I thought the Steelcase Karman was perfect until I tried the high back version of this one-of-a-kind office chair
When you’re working long hours, especially from home, the right office chair can make the tedious tolerable while letting you do your best work. Granted, you shouldn’t be sitting all day, but for those times when you need to lock in on the task at hand, one of the best office chairs can make all the difference.
While most people will build out their desk setup first and then pick up a chair at the end, you might want to rethink this approach if you’re putting together your own home office.
Although you might be inclined to pick up any old office chair or grab one that’s heavily discounted during a sale, it’s worth taking the time to think this decision through and consider which features are the most important to you.
A good office chair can last you five to 10 years if cared for properly, but I warn you, this is an investment after all. However, if you suffer from back pain, are dealing with a previous injury or work from home seated at a desk all day like I do, you’ll experience an immediate difference with the right chair.
I was pleasantly surprised a few years ago when I tried out a high-end office chair from Steelcase after testing out my fair share of budget and mid-range chairs.
From unboxing the Steelcase Karman and finding out there was no assembly whatsoever required to being able to lift this extremely lightweight chair with one hand, I was immediately impressed. Then I sat in it for the first time, felt its mesh fabric wrap around me and when I shifted in my seat, the chair reacted to my movements.
Just when I thought the Karman couldn’t get any better, Steelcase upgraded it with the one feature I felt the original was missing.
Revisiting the Karman
One thing that will always get me about the Karman is that it arrived in a giant box fully assembled. As with the best standing desks, I typically have to build all of the office chairs I review. With the Karman though, I just had to take off some protective plastic after unboxing it and I was good to go.
Because of that, I can easily recommend this more premium office chair for anyone in a hurry trying to set up an office space or a home office quickly.
When it initially launched, the Karman was only available in a mid-back option. Office chairs typically come in low-back, mid-back or high-back configurations and picking the right one for you will depend on how much support and comfort you need for how you plan to use it.
Low-back chairs mainly provide lumbar support and are ideal for short-term use while mid-back chairs extend up to your shoulder blades for additional back support and are quite common in office environments.
What really sets the Karman apart from other mesh chairs is the fact that Steelcase designed its own proprietary Intermix textile specifically for this chair. It has the breathability of mesh with the soft feel of fabric but doesn’t sag or feel stiff when you sit in it.
There are different types of Intermix, too, and the one here is Intermix Shift. As you might be able to tell from the photos, the chair’s color shifts from a vibrant purple to a lighter pinkish-purple depending on how the light hits it. If design is your thing or you just want to learn a bit more about Intermix and what went into creating it, check out this blog post from Steelcase.
Another thing that sets the Karman apart from other office chairs is its patented hybrid seat. Instead of a rigid frame, Steelcase went with a design where the Intermix textile is suspended from an ultra-light frame, which flexes as you shift back and forth in your chair. This was done to put less pressure on your lower body and as you can see here, the Karman features a waterfall edge that slopes down.
If you’re sitting in a chair with a stiff edge, it can put additional pressure on your thighs and affect your circulation. At the same time, this design choice makes for better ergonomics as your legs and pelvis are aligned which reduces strain on your lower back.
Back when I reviewed the Karman, I found it hard to find any downsides to the chair besides its price and the fact that it wasn’t available with a headrest. Instead of trying to tack on a headrest, Steelcase did something even better not that long after its initial release.
Not quite a headrest
On the left we have the original Karman and on the right, we have the Karman High Back. As the name implies, Steelcase extended its backrest upward and added a sculpted back and neck pillow. Even though the chair is now taller, it’s still almost just as light as the original at 31 pounds versus 28 pounds — a small price to pay in terms of weight for even more upper body support.
Since I got to see and experience Steelcase’s Intermix Shift before, I went with its standard Intermix for the Karman High Back. It feels just as nice though slightly different since it has a more traditional mesh look and feel, albeit with a translucent quality.
Meanwhile, Intermix Opaque is less transparent and has a more luxurious, fabric-like feel. This time around, I got to try out Steelcase’s hubless wheels which are quieter and roll more smoothly.
Backrest to backrest, these two versions of the Karman look almost identical with an extra section added to the top of the Karman High Back.
You might notice that there’s a bar running across the high back version on the left and this is Steelcase’s optional lumbar support. I found that I didn’t miss having a lumbar support mechanism with the original, but I wanted to try out this optional accessory regardless. The Karman’s Intermix textile offers more than enough support on its own but if you want a chair with stiffer lumbar support, I’d recommend opting for this add-on.
One other really cool thing about the Karman is that the chair’s base and its frame either match the color of the Intermix you pick or provide some contrast as seen here. Besides this colorway for the Karman High Back, there’s a bronze one with matching Intermix as well as an all-black one for those that want a less conspicuous office chair that won’t stand out in video calls.
The choice is yours but a colorful chair can serve as almost an accent wall for your home office or desk setup. To get that same effect on a budget though, you might want to consider adding a desk mat. I like using them for this reason but they also help dampen the sounds from a mechanical keyboard.
Taller but just as comfortable
I’ve been using the Karman High Back on and off for the past few months. It would easily be my chair of choice if I could only have one. But as someone who reviews office chairs for a living, I tend to switch between chairs while working on reviews and other stories.
That said, every time I come back to the Karman — be it the original or the high back — I’m just as impressed as I was the first time I sat in it.
No two office chairs are the same, but a lot of them share many similarities. Whether it’s an adjustable lumbar support or 360 degree armrests that turn all the way around, you find a lot of the same features when you go from one chair to another. However, they’re all implemented a bit differently. Some chairs might have an extra feature to help them stand out like a pull out footrest or even a built-in massager.
What I like most about the Karman is the fact that it’s the chair itself and what it’s made from that’s the standout feature. If you’ve never tried a mesh office chair before, it’s a very different experience from using the office chairs you might be used to. Having a mesh backrest is great for keeping your upper body cool but when combined with a mesh seat, you get even more airflow.
The problem with cheaper mesh chairs is that the mesh they’re made from doesn’t always feel that great. For instance, on some chairs I’ve tried in the past, their mesh material had a very plasticky and sticky feel to it. Meanwhile, other mesh chairs felt smooth to the touch but just didn’t have the right level of support.
The Karman’s Intermix solves both of these problems. It’s smooth and flexible yet sturdy and supportive. Just like when I took a visit to my local Herman Miller store, I suggest you head to a Steelcase showroom to try a Karman along with the company’s other chairs out for yourself. One nice thing about higher end office chairs is that you’re more likely to be able to do something like an in-store visit before making a significant investment in your own home office.
It’s ruined other mesh chairs for me (again)
To date, I’ve yet to try an office chair that feels as comfortable, or as supportive, as the Steelcase Karman does. And this isn’t for lack of trying either, as I’m always on the hunt for new office chairs, whether they be premium ones like this or more budget friendly options.
For me, the Karman is the kind of office chair I’ll keep returning to after testing out other chairs as there’s just something really nice about sitting in it and feeling Steelcase’s Intermix textile wrap around me and move with my body as I shift in my chair throughout the day.
I do hope that other home office furniture makers are taking note though, as I’d love to see something similar to this material and the Karman’s ultra-light frame make its way into mid-range and maybe even one day, budget office chairs.
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