The corner office comes with a door, a window and usually a line in the budget for a new chair. Open two tabs and the choice looks stark: a high back leather executive office chair can cost close to twice as much as a well specified ergonomic task chair. So what does the extra money buy, and does it suit the way you actually sit?
This guide compares upholstery, mechanisms, weight ratings and stated seated hours, using chairs from our executive office chairs and ergonomic task chairs ranges, then matches each type to the room it suits.
What an executive office chair gives you
An executive chair is built to look the part across several postures. You sit upright for a call, recline to read and turn to face a visitor. The back is taller, the padding thicker and the base often polished aluminium.
The Burton Leather Chair (from $837) borrows from task chairs. It pairs leather upholstery and a high density foam seat cushion with a weight activated Donati synchro-tilt that sets tilt tension to your weight. It also has padded adjustable arms and a seat slide with four locking positions. Order it without a headrest at 995mm tall, or with a curved headrest at 1185mm. The trade-off is a 120kg weight rating and a 3 Year Warranty.
The Mode High Back Executive Chair ($732) shows the traditional side of the family. It has individually upholstered Black PU cushions over a fully sprung seat base, fixed supportive arms and a polished alloy frame. Its synchronised tilt has weight specific tension control, and it carries a 160kg rating and a 10-Year Warranty.
Padding is not the same as support. Thick cushions feel generous for five minutes, but over a full day support comes from shape and adjustment: seat depth, lumbar height and arms at desk height.
Leather, PU, fabric or mesh
Upholstery sets the look, the price and how warm the chair feels by mid-afternoon.
- Genuine leather has the feel people expect in a director's chair. It runs warm in summer and needs occasional conditioning.
- PU gives a similar look at a lower price and wipes clean easily, which suits boardrooms. It breathes less than fabric or mesh.
- Fabric is the task chair default: softer, quieter and cooler than PU.
- Mesh keeps air moving across your back and now appears on executive chairs too.
The Titan High Back Executive Chair ($668) shows that crossover. A breathable mesh back and headrest sit above a commercial-grade premium fabric seat. It also adds automatic adjustable lumbar support, 4D armrests and a seat slide.
Synchro, knee tilt or three-lever: the mechanism matters most
Synchro. The seat and back recline together, with the seat tilting less than the back, so your feet stay planted as you lean back. The Titan uses a heavy-duty synchronised mechanism with a 28° tilt, five locking positions and a rotating handle for recline tension.
Knee tilt. The pivot sits near the front of the seat, close to your knees, so the front edge barely lifts when you recline. The Jasmine Range (from $356) uses a knee tilt infinite lock mechanism that reclines and locks at any angle, in a medium or high back with padded arms.
Three-lever. Seat angle and back angle adjust separately, so each person can set the chair to suit their own posture. The Buro Roma 3 Lever - High Back 180kg (from $424) has an independently adjustable seat angle and backrest angle, each free floating or lockable. It adds a seat slider and a ratchet height adjustable back and lumbar.
Watch for the seat slide. It lets a shorter person sit right back without the seat edge pressing behind the knees. The Burton, Titan and Buro Roma have one; the Mode and Jasmine pages do not list one.
Five chairs compared side by side
| Chair | Price | Upholstery | Mechanism | Weight rating | Seated hours stated | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burton Leather Chair | from $837 | Leather, optional headrest | Weight activated synchro, 4-position seat slide | 120kg | Not stated | 3 years |
| Mode High Back Executive Chair | $732 | Black PU, fully sprung seat | Synchro with weight specific tension, fixed arms | 160kg | Not stated | 10 years |
| Titan High Back Executive Chair | $668 | Mesh back and headrest, fabric seat | Synchro, 28° tilt, seat slide | 135kg | Not stated | 10 years |
| Jasmine Range | from $356 | Black PU, medium or high back | Knee tilt, infinite lock | 120kg | 8 hrs+ | 5 years |
| Buro Roma 3 Lever - High Back 180kg | from $424 | Jett fabric | Independent seat and back angle, seat slider, ratchet back and lumbar | 180kg | 8+ hours | 10 years |
The dearer executive chairs spend the extra on leather or PU, polished bases, headrests and a formal look. The Buro Roma spends its budget on adjustment, the highest weight rating here and a stated seated-hours figure. A bigger price does not buy a longer warranty, either.
Which chair suits a manager's office, a boardroom or an all-day desk
A manager's office. Time is split between the desk, the phone and visitors, so posture changes constantly. An executive chair works here if it covers the typing hours too. The Burton does, with its seat slide and self-setting tension, provided its 120kg rating suits the person using it.
The boardroom. Different people sit for an hour or three and rarely touch a lever. Simple controls, a tidy profile and a generous weight rating matter more than fine adjustment. The Mode is rated to 160kg and its page describes it as well suited to long meetings, and our meeting and boardroom chairs range has more options for the table.
An all-day desk role. Here the task chair wins. The Buro Roma lists indicative seated hours of 8+ per day and a 180kg weight rating. If the chair will be shared across shifts, or anyone using it is a bigger build, read our guide to how weight ratings and 24/7 seating work before you choose.
Buying chairs for an Australian office
If your furniture budget runs to the financial year, 30 June sets the deadline, so May is a sensible month to settle chair orders. Most items dispatch within 3 to 12 business days, and made-to-order items take longer, as shown on each product page. If a new starter or an office move has a fixed date, order early.
Climate matters too. In a northern summer, or a west-facing room without air-conditioning, leather and PU warm up quickly, while mesh and fabric stay cooler.
Read the certification line. The Buro Roma lists AFRDI Level 6. The Australasian Furnishing Research and Development Institute, which trades as Furntech, describes Level 6 swivel chairs as suited to severe use such as control rooms. The Titan and Mode list BIFMA, the North American furniture industry association that sponsors chair safety and durability standards. Chairs arrive flat-packed unless the product page says assembled, and deliveries go to the ground-floor entrance.
Executive office chairs — frequently asked questions
Is an executive chair good for sitting all day?
It can be, if it has the adjustments a task chair has. Look for a seat slide, a synchro or self-weighting mechanism and adjustable arms. Of the chairs above, only the Jasmine, a knee tilt executive chair, and the Buro Roma state 8+ seated hours.
Is leather or mesh cooler for an office chair?
Mesh is cooler, because air passes through the backrest. Leather and PU hold heat against your back, which you notice most in summer.
Do I need a headrest on an office chair?
You need one only if you recline often to read or take calls. At a keyboard you rarely touch it. If you want one, choose a height adjustable headrest, like the Titan's, so it meets your head.
What weight rating should an office chair have?
Choose a rating comfortably above the heaviest person who will use it. The chairs here run from 120kg on the Burton and Jasmine to 180kg on the Buro Roma.
Shop the range
Start with our executive office chairs for the manager's office, ergonomic task chairs for all-day desks and meeting and boardroom chairs for the table. For one chair that does both jobs, the Titan High Back Executive Chair is a good place to start. Metro delivery is a flat $75 per order, and prices include GST.
