Laura Davidson’s SOHO Desk Chair Is Everywhere, and Now We Know Why
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Some products that we’ve tried have stood the test of time and remain our faves to this day. In our series 10/10 Would Recommend, we’re giving the final word on well-known products that we fully stand behind.
The Product
The Laura Davidson SOHO Chair, a sleek leather desk chair that won't set you back $1,000.
The Stats
The Price: $319.99
Year it came out: 2017
Reviewed by: Rated the "Best Padded" by health.com; recommended by The Strategist; rated the "Sleekest Swivel" by GQ.
How Did I Find It?
I wasn’t part of the first wave of desk chair purchasing during the pandemic. Instead, I waited until I moved into a new place in August 2020 to start my search. The benefit? I could talk to all my friends about the desk chairs they'd bought, and ask if they were happy with their decisions.
My first friend I spoke to bought the Laura Davidson SOHO Chair, and her roommate ended up buying it, too. The second friend? Also the SOHO Chair. My boyfriend was doing some recon of his own, and what did he find? Several of his friends had bought the SOHO Chair, too. Not only was this chair featured in many “best desk chair” lists, but people in my real life were vouching for it. It was clear this chair had made its rounds, and I was pretty convinced I needed it myself.
Why Do I Love It?
The chair isn’t cheap — it’s $319, and I searched wide and hard across the interwebs to find some sort of deal. I came up empty-handed, so I had to do some mental convincing that it was worth spending $300 on something I’d be sitting in for 365-plus days in a row (well, minus some weekends).
So, what’s special about this desk chair? First of all, it’s a classic design that goes with pretty much any decor. The accents are silver/chrome, and the leather portion comes in several different colors, from basic black and brown to bright hues of white and blue. While I mentioned this chair isn’t cheap, it’s not $1,000, either. Yet it feels like a luxury desk chair. The leather material is soft, durable, comfortable, and hasn’t seen any wear and tear in more than a year. It’s also designed with cushion on the bottom and around the back, making it comfortable enough to sit in for 8 hours or more a day. The wheels are sturdy: They roll around smoothly, and they weren’t too hard to attach. Assembly simply required popping them into place.
Assembly for the rest of the chair also wasn’t a pain. It came in two pieces — the base for the wheels and the chair itself — and I simply had to put the two together. The main challenge was making sure that the lever worked after assembly, but it worked for me after just one try.
The other thing I like about the chair is its footprint. This desk chair lives in my bedroom right next to my bed, and it doesn’t take up too much real estate. It’s about 25 inches high and 25 inches wide, and it can easily be pushed right under the desk. It also looks good ... aka it doesn’t give off those ugly ergonomic vibes so often found in desk chairs!
The Final Word
Since I’ve bought the chair, I’ve convinced two other people to buy it as well. It’s the desk chair that keeps on giving — so might we suggest gifting it to yourself or a loved one this holiday season? For a lot of us, working from home isn’t going away. That means getting a comfortable desk chair is even more necessary for your work setup. And while you’re at it, consider adding a desk lamp, desk pad, or even a standing desk to your home office (or bedroom office, dining room office, kitchen office, etc.). You won’t regret it.
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