Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2021
It's not easy to get excited about a desk chair. After all, the last place most of us want to be for hours on end is tied to our desks, building spreadsheets and presentations. After over twenty years of that, I, for one, would certainly rather do something else with my time. If you do have to spend a significant amount of time at your desk, however, it's awfully nice, even imperative, to be comfortable. The Steelcase Gesture chair has made me more comfortable at my desk than I have ever been, and I only wish that I had bought it sooner.
A little background - about a year and a half ago, I was at a movie/TV set surplus sale and picked up two gently used Steelcase Amia chairs for $50 each, which was a tremendous bargain. I figured I could use a good quality desk chair at home for the rare day that I didn't go to the office, and my wife took the second one to the school where she teaches, and it served as a huge upgrade over the ridiculously unsupportive chair that her district provides to all teachers.
Fast-forward 9 months, and we both start working from home, due to the pandemic. She brought her chair home from school, and we both worked pretty comfortably in these Amia chairs for 9 months. In-person learning eventually resumed, and so she took her chair back to school, leaving us with one at home. Recently, however, she's been doing more and more work from home, and it didn't seem right to have her use a dining chair, so I figured it was time for a new chair for myself, as I am still working from home all the time, with my Amia chair going to her for the few hours per week that she might need it. While I have always found the Amia pretty comfortable, she's liked it even more than I have; though it's better than the chair I have at my office, I've always felt that it could catch me a bit better, particularly in the lumbar area. It does have an adjustable lumbar support, but that honestly doesn't do a whole lot, and it tends to slide down from whatever position I set it in pretty quickly. So, I decided that if I was going to get a new chair, I'd truly try a different model, and given my prior good experience with Steelcase and excellent online reviews both here and elsewhere, I'd give the Gesture a try.
The Gesture is, for me, so much more comfortable than the Amia, and I am exceptionally glad to have bought it. I have always preferred seating with pretty aggressive, or firm, lumbar support, so I was initially a bit concerned about the Gesture's lack of an adjustable lumbar support (available as an option from Steelcase, but not on the chair that Amazon stocks), but now that I have the chair, I'm convinced that it is not necessary. The chair catches my entire back just right, with ample firm lumbar support which moves with me throughout the day. I love that I can recline just a few degrees from vertical and the chair holds me there, without my needing to exert continuous pressure or tense my core muscles. Basically, the chair virtually senses where you want to be, and it stays in that position. Deeper reclines are also quite comfortable and stable.
The analog seat-depth adjustment (rather than just four or five fixed settings) is a really nice touch, particularly since it can be changed while you're sitting. And the adjustability of the armrests is second-to-none; the Amia already does this pretty well, but the Gesture does it quite a bit better. For years, I have had issues with pain in my left shoulder and lower neck that I know come from putting too much weight on my elbows, forearms and wrists while sitting at my desk. Those issues have disappeared almost entirely since I got the Gesture, which tells me that I have managed to dial in just the right armrest position, which, for me, means that they're pulled in pretty close to my body and as far away from the edge of the desk as possible, allowing me to tuck my legs deep under the desk and not reach very far for the keyboard, keeping my arms level with the desk, lightly supported by the armrests. The whole setup is just extremely comfortable. Some people have noted that the armrests slope to the outside to such a degree that their arms sometimes slide off, but I have not experienced that at all, nor have I found the armrest material is at all rough, which is another complaint I have seen. Perhaps Steelcase has changed the armrests slightly since those reviews were written.
I've noticed that some people have complained that the cushioning is insufficient, but I have not found that to be the case. It's firm, but for me, at least, is in no way inadequate; quite the opposite, really, as it's very supportive, which is essential for good ergonomics. I wouldn't want living-room couch-style cushioning in a desk chair.
Build quality is exceptional, and the chair weighs a ton. I have little doubt that it will last me for many years.
The Graphite color is a bit lighter than it appears in Amazon's pictures, at least on my screen. When the chair arrived, I discovered that it's exactly the same fabric and color that we already have on our Amia chairs. Prior to ordering, I thought that Nickel might be the better match, but Graphite was a bit less expensive and could be delivered more quickly, so it was a pleasant surprise to discover that Graphite is indeed what we already had.
At this point, the only outstanding question is what I will do if I eventually have to return to the office. I hope to continue working from home indefinitely, but if they call me back full-time, I will likely take this chair in with me, as it's much better than what have there. If I end up working a hybrid schedule, with a few days at home and a few at the office, I might even have to invest in another Gesture so I have one in both locations. It really is that good!
