The best Herman Miller chairs are a big investment for a home office but one that can pay off dividends for both comfort and the health of your back and posture. They also look incredible. Why have the best Herman Miller chairs become so renowned? Well, they offer sharp aesthetics, excellent build quality and they last a long time but perhaps most importantly of all, they offer adjustable ergonomic features and excellent lumbar support to protect your back while you work (or while you play for that matter).

First off, as we mentioned a Herman Miller chair should be seen as an investment, rather like a good mattress. In fact, a lot of hard-working creatives might spend even more time sitting at a desk than they do laying in bed, so this is a piece of furniture that really affects your quality of life. While the best Herman Miller chairs are not cheap by any means, they should last you longer than many budget chairs – most models come with a 12-year guarantee. And they may help your back last longer too. 

If you spend long sessions in front of a computer monitor, adjustable ergonomic features, and particularly lumbar support is well worth the investment. Herman Miller chairs come in different sizes or offer so much adjustability that you don’t have to settle for a one-size-fits-all option. Meanwhile, most use materials and a mesh-like design that keeps them clean and well ventilated. 

Scroll down to the bottom of our guide for tips on choosing the best Herman Miller chair, or see our comparison of Herman Miller Mirra 2 vs Aeron to discover the differences between two of the most popular Herman Miller chairs and which one comes out on top. If you’re undecided about where to invest, you might also want to see our picks of the best office chairs overall and the best office chairs for back pain for options from other brands, including more affordable options. Our articles on how to choose an office chair and how to clean an office chair may also come in handy.

The Best Herman Miller chairs

Think of a Herman Miller chair, and you probably thinking of an Aeron. The chair marked a new era for ergonomic desk chairs, and its instantly recognisable design has been much copied. It remains a very desirable office chair, with its fully adjustable design resulting in a chair that’s highly customisable, permitting you to find the perfect comfort.

Yes, Herman Miller’s Aeron chair is a very expensive option, but it does live up to expectations  – and Herman Miller wouldn’t have sold over seven million of them if it didn’t. The ergonomic features are great for spinal support and a healthy posture, and you get precise control over the arms, seat height, depth, and recline. There are three size options to choose from, A, B and C, and three colour and four arm options, but these customisable extras do raise the price further.

If the price of Herman Miller’s Aeron just seems too much of an outlay, but you want a fine-looking chair with sound back support, we think the Sayl is the perfect alternative. Inspired by the geometry of the Golden Gate Bridge suspension system, the Sayl office chair has the hallmarks of a future classic. Its striking Y-Tower armature and ventilated elastomer back not only look amazing but also give you plenty of spinal support as well as space to stretch and move about. 

The foam seat will keep you comfortable all day, and the webbed plastic back actually offers an advantage over the Aeron because it’s more breathable, which is ideal for anyone working in a stuffy room or who naturally feels too hot since. It will keep you much cooler than a padded back.

The Sayl office chair comes in several smart black, white and grey colour combinations, and you can specify adjustable lumbar support, although that increases the price. The same applies to the seat depth, which is fully adjustable if you choose to pay for it. That said, the non-adjustable lower-tier options offer plenty of support.

The Herman Miller Mirra 2 takes its name from the fact that it’s designed to intuitively mirror your natural movements. Herman Miller compares it with a good running shoe, and it’s an apt comparison. Some might find it just a little unyielding, but if support matters most to you then it’s a definite winner.

The Mirra 2 is responsive and supportive and allows your body to move, stretch and reach naturally, and its Harmonic 2 tilt provides a balanced feel when you recline the chair. It has two back options, a flexible TriFlex back or an ultra-responsive Butterfly back, its woven seat distributes your weight evenly and allows air circulation, and it comes in a range of great-looking colourways.

It’s not the cheapest Herman Miller chair you can get (but only by the barest of margins), the Setu is a decidedly minimal office chair with a mesh seat and back, and a flexible spine that responds to your movement. It comes in six tasteful colour options and either white or black frames, and you can adjust the height but nothing else. 

The greatest selling point of the Setu is its lightweight design, which makes it perfect for easy movements. The plastic panels that support the back of the chair are designed to adjust and respond to your body with no manual controls necessary, so while it’s not something you can have total control over, it does mould itself to every individual’s body. 

Basic but effective, it’s described by Herman Miller as a side chair and we’re not entirely sure how it would suit all-day use. However, if you don’t spend the entire day seated or if you like a more firm chair with no cushioned seating, it would be a fine choice and comes at a reasonable price.

Available in three back heights, the Herman Miller Cosm is designed to adjust itself to provide you with optimum support. It features Herman Miller’s Auto-Harmonic tilt mechanism that automatically gives you the balanced support and movement you need, based on your body and posture, and its seat and back are combined into a breathable and temperature-neutral Intercept Suspension that conforms to your body to provide dynamic spinal support. This also encourages better posture by allowing you to sit in a way that specifically aligns with your spine. 

There are three arm options – fixed-height, height-adjustable and leaf – and multiple colour options; we particularly love the Cosm’s ‘dipped-in’ look, which means it’s the same colour from top to bottom.

If price is your priority when you’re after a Herman Miller chair, you won’t find anything cheaper than the Lino. It’s a minimal, no-nonsense option that looks a lot more like a traditional office chair than most Herman Millers, and while it lacks the advanced features of the Aeron or Embody, it’s still impressive, comfortable and supportive. 

It has adjustable arms and seat depth so that you can find your perfect sitting position, it has a breathable suspension back that gives you full spinal and lumbar support, and it comes in a wide range of colour, material and finish options so that you can ensure that your Lino fits in with your office décor perfectly.

Herman Miller describes the Embody as an office chair for those who take sitting seriously, so you know it means business. If your work involves sitting down all day, the Embody is built to make it a lot easier on your body. It’s a premium pick, and that’s even by Herman Miller’s standards, but if you’ve got the money to spend on absolute guaranteed comfort, look no further. 

It features a backfit adjustment so that you can tune the chair to your spine, a smooth tilt that mimics your natural pivot points, and a seat with four breathable layers for comfort and airflow. Designed with experts in biomechanics, vision, physical therapy, and ergonomics, it’s the ultimate healthy sitting option.

Everything about the Embody was designed with a sense of purpose. It has a narrow back to facilitate easy movements for your shoulders and arms, and it also has a ‘kicker’ to really let you extend and relax when leaning back. Note that this model is no longer being restocked in the UK.

How do I choose the best Herman Miller chair?

In our best Herman Miller chair guide we’ve included all the measurements you’ll need to get the perfect fit for you. There’s more than just the dimensions to think about though, because the design materials will also play a part in not only the type of comfort you expensive, but how well your chair fits into your home office, too. 

Many Herman Miller chairs have a mesh back that supports and flexes with your body as you move throughout the day. These are designed to be breathable while still offering complete support, and while they may feel a little unyielding when compared to the couch, they will still allow you to sit back and relax thanks to an adjustable tilt handle. 

The Herman Miller Sayl, which is a close contender for the top spot thanks to its sleek design and thoughtful construction, has a more breathable webbed plastic back which is ideal for those who work in warm spaces and want to keep cool. 

How do I choose the right size Herman Miller chair?

Some Herman Miller chairs come in a single size, offering adjustable features so you can adapt them to suit, but others, such as the popular Aeron, come in several, eschewing the one-size-fits-all approach. In these cases, you might be concerned about choosing the right size, so make sure you take a look at Herman Miller’s size reference chart, which combines height and weight to suggest the ideal chair for every user.

Why are Herman Miller chairs so expensive?

While Herman Miller chairs come at a premium price point, they do have the quality construction to match. If you want to invest in a desk chair that will last a decade or more, these options will be worth the initial cost. They’re also highly ergonomic (see our guide to the factors that make an office chair ergonomic for more on that.

They are guaranteed for 12 years as standard, which speaks to the company’s intention of providing you with an office chair to last decades in your home. And although the Aeron Herman Miller chair is the most iconic option, it may not be the best Herman Miller chair for you. There are actually some options well shy of the $1,000 mark, with a handful of the top picks in our guide available for about $500 when the best Herman Miller chair deals crop up. 

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