Office Hammock Chair

Office chairs are so overrated. Sometimes, a bit of whimsey can add a lot of much needed relaxation to your workspace. Whether you're looking to maximize efficiency, or just like to swing, this office hammock chair is the perfect backdrop for indoor summer office fun!

With about 30 minutes of prep time to complete, what are we waiting for?? Let's get started!

For this project, you will need:

Rope (I used a black braided poly 3/4 inch, with a load limit of 294 lbs.)

Canvas cloth or other durable fabric (1 yard wide by 2 yards long)

Heavy duty dowel. I used a closet hanging dowel, that can support 300+ lbs.

A ceiling beam.

Drill + drill bit that is slightly larger than the rope's width

Sewing machine

Scissor or blade to cut rope

duct tape (optional)

I got my closet hanging rod/dowel from Homedepot, and had them cut it down from 60 inches to 40 inches.

Then, I marked in at 6 inches and then at 4 inches. This is where the rope would thread through. I did this for both sides of the dowel. Then, using a 11/16 size drill bit, I drilled all four markings straight through.

I used a heavy weight canvas fabric, that I cut down to 36 inches by 72 inches (or 1 x 2 yards). I then serged all the edges, and folded down the two longer sides and sewed them, leaving a margin where the rope would be threaded through inside. I sewed the margins twice to reinforce the seam, which would need to hold up against the weight of the person sitting on the hammock chair.

Although the rope was burned at both ends to prevent fraying, it still proves difficult to thread through, so I wrapped some duct tape around both ends so I could effortlessly thread it through the dowel and canvas.

The fastest and easiest way to do this was to have a friend hang from the beam for a couple of minutes. In all seriousness, though, you should either ask building staff or if doing this in your home, check the beam's load bearing weight limit.

First step in getting your hammock going is to throw it over the beam, equalling out both ends of the rope, and then tying a knot a few inches below the beam.

Using one end of your rope for each end of your dowel, begin by threading the rope through the inner hole you drilled earlier. Then tie a knot immediately below where you want your dowel to sit. Having an extra pair of hands for this step is helpful.

Using one end of the rope, begin threading through the side margins of the fabric. Do the same for the other side with the other end of the rope.

Decide where you want your fabric to sit, and then take the remaining end of the ropes and thread them through their respective sides' 2nd dowel hole. Tie a knot in the rope immediately above the dowel, then leaving a few inches slack, cut the rope.

Here are some close up shots of how the fabric should sit on the swing.