[Best of 2019] Steelcase Gesture Review: How to spend $1,000 on a chair and not regret it

A chair is just a chair, right?

Thats what Ive always thought.

As someone who gets to work from home, I will write from just about anywhere.

From my bed, from my couch, from my kitchen counter, from mysit-standdesk.

Id tried a few high-end chairs before, but none that was really revelatory.

And then I got to spend a few weeks with the Steelcase Gesture.

This thing is incredibly comfortable, but moreover, its comfortable pretty much anywayyou want to use it.

Technology has changed the way we work.

Sometimes were sitting relaxed watching cat videos, others were leaning in during a burst of productivity.

Sometimes we lean back lost in thought, others were holding a tablet instead of writing at a desk.

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One nice surprise is that the chair comes fully assembled.

That description is inaccurate.

This isnt a big leather armchair.

The Gesture isnt just comfortable to lounge in it actively supports your body in a variety of positions.

The adjustments you’re free to make are numerous.

Moreover, these adjustments are intuitive and easy to make on the fly.

Similarly, the flexible back of the chair seems to almost hug you as youre working.

The Gesture constantly supported both my lower and upper back, flexible enough to conform to subtle movements.

My only qualm is that I wish the lumbar support height adjustments were a little more pronounced.

I started to notice how much easier it was to concentrate.

I wasnt making all the little comfort adjustments I tended to during the day.

Even if we consider readjusting for comfort to be a small inconvenience, those minutes will quickly add up.

Yes, a grand is stilla lotof money to spend on a chair.

There are imitators and more affordable options for far less good ones too.

I got along well with Laura Davidsons $290 Bowery Chair, a Herman-Miller Sayl lookalike.

And despite how comfortable I found the Gesture, it might not be for you.

But with the Gesture youre also making a long term investment into a reputable company.

Theres a reason Steelcase offers one of the best warranties around, at12years for the most important components.

The frame itself is covered for life.

It was hard to send the Gesture back, and not just because it weighs 70 lbs.

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