I recently found myself on the hunt for an office chair, and I had a very specific set of criteria in mind. I work from home, sometimes long hours, so something that was ergonomic and comfortable was a must. I also live in a one-bedroom apartment, with my "office" essentially functioning as a corner of my living room — it's basically the first thing you see when you walk in the door. So I wanted a chair that looked good and matched my mid-century modern style. In other words, I wanted an office chair that didn't read "office chair." Finally, I wanted to get something eco-friendly, since disposable fast furniture is a growing and worrisome contributor to climate change.
My search led me to a brand I'd never heard of called Noho and its flagship product, the Noho Move Chair. While not marketed specifically as an office chair — Noho pitches it as a sort of catch-all dining chair, WFH chair and side chair — the Move Chair seemed to check every box I was looking for: ergonomic, good-looking and sustainable. But would this Instagram-friendly chair actually live up to its billing? I got one and found out.
What's Good About the Noho Move Chair
It offers tremendous ergonomic support
The Noho Move doesn't look particularly comfortable. It has a woven hard plastic appearance that is somewhat reminiscent of a very fancy patio chair — I kind of get non-metallic Bertoia vibes from it. But despite those somewhat uninviting looks, the Noho Move is extremely comfortable because it's designed to move with you — hence the name.
It accomplishes this feat in a couple of different ways. For one, the material that composes the one-piece seat is a sort of plastic mesh that's extremely flexible. It bends and twists as you do, offering support in basically any position. Secondly, the seat sits on a deceptively complex base that hides some clever engineering. Noho calls this technology "forward-tilt" and "recline-flex," and what it means is that the chair bends and tilts forward and back as you do. Its range is pretty impressive, offering a comfortable seat whether I'm reclining, sitting straight up or leaning forward in concentration mode.
The seat itself is pretty sparse and hard, so I would recommend springing for the optional topper. The cushion on the thin side — Noho lists it as 1.5" thick, but that only applies to the rear, as the cushion tapers toward the front down to roughly a centimeter-thick where it meets your legs — but in my opinion, it adds just the right of comfort, and I don't find myself reaching for an additional seat cushion. It's also upholstered in wool from New Zealand, so it's soft, naturally temperature-regulating and feels high-quality.
It's beautiful in any setting
Noho describes their style as "this-century modern," and while that's a cheeky and clever slogan, I think they're selling themselves a bit short. The Noho Move is a beautiful design, full stop. As I mentioned, my decor is mostly mid-century modern, and the Noho chair fits right in. I'd just call the style "modern." It's clean, minimalist and attractive, and I don't think it would look out of place in any setting outside of very traditional spaces. It just looks "hip," and when used in a home office setting as I chose, I think it adds a level of visual versatility that you just don't get from a traditional office chair. Come to think of it, I don't think you get this kind of chameleonic style from your average dining chair, either.
It's sustainable
Noho thankfully walks the walk when it comes to their chair's eco-friendliness. The brand is a certified B Corp, meaning they meet certain third-party standards for sustainability, transparency and environmental performance, and pretty much everything about the Move Chair was crafted with the Earth's health in mind. The chair itself is made almost entirely from recycled plastic, mostly Econyl, a material crafted from old finishing nets and carpets. The optional Topper is made from sustainably-sourced wool from New Zealand, and even the shipping processes and materials are designed to be eco-friendly. The chair is also extremely lightweight, emphasizing how little material went into its production, yet feels incredibly durable. I expect my chair to last a very long time (the chair's warranty is five years, but I'm sure it will outlast that), which means there'll be one less chair in my local landfill.
What's Not Ideal About the Noho Move Chair
There's no adjustability
In my mind, the biggest drawback of the Noho Move Chair is its lack of adjustability. Outside of the chair automatically moving with you, there are no ways to actually adjust anything about it yourself. There are no armrests, so you can forget about adjusting those. And, most glaringly, there's no way to adjust the height. This is particularly concerning if you plan on using the Noho Move as an office chair.
Ideally, you want an office chair that sits at a height that allows your feet to rest comfortably on the floor with your elbows at 90 degrees at your sides while typing. It just so happens that my height (I'm 5' 7") and the height of my desk line up perfectly with the Noho Move to put me in the correct ergonomic position. But if I were much taller or shorter, or if my desk were a different height, I'd be out of luck.
The cushion moves around a lot
Although I like the comfort of the Topper, its overall design could use some work. The cushion attaches to the chair via thin velcro straps that you line up using an included cardboard card. It's pretty awkward to line it up correctly (it took me a few tries), but even when you get it right, the cushion still slides around on the seat quite a bit, as the velcro straps can't get very tight. I'd like to see a more secure way to attach the Topper in future iterations.
It doesn't slide across the floor easily
I purposely chose a home office chair without wheels for the look, but sometimes I regret my decision. The Noho Move does not like to slide across the floor, at least not forwards. It slides backward okay, but the feet are grooved and slightly rubberized, making the chair fight like hell when you try to push it forward. It's not that big of an issue — you can just pick the chair up and set it where you need to — but it is fairly annoying, especially if you plan on using the Noho Move as a dining chair that you're pushing in and out frequently.
Alternatives to the Noho Move Chair
Somewhat surprisingly, the Noho Move Chair is kind of in a class of its own. Stylistically, you can opt for a mid-century classic like a Bertoia Side Chair or Eames Molded Plastic Side Chair, but they're not going to give you anywhere near the level of ergonomic support that the Move does. For an equal or better level of support, you'll be limited to office chairs. Out of that category, the Herman Miller Zeph probably comes closest to fitting the bill (read our review here), but it's still an office chair — albeit an attractive one — meaning you're back to the stylistic conundrum of having an office chair in your living room ... and you can forget about using it as a dining chair.
Noho Move: The Verdict
If you want a multi-use chair that offers all-day ergonomic support, a beautiful original design and is made sustainably, the Noho Move is really the only option on the market. It ticks a lot of boxes, and I've been extremely happy using mine every day. However, you'll want to take advantage of the chair's 100-day risk-free trial to try it out, because if the chair's height doesn't work for you, there's not really anything you can do about that.
