If your home office is a spare room, a sunroom or a corner of the garage, summer changes what a good chair feels like. The chair that was fine in July can be sticky by January. The material on the seat and backrest makes most of the difference, so it is worth choosing with summer in mind.
The short answer
For a warm room, a mesh backrest is the practical choice because air can pass through it. Fabric sits in the middle. Leather and leather-look chairs are the warmest to sit against, and suit a room with air conditioning.
How each material behaves
| Material | In warm weather | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Mesh | Air moves through the backrest, so heat does not build up behind you. | Many mesh chairs have a mesh back and a padded seat. Check the product page to see which parts are mesh. |
| Fabric | Padded and soft. Warmer than mesh because the foam holds heat. | Comes in the widest range of colours. Marks are harder to remove than from mesh or leather-look. |
| Leather-look (PU leather) | Does not let air through, so it can feel warm and sticky against bare skin. | Easy to wipe down. Best in a room you can cool. |
Four checks before you buy
- Which parts are mesh? A mesh back with a padded seat is common. A full mesh seat is less common. The product details will say.
- Does the room get afternoon sun? A west-facing room in summer is a different place from the same room in winter. If you cannot shade it, favour mesh.
- Do you have cooling in the room? With air conditioning, material matters less and you can choose on comfort and looks.
- Does the chair still fit you? Material comes second to fit. Seat height, lumbar support and armrests matter all year. Our ergonomic office chair guide explains each adjustment.
Cooling the room, not only the chair
A chair can only do so much in a hot room. Two kinds of portable cooling suit a home office:
- Evaporative coolers use water and a fan. They work best in dry heat with a window open, and less well when the air is already humid.
- Portable air conditioners cool a closed room and need their exhaust hose vented outside, usually through a window.
You can see both on our cooling page.
Mesh chairs in our range
Examples from the current range include the FORTIA mesh office chair with height adjustable lumbar support and headrest. The full range is on the office chairs page.
Common questions
Are mesh chairs less comfortable than padded chairs?
They feel different. Mesh is firmer and springier, and padding is softer. Which you prefer is personal, so read the product details for the chair you are considering.
Is leather-look a bad choice in Australia?
No. It is easy to clean and looks smart. It is simply the warmest of the three to sit against, so it suits a room you can cool.
Can I get help choosing?
Yes. Contact us with your desk height, your room and how many hours a day you sit, and we will suggest chairs from the current range.
Orders over $150 ship free to most of Australia. Some bulky items exclude remote areas.
