Haworth is one of the major players in the world of luxury seating. It has recently partnered with Xbox and its Halo franchise to deliver compelling high-end options to gamers. I’ve spent a good amount of time with its Haworth Fern, trimmed in a unique gradient color, to see if it’s worth your investment. Spoiler alert, it’s fantastic.
Ergonomic chairs have a tendency to blend together, but the Haworth Fern is at no risk of being confused with anything else. It has a unique wave-like design and open lumbar channel revealing its fronds, lending it a very unique and stylish appearance. You can pick it up in mesh, leather, or knit fabric, with prices ranging from $1,100 to just under $1,900.
It’s a luxury chair through and through, but through a partnership with Microsoft, it has locked gamers squarely in its sights. It offers both Xbox and Halo themed versions of its flagship Fern chair, as well as an Xbox version of its Very gaming chair. These themed versions lock down your choices, but I’ve yet to see one that doesn’t look good. None are overstated, but are also clear matches for their source material. You don’t need to worry about losing features if you opt for one of these, however. They are the same in features and comfort as the personalized versions you can craft yourself.
If you decide to configure your own, there’s a huge array of customization options. There are four fabrics to choose from: mesh, digital knit, gradient knit, and leather. You can pick from six different colors of mesh and eight for the digital knit, a soft fabric that textures the backrest with tasteful chevrons. Digital Knit takes the same fabric but exchanges the chevron pattern for a gradient that extends from the top of the backrest to the waterfall edge of the seat, and there are five to choose from. Finally, there’s leather, which is available in black, gray, tan, and “luggage” which comes in a camel-like desert brown.
There’s quite an array of additional configuration options too. You can outfit the chair with a headrest and an additional lumbar support, choose between 4D armrests or limit them to height only, add forward tilt to accompany the default backward tilt, and decide whether you want a plastic or aluminum base, as well as the finish you would like. All told, it’s one of the most configurable chairs I’ve reviewed. There’s a handful of quick-ship options but most are stated to ship in around five business days. Tan and luggage leather options are made to order and take about three weeks.
No matter which material you choose, every Fern comes with a fabric, cushioned seat and offers the same basic array of ergonomic adjustments. Whether you’re choosing an entry-level version or are opting for a top-of-the-line executive chair, it’s designed to be comfortable and supportive for long hours at a desk, and is made to look every bit the luxury that it is.
It all starts with the backrest. The Fern uses what Haworth calls the Wave Suspension System. This encapsulates the entire backrest, which is actually multiple parts that come together into a cohesive whole. The core of the system sits between the plastic rear frame and the front face. Behind the fabric, supporting your back, is a flexible “cradle.” This is a skeletonized grid sculpted to match the contours of your spine and provide structural support. It mates with the “fern” from which the chair takes its name. This piece quite literally looks like a fern with a “stem” in the center that’s surrounded by flexible “fronds.” The stem is a central channel for the optional adjustable lumbar support. The fronds are support leaves that work with the cradle to maintain targeted support as you sit and move throughout the day.
The Fern is considered a “high-back” chair, so the backrest reaches to the upper back. At 5’8”, it comes up to my shoulders. You can pick up an optional headset that mounts to the top and can move up and down but isn’t angle- or depth-adjustable. It truly does look like a wave and the contours guide you toward the center, aligning with the chair’s lumbar support.
Around the back, the “stem” area is open, giving you a peek at the chair’s internals. If you pick up the added lumbar, its polished aluminum handle lives here, so it’s a functional feature as much as it is an aesthetic one. I recommend getting it if your budget can stretch that far. The chair’s natural contouring is good but the lumbar provides firm, targeted support and is one of the biggest ways you can guarantee that it provides exactly what your unique anatomy requires.
The seat is well padded with formed foam. Its contours guide you toward its center, aligning with the chair’s lumbar support. It’s not exceptionally thick but is padded enough to hide the frame and remain comfortable without fear of it becoming too soft over time. On the right side, you’ll find a lever to adjust its height, as well as a crank to raise or lower the recline tension. Another paddle controls the tilt lock, allowing you to adjust the recline from being locked upright to a deep recline. It’s not a full lay like you’ll find with a gaming chair. However, it’s perfect for kicking back with a controller.
The armrests come in clutch here. They offer a wide degree of adjustability, much more than your average gaming chair despite sharing the same four axis of adjustment. When it comes to width, they can be tucked right in to support your elbows when holding a controller in your lap or set wide and out of the way. The cushions are soft but resilient. You can lean into them all day long without making yourself sore. I also like that they attach to the frame in thick aluminum channels, so if you do choose to lay your weight into them, you don’t need to worry about damaging the plastic.
The headrest is also adjustable, but it’s quite simple. It’s fairly thin and just moves up and down. It’s best positioned between the neck and head and does a good job of offering support there, but it lags behind some competing high-end task chairs, like the Steelcase Gesture, that allow you to angle and depth in addition to height. It gets the job done, but it’s far from a make or break feature.
The Haworth Fern is an excellent chair that justifies its high asking price. I’ve been testing it for some time and have put it through its paces over long work days and gaming sessions. In both cases, it has performed exceptionally well and my back has been pain-free throughout. I was sent a gradient knit version, and it’s gorgeous: easily one of the most visually interesting chairs of its type. There was a bit of a wait time as it was made to order, but it is now available with standard shipping. The craftsmanship, quality, and final aesthetic were much worth the wait. The Fern lives up to the hype.
As a rule, chairs like this are fairly simple. They don’t take long to wrap your head around, and the controls, while very important to understand and adjust properly, are straightforward once you understand what they do. I still recommend taking the time to read up each and try out slightly different positions and tensions until it feels just right for your body.I was a bit of a Goldilocks with this review, especially when it came to recline tension, but now that it’s set, I really only need to adjust the height and armrests and am glad I took the time for that initial setup.
The controls for the chair are well laid out and easy to use. I like that the seat depth slider is on the opposite side from the other controls and is set back a bit so you have to be intentional about making that specific adjustment. I was less likely to unlock the seat by accident, which is always a pain since the adjustment is so core to your comfort in the chair. I also liked that I didn’t have to get up to make depth adjustments. During initial setup, it definitely made it easy to find the right position and sped up the process.
The materials and build quality are also excellent. The Fern competes with the heaviest hitters in this industry and stands tall: it lacks nothing next to the Herman-Miller Embody, for example, or the Steelcase Leap V2. I would rank it right alongside those flagship offerings without a moment’s hesitation. Haworth also offers an excellent 12-year warranty on its chairs. So should anything go wrong or become damaged from normal use, you have an assurance that your investment is protected.
Over the course of this review, I sat in the chair for as long as 7 hours with minor standing breaks in between — without any time lost to assembly as it comes pre-assembled. I have used it reclined with a controller and sitting upright with a mouse and keyboard. I have typed tens of thousands of words, edited photos and videos, prepared spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations, and have generally lived a good chunk of my work life in the chair. And I have done all of that, gotten up, and moved on with my day without feeling any discomfort. It’s a case where the chair is a fantastic match for my body.
Just as importantly, it has left me feeling very satisfied with it as my daily driver. I walk into my office and enjoy seeing it at my desk. I appreciate the small details and the high quality craftsmanship throughout its design. And that gradient is just a chef’s kiss when it comes to unique and modern styling, balancing aesthetic with professionalism in a way that’s as at home in a professional office as it is in a gaming den.
The only criticism I really have of it, apart from its high price, is its headrest. It really does feel like an afterthought. And because of the way in which it is attached, through a slit in the fabric of the backrest, it’s not something you can remove and replace. I’m happy it’s there, but I wish it offered more adjustability and support.
Taken as a whole, it is fantastic, but there’s no way around its high price. With that in mind, it’s worth considering a chair like this as an investment in the quality of your work and gaming life. Even though it costs a tidy sum, broken up over the 12 years of its warranty, the yearly cost seems much more reasonable. While it certainly isn’t for everyone, it’s hard to argue that it’s anything less than exceptional.
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Bo Moore
ranzware
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