- Stunning and sophisticated aesthetic
- Durable chair built with-quality parts and materials
- Easy to maneuver, and yet perfectly stable
- Strikes the perfect balance of comfort and support
Cons
- Only available in black and walnut
- It can be expensive if you pay the full listing price
Also available to buy at Lowes and Walmart
Serta Essential Mesh Office Chair
This office chair ticks all the boxes, and it has seen impressive customer ratings on the leading online retailer websites. It’s just like a typical office chair… without those obnoxious armrests that just get in the way!
But the star feature of the chair is the exceptional airflow, made possible by the breathable mesh back, which could come in handy in the summer months.
The seat itself is made of low-maintenance faux leather and has 3 inches of foam padding.
You can adjust the height of the chair just by using the pneumatic lever that’s positioned underneath the seat, accessible on the right-hand side.
And it’s actually a lot sturdier than you might imagine from the photo, being able to take a body weight of up to a whopping 250 lbs (113 kg).
The chair has large castors on a 5-point base, offering both easy maneuverability and stability. You could argue that a drawback to this particular chair is that it doesn’t use recycled materials.
However, the recycled material often used by some chair manufacturers can not only have questionnable safety but can also carry a high safety risk due to being flammable.
It’s available in a choice of different color options, including black, cream, gray, light blue, and pink.
Amazon occasionally has deals on this particular item, so head on over and check to see if there happens to be a deal on right now. When this article was written, you could save 10% off the listing price.
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Serta Essential Mesh Office Chair
Great value for the money
If style is less important to you than comfort, durability, and affordability are, then this armless chair might be just what you need. It is a great option for the budget buyer.
What customers say:
Assembling the chair is easy. Many customers say it takes 15 minutes to half an hour.
People who bought this chair say that their back remained comfortable, even in the heat, thanks to the mesh, and reporting having more-than-adequate lumbar support.
Pros
- Breathable mesh back with lumbar support
- Thick 3” padding to cushion the buttocks
- It’s easy to maneuver yet perfectly stable
- The seat height is perfectly adjustable
- Low maintenance and easy to clean
Cons
- This isn’t necessarily a premium chair, but then again it doesn’t look very stylish and expensive either
Also available to buy at Best Buy
Hbada Ergonomic Office Chair
Okay… technically, the Hbada Ergonomic Office Chair isn’t an armless chair. It has arms that you can flip out, out of the way.
But when the arms are up, you have no restriction of movement, and you can slide the chair right under the desk or table.
I love its super futuristic look—it looks so modern, it’s like something out of Star Wars!
But that’s not even the best bit. This chair has an awesome rocking motion, which is really therapeutic when you need to sit back for a moment to figure something out.
It also rotates a full 360 degrees, plus is easy to maneuver, thanks to the 5 castors. What’s more, the wheels are shock-absorbing, non-slip, and wear-resistant.
It’s also perfectly stable and can hold body weights of up to a hefty 250 lbs (113 kg).
You can also adjust the height of the chair to any height you like thanks to the under-seat pneumatic lever, which can come in really handy if someone wants to borrow your seat.
It’s available in 3 color options, namely white, black and gray (my favorite).
Amazon occasionally has deals on the Hbada Ergonomic Office Chair; be sure to check the price of this item right now. When this article was written, you could save more than 10% off the listing price.
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The hybrid chair
Need an armless chair, but don’t want to forgo the arm rests altogether? This futuristic-looking, comfortable-to-sit-in chair with fold-up arm rests lets you have the cake and eat it, too.
What customers say:
Admittedly, customers were concerned that the flip-up arms would get in the way at some point. But, as it turns out, most don’t even notice them when they are flipped up.
Many customers’ favorite feature of the chair is the adjustable lumbar support—they say it’s like having a pair of hands massage your back just where you need it.
No wonder this is a bestseller!
Pros
- Futuristic look
- Excellent adjustable lumbar support
- Thick, 3-in padding to cushion the buttocks
- Easy to maneuver yet perfectly stable
- Has a therapeutic rocking motion
- The arms flip up out of the way
Cons
- The customer ratings could be better, typically coming in at 4 stars out of 5 rather than 4½
Also available to buy at Walmar and Hbada
Buying Guide
Scrolled through the picks? Or read this far?
As promised, here comes the armless office chair buying guide!
Let me walk you through the key points to consider when shopping for an armless office chair. Once you go through the points below, you will also understand why I picked the chairs I picked.
Armless Chairs vs. Chairs With Flip-Up Arms
The armless chair is designed to provide you with the same level of comfort and support for your back, neck, and shoulders in all postures—but without the added bulk.
They are great for working in corners, in tight spaces, and at desks with keyboard pullouts. Many also find them more comfortable than chairs with arms in work environments where frequent sitting and standing up is required.
If you need to work on a chair without arms due to space constraints, but you have the option to change your seating environment to use a chair with arms, folding chairs are a great hybrid solution that gives you the comfort of both.
Aesthetics
I don’t know about you, but, as you can probably tell by now, I’m a sucker for sturdy furniture with a sleek and modern design.
Why buy a random office chair when you can invest in a top-of-the-line one that not only feels good to sit it, but also adds to the interior design of your office space or home office?
While most offices in corporate America tend to have fairly basic-looking chairs, if you’re buying one for your home, you don’t want to get one that looks out of place. (And you probably want one that fits the style of the interior!)
Comfort
There’s much to be said about going for an office chair with padding —it can really add to your level of comfort, especially if you’re there for hours at a time every day.
But comfort is not just about padding, and you also need to have some support for at least your lower back, if not your mid-back as well.
Adjustable Height
I also recommend investing in an office chair with adjustable seat height if it’s going to be used by more than one person, or a person who is still growing. The perfect height for an office chair is one that puts you eye level at the top of your screen.
Maneuverability
Office chairs are often favored over regular chairs for their easy maneuverability. You don’t want to feel like you’re stuck in one position, and by simply being on a wheeled chair you can feel freer.
To be honest, though, the maneuverability of your office chair is more down to your flooring than the wheels of the chair.
Stability
The “drawback” of an office chair compared to, say, a dining room chair is that because it’s on wheels, people are more afraid that it will fall over and send the occupant crashing to the ground…
However, so long as the chair has a five-point base, it will be perfectly stable and will not be at risk of making the occupant fall over.
Easy to Clean
It’s also worth looking into what the chair’s fabric is made out of. This is because crumbs and spills are basically inevitable, and you don’t want to end up getting nasty stains on your brand-new office chair.
Fabrics such as real leather or polyurethane (PU) leather tend to be easy to wipe clean, but other fabrics will require special cleaning products.
Value for the Money
In my view, you can’t put a price on comfort. And if you’re going to spend hours on end in your office chair, you should place your comfort before the price tag.
That said, some office chairs can be really expensive, with many costing over $200, while the cheaper ones sometimes cost as little as $60. This is why I recommend checking prices as you go along. (I don’t include prices in my reviews in case the prices change.)
