When you buy Herman Miller office chairs, you purchase a top-quality product from one of the contract furniture industry’s top five manufacturers, a modern, environmentally conscious company devoted to sustainable design and manufacturing processes.

Whether you purchase new or used Herman Miller office chairs, think about the layout of the whole office space, from entry to exit. You need to provide seating for more than just a couple of offices and a few cubicles. As you consider types and styles of office chairs from Herman Miller, evaluate three broad classes for your company:

1. Office seating, whether you need Herman Miller executive chairs or task seating;

2. Meeting rooms, chairs for side rooms or around a conference table;

3. Reception area or visitor seating for guests, clients, suppliers–anyone who calls on your office space.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Shop for a Herman Miller executive chair or task seating

Task seating offers ergonomic controls casters, heavy-duty construction for all-day work. Executive seating includes these features plus luxuries such as extra plush padding, leather upholstery and designer cache-fit more for the corner office than the cubicle.

I recommend: Yanko Design offers the Embody by Herman Miller for long days at the desk. Eames Executive Chairs designed in the mid-20th century by Charles and Ray Eames can add class to any senior manager’s office.

Procure adequate meeting room seating from suppliers of Herman Miller office chairs

Whether you're calling together your crew for a quick pep talk or hosting a multi-day conference, you must have seating that can handle the mission. Keep lightweight seating in storage, and look for chairs that stack to take up minimal space. Conference chairs offer ergonomic features and padding comparable to full-scale task chairs to keep participants from being distracted by uncomfortable accommodations during longer meetings.

I recommend: For a storable solution when you need seating to accommodate unexpected crowds, try the Caper line of stackable chairs, with casters for mobility. GALVINS' Workspace Furniture offers the Celle chair developed by Herman Miller for conference room seating, with ergonomic features to help you endure those marathon sessions.

Accommodate guests with office chairs by Herman Miller

Make a lasting, positive first impression on guests entering your space with comfortable, stylish seating in the reception or lounge areas. Don't forget side chairs for visitors who need to spend time in the office with your staff.

I recommend: For lounge and reception areas, look over the Celeste line. To add a modern, international flair, check out the Capri chair sold through Prestige Business Interiors.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider the aesthetics of your office before looking up Herman Miller chair retailers. You don't want to buy Herman Miller office chairs that work great but clash with your decor.

Office chairs: Herman Miller will help you make a bold statement about your excellent taste in furniture when you buy the company's office or executive chairs. As far as high-end office chairs go, you definitely get what you pay for with Herman Miller. The company originated in the 1930s and prides itself in its environmentally friendly and ecologically sound furniture. Herman Miller insists on attention to detail and top quality, so it makes sense that most of their office chairs come with 12-year warranties which more than double the 5-year industry standard.

Besides a great warranty, you'll also find that most suppliers of Herman Miller office chairs provide free shipping and return shipping if needed, so you can't lose by ordering online. Consider the following options as you shop Herman Miller chair retailers and suppliers:

1. Order a new Herman Miller executive chair for your own office.

2. Purchase new Herman Miller office chairs for your employees or for another workspace away from your desk.

3. Buy a used or refurbished Herman Miller office chair to satisfy your budget.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Complete your office's look with a Herman Miller executive chair

If you demand quality in everything you do, insist on a top-quality Herman Miller executive chairs for yourself.

I recommend: Visit HermanMillerSeating.com, part of CSN Stores, to order a beautiful, timeless Eames Herman Miller executive chair. If your tastes lean toward modern furniture, go to retromodern.com and order the Eames Aluminum Group Executive Chair with a five-star base, tilt swivel mechanism, seat height adjustment with casters and a firm and flexible seating pocket. Retromodern's inventory focuses on mid-20th century through early 21st century classic and contemporary design.

Outfit your company with new Herman Miller office chairs

Buy a Herman Miller office chair for anyone in your company who appreciates quality furniture and ergonomic features.

I recommend: Order chairs from Sit4Less.com to fill out your office or conference room. They provide free shipping for their new chairs, a 100% best price guarantee, volume discounts and a 365-day return policy. Visit OfficeDesigns.com to buy Herman Miller office chairs at the lower end of the Herman Miller price range. The authorized Herman Miller retailer boasts more than 100 years of retail industry experience. Customize one of Herman Miller's most popular chairs, the Aeron chair, at Healthy Back. A former investor turned entrepreneur founded the store in 1994 after increasing frustration over trying to find ergonomic seating solutions that could ease his own back problems.

Buy used or refurbished Herman Miller office chairs for your office

Herman Miller chairs typically come with a price tag that makes those on a tight budget turn away. Purchase a used Herman Miller office chair and reward yourself with one of the best quality, stylish, functional and ergonomic chairs for a fraction of the price of a new chair.

I recommend: For a task chair, order one or more of the Ergon High Back used Herman Miller office chairs from Right Size Facility Performance. Based out of Chicago, this company operates as a BBB-accredited business. If you love the Aeron chair but thought you could never afford it, request a quote on a pre-owed Aeron chair from Refurbished Office Furniture. ROF will work with you to buy back any chairs you're replacing to further help reduce out-of-pocket cost.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Besides searching for a chair that looks good, look for one that suits your needs based on the tasks you regularly perform from the chair. For example, if you multitask from you chair between your desk and computer behind you, check out managers' chairs that come with a tilt mechanism that make it easy to move from your computer back to your desk for paperwork, meetings or telephone calls. Buy Herman Miller office chairs with hydraulic seat adjustments and lumbar adjustment knobs that permit comfort even when you shift body position in the chair.

Herman Miller office chairs originate from a one and one-half-billion dollar company headquartered near Lake Michigan with a worldwide presence. The company that brought us the iconic Eames line and award-winning Aeron chairs makes chairs and furniture for office, healthcare and educational environments.

When you buy Herman Miller chairs you purchase top-quality products from a forward-thinking, environmentally responsible company that carries “cradle to cradle” certification. But you don’t have to pay top dollar to place Herman Miller executive chairs in your boardroom. Investigate these sources before you pay manufacturer suggested retail price:

1. Do your homework on online Herman Miller chair retailers.

2. Look into refurbished Herman Miller office chairs.

3. Purchase a used Herman Miller office chair that's still in good condition.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Shop online for suppliers of Herman Miller office chairs

Shop online for near-wholesale pricing on new seating when you buy Herman Miller office chairs. While you're on the site, watch for minimum order requirements and check for extra offers such as free shipping or payment options.

I recommend: Sit4Less.com starts Aeron chair prices around $550. OfficeDesigns.com sells a full range of Eames products, from side chairs for under $300 to the lounge chair and ottoman combination for under $3,700.

Save money without sacrificing reliability with a refurbished Herman Miller office chair

Buying refurbished can save some money over buying new, yet still carries some form of surety that you'll get good service from the chair. Task chairs in particular can have several mechanisms to customize the fit of the chair for the office worker's comfort, and refurbishing the chair gives you some peace of mind that all those buttons and levers will arrive in working order.

I recommend: Office Furniture Center sells refurbished Ergon and Equa task chairs for under $200. Crandall Office Furniture not only sells remanufactured Herman Miller chairs starting under $210, they also sell replacement parts and kits to repair chairs you already own.

Shop second-hand for used Herman Miller office chairs

Although you can save even more money buying used, you take on more risk, as no one's gone over the chair to ensure it's in serviceable condition. You also may spend more time shopping around and returning to sales sites, due to the haphazard nature of this channel's supply chain, as inventories ebb and flow is based on overstocks, or companies going out of business or downsizing.

I recommend: National Office Liquidators sells used furniture from Fortune 100 firms. They showcase an Ergon office chair for under $80, and other lighter-duty task chairs for under $50. For a new twist on used chairs, try floor models. OfficeDesignsOutlet.com sells “like new” Aeron chairs that were on sales floors starting around $600.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  These options may save you money on individual or smaller orders. However, if you need to outfit an office with more than a couple chairs, before you google 'Office Chairs: Herman Miller' look up the Herman Miller corporate website for a full-scale dealer near you. Take advantage of the price breaks they can offer, including options between buying and leasing, as well as the installation and after-sales service dealers provide.

From its beginnings in the Roaring Twenties as a residential furniture manufacturer, Herman Miller has become synonymous with forward-thinking, iconic design, from leading the charge for the “Modern” look in the 1930’s, then working with Eames and Nelson in the 1950s (remember the “Marshmallow Sofa”?), to inventing panel systems office furniture in the 1960s and ergonomic seating in the 1970s before re-inventing them in the 1990s and early 21st century. Understand how Herman Miller views its office seating by understanding its nomenclature before integrating their aesthetic into your office space.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Eames

Charles and Ray Eames' groundbreaking work with Herman Miller in the 1950's led to an integral part of the 'Mid-century Modern' look still produced today, and can elevate the seating in nearly any office.

I recommend: Log in to Designer Pages for an in-depth look at an Eames Executive Chair.

Aeron

The dot-com icon of the 1990's, the Aeron chair pioneered the use of mesh (no more sweaty seats and back) and the near-skeletal minimalist look, plus state of the art tilt and height adjustment mechanisms now used on nearly all office seating.

I recommend: Sit4Less.com showcases the Aeron line, from high-performance task chair to armless side chairs.

Celle

A visual legacy of Aeron, Celle works with 'cellular suspension,' seating surfaces of small cells and loops to provide comfort and flexibility, stretched across a minimal frame for light weight with casters for easier mobility.

I recommend: GALVINS' Workspace Furniture shows the Celle options in six basic and 19 customer upholstery colors.

Embody

Herman Miller's ergonomic successor to Aeron, Embody employs a lattice-like network that builds a flexible bridge to conform to and support your back as you recline and move in the chair. Mesh fabric, plus adjustable arms, height and seat pan give you a variety of ways to custom-fit the chair to your body.

I recommend: Yanko Design reviews the Embody, including a number of close-up photos.

Caper

If you need to adapt to a variety of seating circumstances, look no further than Caper. Ergonomic, lightweight, stackable, and equipped with arms, casters or slides, Caper can move in and out of a room for impromptu meetings and back into storage with a minimum of fuss.

I recommend: Herman Miller highlights its Caper line of seating from small meeting rooms to cafeteria seating.

Capri

Give your lounge area some Continental flair with the Capri chair, with its simple squared-off design, splayed feet and leather options. Flexing back and hidden casters make it comfortable to sit in and easy to move from space to space.

I recommend: Prestige Business Interiors cover material options in leather, vinyl and cloth.