This Amethyst Chair Looks More Uncomfortable Than the Iron Throne

With more and more people working from home, many are on the hunt for ergonomic office furniture. A Japanese company made an amethyst desk chair that doesn’t quite fit the bill for comfort. The large, sharp purple crystals are beautiful and maybe that’s enough for the lucky new owner. To us, it looks less functional and more like something the Doctor might have aboard the TARDIS. Maybe you could pretend you’re sitting on a stash of colorful kyber crystals like the one in Mace Windu’s purple lightsaber. Somehow, we can picture Samuel L. Jackson making this chair work for him.

A desk chair made from an L-shaped piece of purple amethyst crystals
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The chair is up for sale for 450,000 yen, or about $3,400. According to the designer, the crystals were polished down to reduce any sharp edges. But it just doesn’t look like something we’d want to sit on, no matter how gorgeous it is. Based on the photos, one giant amethyst crystal in particular looks like it would make it impossible to sit down comfortably. And forget about any lumbar support. In fact, we’d rather learn to sit on an invisible chair. Or just stand.

Another non-ergonomic feature of the amethyst chair, which we first heard about on Boing Boing, is that it weighs about 220 pounds. The huge L-shaped amethyst chunk itself is nearly 200 pounds. And then there’s the heavy-duty frame needed to hold the crystal and anyone who sits on it. Luckily, it is on wheels. But good luck getting it up any stairs.

If you’re looking for a piece of furniture that makes a statement but also actually looks comfortable, what about chairs made of plush stuffed animals? Regal Robot also makes one that looks like Emperor Palpatine’s throne. He certainly always seemed pleased to sit in it and watch the galaxy burn.  

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth. 

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