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We all know that we need a good chair for our offices and music studios, even if we don’t invest in one as early as we should. While there is a ton of dialogue around the entry-level and mid-tier studio chairs, which range in price from $150-$300ish, something you don’t hear much about is the best-of-the-best office chairs, the C-Suite level executive producer level chairs and what that level of luxury brings to your workflow and productivity.
Well, now it’s time to talk about precisely that, as I was recently asked to review Hawthorne’s Fern Office Chair in the studio and see just how much better a premium-tier chair is than the handful of other ergonomic chairs I’ve had the chance to review for the producers and artists in our community.
In this massive, comprehensive review, we will cover everything from what this chair is to what I loved the most about it and something that might not appeal to all producers before finally breaking down who it is for. So before we cover all the hot takes and fun parts of this Fern Office Chair review, let’s talk about what precisely this chair is and perhaps see how it separates itself from the competition.
Learn More About The Fern Office Chair Here
What Is The Fern Office Chair?
The Fern Office Chair is about giving you full support and comfort while working. This amazing three-part Wave Suspension system moves with you, providing consistent support from your neck down to your pelvis. This system includes a central stem and flexible fronds that support different areas of your back, ensuring you’re always well-supported, whether leaning forward or reclining.
Customizing the Fern to suit your needs is a breeze. You can choose from various materials like Digital Knit, Mesh, or Leather, and select from different colors to match your style. There are also options for an adjustable headrest and additional lumbar support to cradle your lower back in a 3.5″ range. You can pick different types of armrests, such as height-adjustable arms or 4D arms, which can move up and down, side to side, front to back, and in and out for excellent neck and shoulder support. Adjusting the seat height, depth, and tilt tension is easy, allowing you to set up the chair perfectly for your body.
The Fern is also designed with sustainability in mind. The fabric is made from 100% recycled polyester yarn, which helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Each piece of fabric is precisely cut to fit the chair, leaving no waste. Plus, the chair is GREENGUARD Gold certified, meaning it’s been tested to be free from over 10,000 chemicals, which helps improve the air quality in your home.
This chair also comes with some neat ergonomic features. You can adjust the seat height so your knees are at a 90-degree angle with your feet flat on the floor. The optional forward tilt feature angles the seat downward by 5 degrees, supporting a forward-leaning posture, which is great for focused tasks. The backstop and tilt tension can be adjusted to control how much force is needed to recline, ensuring the perfect balance of support and flexibility.
Additionally, the Fern Office Chair is built to last. It’s backed by a comprehensive warranty and is certified to support users up to 325 lbs. The chair has won comfort studies and was rated “most comfortable” by an independent ergonomics consulting firm that tested it against three competitors.
Fern Office Chair Review – The Pros
It’s Ergnomonic, But Not Annoying…
I’ve reviewed a lot of different ergonomic chairs in my search to find the perfect one for my music studio. While I like the ideas many of them have, the lumbar supports usually jut out too far, and the headrests come forward just slightly too far, which is annoying.
However, none of this is the case with the Fern Office Chair, which I was very excited about.
The backrest’s curvature is shaped so that my back naturally rests against it in a comfortable AND supportive way without overcorrecting like so many ergonomic chairs tend to do. I just thought that aggressively forward lumbar supports were part and parcel with ergonomic chairs, and the Fern Office Chair’s lower back support proved this assumption entirely wrong.
It’s Adjustable In Creative Ways
This is another feature that I never knew I needed, but the Fern Office Chair goes the extra mile with how you can adjust it, and I’m all for it.
Where most office chairs I’ve reviewed give you the apparent flexibility to adjust the chair and its armrests up and down, the Fern Office Chair also allows the armrests to swivel inward! This is fantastic for when I’m on Zoom meetings, listening to reference mixdowns in my DAW, or any other situation where I don’t want my hands actively on my keyboard typing away.
It’s Incredibly Comfortable
This is what matters most with an office or studio chair. You want the dang thing to be comfortable, and to be honest, I’ve never sat in an office chair that is more comfortable than the Fern Office Chair over a longer period.
I think a large reason behind this is everything I mentioned above about it being unannoyingly ergonomic. It completely supports your back for long writing or producing sessions without ever feeling like you need to get up and stretch or do a couple of jumping jacks to get the blood flowing.
Overall, this is by far the chair’s most impressive feature, and I’m all for it.
It Certainly Feels Premium!
I’ll be 100% honest: when the Fern Office Chair originally came across my radar, I thought, “How great could this office chair really feel to warrant that price tag?” And while the price does come with its own set of limitations, which I’ll talk about in a second, the second you sit down in this thing, you instantly can tell that you’re getting what you paid for.
I wish there were a better way to describe it in writing or a video, but this chair has a tangibility and feel that is unrivaled in any other office or studio chair I’ve ever sat in. I would genuinely say that it’s best in class, and it makes long hours in the office and studio completley manageable, if not entirely enjoyable!
I also love the number of customization options you can choose from, allowing you to choose the color and the material and choose between a couple of different add-ons! You can make this thing your own and tailor it to exactly what your studio or room looks like, which is great to see.
And The Con$…
The Price
I couldn’t write an honest and comprehensive review without mentioning the elephant in the room: this is pretty expensive. At just under $1,500, it’s not approachable for many up-and-coming producers, let alone established ones with a budget for such a luxury.
That being said, if you need a justification for investing in such a product, know that the chair you sit in while producing is something you will spend most of your time in while making music, working, and more! So if you spend most of your life sitting on a single product, why not invest accordingly?
Who Is The Fern Office Chair For?
Producers
As I said in the section above, this chair is designed for long sessions and supports your back no matter how long you want to work in your DAW.
It truly is best in class for music producers looking for a studio chair, and if you have the budget for it, I could not recommend this chair enough for your musical-making studio.
Work From Homers
If you work from home, or better yet, you work from home 9-5 and then make music in your studio (which is in the same room as you work) after that, this chair is even more of a no-brainer.
It has that executive-level feel to it and is just overall incredibly comfortable. Plus, the fact that you can customize the chair to your heart’s content means that it’ll look great on your conference calls, in your bedroom work area, and wherever else you need to put this thing.
The post Fern Office Chair Review: One Premium Chair For Your Music Studio appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.