What Is Your Ideal Writing Set Up? Desk chair edition

I get a lot of questions about my writing and office set-up. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve likely seen my desk and laptop at some stage. This blog is usually focused on the craft of writing, but today we’ll chat about some of my essentials for a good writing set-up.

In this post, I’ll be reviewing the Ergotune Supreme desk chair. This chair was gifted to me by Ergotune in exchange for an honest review.

The old chair: Mid-century-inspired back ache

When I took my business full-time in mid-2020 (I’d been part-time for around a year before that) I decided it was time to celebrate by getting an office chair.

Before this, I’d been using a dining chair which I would not recommend — it left me stiff and I had a sore back from the spindles. So any office chair would have been an improvement — but I wanted it to be pretty too.

I opted for a low-backed mid-century-inspired desk chair and I loved it. Pictured below:

I’ll be honest, the chair was chosen primarily due to the cozy but elevated vibes it gave my office. But overall the padding was pretty comfy and the height was just right for my desk. And in the middle of the pandemic, many desk chairs were out of stock so my choices were limited.

It did the job for a while. But recently my lower back and shoulders have been aching and I know my posture hasn’t been great whilst using this chair.

So, after two years of faithful service, I knew it was time for an upgrade.

The new chair: Ergotune Supreme

When Ergotune popped up on my Instagram feed, I was intrigued by the glowing reviews about the comfort and customisations of fit. This is an Ergonomic chair, which is designed to conform to your body and give it the support it needs.

I reached out to Ergotune and they were keen to collaborate and sent me a chair (Thanks, Ergotune!)

First impressions:

• The box is huge, but the delivery person was helpful at navigating it into my house. My entryway is small, so this isn’t a reflection on the product – but if you have an apartment or many stairs, you may need a buddy to help.
• I was very impressed by the way the chair was packaged. Everything was neat and orderly, as well as aesthetically pleasing (yes, that matters to me, and I’m not sorry for it). When I unbox something I want that ‘oooh’ experience.

Assembly:

• I was very impressed with the assembly experience. All the parts were very clearly labelled and the instructions were straightforward.
• Compared with assembling my last chair (particularly putting the castors in place) this was a breeze.
• It may be quicker to assemble with some help. I struggled to put the back of the chair on by myself — the chair is solid and navigating the bulk of the back while also aligning the screw holes to the base was a challenge. But not too tricky ultimately.

The finished product pros:

• I opted for the coral-red colour, which is a little pinker than I expected but still pretty! It’s different from my last chair, but still looks great and makes a statement which is what I wanted in the space.
• 11 adjustment points – this was the selling point for me. I’ve been able to customise the chair to fit my body’s needs. In particular, I’ve enjoyed the lumbar support which has helped with the back pain I mentioned earlier.
• Swivel armrests have meant I can comfortably use the chair for both typing, and reading. Previously, I would read in a different chair as my office chair just wasn’t comfortable for non-typing tasks.
• Glide – my last office chair would scoot away from me fairly easily. But this chair is heavy enough to stay in place when in use, but glides smoothly if it needs to be relocated.
• The mesh fabric is comfortable and I shouldn’t have the issues with heat in summer that the faux leather of my last chair caused.

The finished product cons:

• The chair is listed as being suitable for bodies between the heights of 150 – 180cm. I’m 165cm but I think if you were shorter than me, the chair could be a little on the tall side. I wish the chair was able to be lowered another cm or so – as my feet don’t feel as flat on the ground as in my previous chair. Obviously, this also depends on the length of your legs vs torso.
• As another reviewer mentioned, the padding at the front of the chair doesn’t feel super sturdy and is firm, rather than as cushioned as I’d hoped. While it’s not uncomfortable as such, my last chair had a more comfortable feeling at the front of the seat. The other reviewer had issues with the durability of this section (and Ergotune organised a replacement part) so I’ll wait and see how this holds up.

One week check-in:

• After one week of use, I’m still impressed with the quality and comfort of the chair. The Ergotune Supreme is said to last 12 years, so I’m hoping that I get many years of comfortable use from this chair!

Final thoughts

While you technically can write from anywhere, a good chair makes a lot of difference. Writers and editors struggle enough with distraction as it is, so choosing a chair that supports you as you work is key.

I’m continuing to improve my office to support my health and business. I have put a couple of other things in place to ensure I get a good day’s work done — let me know how your home office is set up to support you! (Or what changes you’d like to make)

1. Laptop riser: I picked up an inexpensive wood laptop riser. This acts as a platform to elevate my screen so that my neck and head don’t get stiff from looking down for too long.
2. Wrist support mousepad: this saves my wrists from having too much pressure put on them while I work.
3. Taking regular breaks: I often set a timer for 20 minutes and when it goes off, I get up and have a stretch and walk around. My body is always thankful when I take the time to do this.

If you’d like to check out the Ergotune Supreme chair for yourself, you can do so here.