I've been reviewing office chairs for years now, and no other brand stands out quite like Herman Miller. Beautiful, thoughtful designs, supremely comfortable, ergonomic engineering – you get it all with a Herman Miller chair. And when you buy direct, you also get an industry-leading 12-year warranty. But which one is right for you?
I've tested a number of Herman Miller chairs, both in my home office and at the company's UK HQ and showroom. And I've drawn on this personal experience to compare the pros and cons of the different models, evaluating each model for style, comfort adjustability and customisation options. That's why I'm confident choosing the Aeron as the very best representation of what Herman Miller does so well. It is, in short, a design icon. It's also an incredibly comfortable chair, and sits proudly in the top three of my best office chairs for back pain list.
The Aeron was a milestone for ergonomic chairs when it was released in 1994, and it still stands as one of the best office chairs I've ever used. More than that, it's a modern design icon. Read more below
The Lino is one of the rarest things in the office chair world – a 'budget' Herman Miller chair. Well, at $800 it's more mid-range, but it is the brand's cheapest chair. And, as always, it's a beauty! Read more below
For me, the Embody and the Aeron are two of the best chairs out there. The Embody is perhaps the most comfortable, with fantastic arm rests and a clever skeleton that properly embraces you. Read more below
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If you picture a Herman Miller chair, you're probably thinking of the Aeron. This highly customisable chair remains the most popular Herman Miller chair of all, having sold over seven million units. It was a milestone for ergonomic chairs when it was released back in the 1990s, and it remains one of the most desirable office chairs around. In my hands-on review, I found it to be overall best ergonomic chair I've ever used, and so it sits comfortably at the top of this list.
The Aeron continues to be emulated by other brands today but few can match the fully adjustable design and quality build of the original. Herman Miller even sells a standardised, non-adjustable version for the average user, for a smaller price, and that manages to hit all the right notes, too.
If you want all the adjustments, the Aeron remains an expensive option, but we feel that it lives up to expectations. It's the only Herman Miller chair offered in three sizes: A, B and C, with B being the option for most people. We've found the ergonomic features are great for spinal support and a healthy posture, and we love having such precise control over the arms, seat height, depth, and recline. There are three colour options and four arm options, but these customisable extras do raise the price even further.
If price is your priority when choosing the best Herman Miller chair for you, then you're looking for the Lino. You won't find a cheaper option than this minimal, no-nonsense chair. It looks more like a traditional office chair than most other Herman Miller chairs, but while it lacks the advanced features of the likes of the Aeron or Embody, it's still impressively comfortable and supportive.
It has adjustable arms and seat depth so that you can find your perfect sitting position and a breathable suspension back offering full spinal and lumbar support. It also comes in a wide range of colour, material and finish options so that you can ensure that your Lino fits perfectly with your office décor.
For some reason, Herman Miller markets the Embody as a gaming chair. I'm sure it will serve perfectly well as such, but that is to slightly under-sell the Embody – it is, all things considered, the best chair I've ever sat on. It really is that good.
The Herman Miller Embody 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. It also has the best arm rests that I've ever tested – simple, clever design that works.
The real genius is how you feel when you've sat on the Embody for a while. Thanks to its skeletal back and seat design, which encourages micro-movements, and therefore blood flow, you feel super comfortable, but also fresh – not like you've just been sat on your bum for X hours. That really is genius design.
If the price of Herman Miller's Aeron is just too much but you want a fine-looking chair with sound back support for both work and play, we think the Sayl is the perfect alternative as the best Herman Miller chair for those on a more prudent budget. Inspired by the geometry of the Golden Gate Bridge suspension system, the Sayl office chair has the hallmarks of a future design classic. Its striking Y-Tower armature and ventilated elastomer back not only look stunning, but they also give you plenty of spinal support as well as space to stretch and move about.
Our reviewer found the Sayl to be ideal for use both as an office chair and also for leaning back and watching videos or gaming (there are fun colours for gaming too). The webbed plastic back is very cool and breathable, making it this probably the best Herman Miller chair for anyone who tends to get too hot or who works in a hot office. The arm rests are adjustable too and we found they worked well.
Overall it's a great chair and it’s cheaper than the Aeron and the Mirra 2. Read our full Herman Miller Sayl review for more details.
The Herman Miller Mirra 2 takes its name from the fact that it's designed to intuitively mirror your natural movements. Herman Miller likens it to a good running shoe, and it's an apt comparison. When we reviewed it, we found the Mirra 2 to be responsive and supportive, allowing the body to move, stretch and reach naturally, while the Harmonic 2 tilt provides a balanced feel when reclining the chair.
The Mirra 2 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, giving you more colour options than with the classic Aeron above.
Some might find the seat just a little unyielding compared to the Aeron, but if support matters most to you then it's a definite winner. See our full Herman Miller Mirra 2 review for more on our experience with the chair.
The best Herman Miller chair for a minimalist design
Our expert review:
Specifications
Height: 980mm
Width: 638mm
Depth: 381mm
Seat height: 432 - 546mm
Maximum weight: 136kg
Reasons to buy
+
Thoroughly minimal
+
Flexible and comfortable
+
Very lightweight
Reasons to avoid
-
The arms cannot be moved
While not quite the cheapest Herman Miller chair you can get (see number six below), the Setu is a notably minimalist office chair and one of the more affordable options. It has a mesh seat and back and a flexible spine that responds to your movement. There are six tasteful colour options and either white or black frames.
You can adjust the height but nothing else in this case, making it less ergonomic than other options on our list. That said, 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 have total control over, it does mould itself to your body.
The Setu's biggest selling point though is its lightweight design, which makes it easy to manoeuvre. Herman Miller bills it as a side chair, and the light manoeuvrability makes it very suitable for that. We're not sure we'd choose it for all-day use, but if you don't spend the entire day seated or if you like a firmer chair with no cushioned seating, this is Herman Miller quality at a more affordable price.
A smart Herman Miller Chair that adjusts to your form
Our expert review:
Specifications
Height: 864- 1311mm
Width: 734mm
Depth: 678mm
Seat height: 409 - 544mm
Maximum weight: 159kg
Reasons to buy
+
Three back heights
+
Self-adjusting tilt mechanism
+
Fantastic looks
Reasons to avoid
-
The arms are not the most adjustable
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. When we went to the Herman Miller showroom and tried out all the chairs, the Cosm was definitely up there with our favourites.
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.
The Herman Miller Sayl has an iconic design (Image credit: Herman Miller)
Why are Herman Miller chairs so expensive?
The best Herman Miller chairs are undeniably expensive, but it's clear why. They offer excellent build quality, with superior materials that should last longer than budget office chairs (they are guaranteed for 12 years as standard). They're also highly ergonomic, offering improved comfort but also better health for your back (see our guide to the factors that make an office chair ergonomic for more).
Some models come in different sizes rather than being one-size-fits-all, and some of those that do come in just one size offer so much adjustability that you can easily adapt them to your shape. Most have a mesh-like design that keeps them clean and well ventilated.
Also, note that not all Herman Miller chairs are expensive as the iconic Aeron. There are some options well shy of the $1,000 mark, and the best Herman Miller chair deals can get you a handful of the top picks in our guide for about $500 / £450 when there's a Herman Miller discount.
Are Herman Miller chairs good?
In a word, yes. Herman Miller chairs are significantly better quality than their competitors. They really are built to last, and provide total spinal support, following the natural alignment of the spine. They're also designed for a dynamic fit, supporting the sacrum not the lumbar (as many other chairs do). The materials that make up the chairs are strong but flexible and each chair is made of specific materials that are perfect for that particular chair. They are also designed to dissipate heat and distribute weight.
The chairs come with a 12 year warranty designed for 24 hours of use, and according to Mike Rowen, EMEA market manager - global performance seating at Herman Miller, most people don't send them back. This means Herman Miller chairs are a sustainable choice too, because you are likely to only buy one of them in your lifetime (unless you get addicted and want more!).
In our guide above, we've included all the measurements you'll need to get the perfect fit. There's more than just the dimensions to think about though. The design materials will also play a part in not only your level of comfort, but also in how well your chair fits into your home office.
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 Aeron and the Mirra 2 are the most famous Herman Miller chairs, and the former is the best seller. These two chairs are the most adjustable, but also the most expensive in the lineup. Other options can be a little cheaper while still offering fantastic looks and ergonomic features, but they're not all as ideal for use as a regular work chair for longer periods each day.
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.
When we review chairs, we don't rely on the specifications manufacturers give us. Instead, our team of expert reviewers, who have a diverse range of heights and weights, assesses how each chair accommodates different body types in practice.
With each model, we adopt the same rigorous methodology, evaluating each chair's overall design, adjustability, and comfort. We closely scrutinize the materials, the range of adjustments, ease of setup and use, and comfort level. We also pay attention to warranty and returns policies, and rivals chairs for value-for-money before presenting our final recommendations.
Beren has worked on creative titles at Future Publishing for over 13 years. Cutting his teeth as Staff Writer on the digital art magazine ImagineFX, he moved on to edit several creative titles, and is currently the Ecommerce Editor on the most effective creative website in the world. When he's not testing and reviewing the best ergonomic office chairs, phones, laptops, TVs, monitors and various types of storage, he can be found finding and comparing the best deals on the tech that creatives value the most.
