La-Z-Boy Harnett Executive Office Chair Review 2024

Are you in the market for a new office chair? Are you looking specifically for something that offers an elegant Old World vibe and places emphasis on comfort? If you answered yes to both of those questions, you’ll love what you read in this—our Harnett executive office chair review.

La-Z-Boy is one of the titans in the living room furniture industry. Still, many people don’t realize that they also make a modest selection of office furniture, and this chair is an excellent example of their work.

We’ll quickly point out that the Harnett won’t fit everybody well. It’s got some limitations you’ll want to be mindful of. If you prefer a different model from the same brand, other La-Z-Boy chairs might suit you better.

As we mentioned, it has a decidedly Old World appearance. If your home office is decorated casually, this chair will be somewhat jarring, making it feel out of place. 

For another, it’s not the most adjustable chair on the market.

Don’t worry; in the following sections, we’ll walk you through everything Harnett offers so you can decide if this is the right office chair for you or if your search must continue. If that sounds good, read on, and let’s look closer.

Key Features of the La-Z-Boy Harnett Executive Office Chair

Old World elegance. That phrase is likely to come to mind the first time you see this chair, and a big part of that is that both the chair arms and the base are beautifully stained real wood.

If your home office has a similar vibe, you’ll love this chair at first sight. Most people would regard this as a very strong component of our Harnett executive office chair review, but there will be exceptions.

In addition to boasting a classic aesthetic, it also looks incredibly comfortable. The seatback design seems like it wants to pull you into a hug, and the seat itself is generously cushioned and amazingly comfortable. Simply put, it looks like a chair inviting you to sit in it for a while.

If you’re a fan of the look of the chair and you place more of an emphasis on comfort than the sheer number of adjustable features, you’re going to be a huge fan of this chair right off the bat, and if you decide you want one, you’ll be able to order yours in either coffee brown or black.

Chair Specifications

Before you get too excited about it, though, it pays to have a firm understanding of the raw numbers that define the model because if the chair’s measurements and yours don’t mesh well, then it won’t matter how much you like this model. With that in mind, here’s what this chair looks like by the numbers:

These numbers are excellent for the most part. The seat width and depth are good pairings with the supported weight limit, but note that this is not a big and tall chair. With a maximum supported weight limit of 350 pounds, the La-Z-Boy Harnett supports more weight than average but falls short of supporting enough weight to classify it as a big and tall chair.

Curiously, the seat height adjustment range is definitely in the big and tall territory, which usually starts at around 18” and goes up from there. This tells us that this chair was designed for light to medium-sized people with long legs.

Warranty

The only problematic number on the above list is the warranty. One year is underwhelming, given that office chairs like Herman Miller or Steelcase offer 12-year warranties on most products. It’s possible to find office chairs that boast lifetime warranties.

The reality is that La-Z-Boy has moved most of its production to China to keep its costs low, and its production quality has suffered a bit.

In practice, their chairs will outlast the warranty. Still, the quality here is not comparable to what you’ll find in a Herman Miller or Steelcase chair, so if that’s what you’re looking for, be prepared to spend more money.

Upholstery

One final point before we leave this section. This chair is upholstered in bonded leather. Most of the chairs in this price range use PU rather than leather. Sure, we’d love to see genuine top-grain leather offered here, but at this price, that’s pretty much out of the question, and bonded leather is a big step up from PU.

If you’re a leather fan, you’ll love this chair even more, but be aware that leather isn’t breathable. Hence, the more time you spend in the chair, the hotter and sweatier you’ll get, which is why we specifically recommend it for light to moderate daily use (say, up to five hours a day or thereabouts).

A Delight To Sit In And Moderately Adjustable

This is another strong component of our Harnett executive office chair review; comfort is where the Harnett shines. It utilizes La-Z-Boy’s proprietary “Comfort Core” system, which provides a multi-layered padding system that starts with block foam, incorporates memory foam, and is topped off by a generous portion of poly-fiber fill.

La-Z-Boy has been making home furnishings for over a century, and they know a lot about comfort. This chair proves it. You’ll feel like you’re sitting on a cloud in this chair. The experience is amazing. If the Harnett were upholstered in something more breathable, you wouldn’t want to get out of the chair.

As things stand, after about five or six hours at most, the lack of breathability will start getting the better of you, and comfortable or not, you’ll inevitably reach a point where you’re ready to do something else. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the La-Z-Boy Harnett may be the most comfortable office chair you’ve ever had the pleasure of sitting in.

Unfortunately, although the comfort level is off the charts, this chair has limitations. It would cost several hundred dollars more if it were as adjustable as it is comfortable. To keep the price as low as possible, corners were cut here. You can adjust the seat height, the angle of tilt, and the tilt tension, but that’s as far as it goes.

If you’re looking for a chair with 4D adjustable armrests, an adjustable headrest, or other fun features, you won’t find them here.

That’s not the end of the world, but it does limit this model’s appeal. The chair’s lumbar support is excellent; it’s just not adjustable in any way, so you’ll definitely want to try this chair on for size before you buy it. If the lumbar support doesn’t hit just where you need it to, there’s nothing you can do about it.

Does Not Come Assembled

This probably won’t be a huge shock, but if you decide you want one of these, you’ll have to assemble it before sitting in it for the first time.

The good news is that the production quality is surprisingly high, and the instructions are well-written and clear. From the initial unboxing to settling back in the chair for the first time, the process should take about twenty minutes. You can probably shave a little time off of that if you have an assistant on standby when the chair arrives.

Pros and Cons of Harnett Executive Office Chair

Overall, this La-Z-Boy Harnett is an excellent chair whose pros outweigh its cons. In our view, the strongest points are the overall aesthetic, the leather upholstery, and the amazing comfort level. The aesthetic, though, could be seen as a potential negative if you’re looking for something more casual, and the seat height range is geared specifically to long-legged folk.

Harnett Executive Office Chair Review Conclusion

We’re crazy about this chair, and we love the overall aesthetic. However, we understand that not everybody will feel the same way. Unless your legs are incredibly long, you may not be able to sit comfortably in this chair, so it won’t be for everyone. 

On that basis, we can only give the Harnett a provisional recommendation. Still, if you decide to get one, you’ll love it.

Other Options To Consider

If you’ve read to the end of this review and you’re not sure this is a good fit for you, here are a couple of other options you may want to consider:

SIDIZ makes more expensive chairs than the T-50, but in our view, this one is the best value the company offers.

Haven’t heard of SIDIZ? We’d be surprised if you had, although the company has a massive presence in the office furniture industry. Although they sell mostly directly to other businesses, they have a sales portal that individual consumers can use.

This chair has a totally different aesthetic than the one we just discussed and is much better suited to a casual office environment. It also offers an incredible amount of adjustability that you don’t get with the model we just discussed. If that’s what you’re looking for, the T-50 has you covered.

This chair is somewhat cheaper than the model we just discussed, and it is amazing. It’s also kind of a tank. It’s about as adjustable as the chair we just discussed and comes upholstered in your choice of PU or fabric.

It’s well-padded and comfortable, though not nearly as comfortable as the chair we just reviewed. It also has a solid steel base, supports up to 400 pounds of user weight, and was designed for 24/7 use in call centers, so it can take pretty much anything you can throw at it. It’s not the prettiest thing you’ll ever see, but it’s a rugged brute of a chair.

Author’s Note: This is, in fact, the chair I use, and I love it! I’m writing this review while sitting in it.

Official Manufacturer Support

REFERENCES & RESOURCES:

• La-Z-Boy, Official Brand Website.
• La-Z-Boy Harnett Executive Office Chair Assembly Instructions
• Ergonomics and Sciatica, Spine Universe.
• A Cluster-Randomized Trial of Workplace Ergonomics and Neck-Specific Exercise Versus Ergonomics and Health Promotion for Office Workers to Manage Neck Pain, BioMed Central Ltd.
• Home Workspace Causing Back and Neck Pain? Try This, Michigan Health.