10 best ergonomic office chairs that make working from home more comfortable

Assembly was easy for this modernist-looking chair with headrest, requiring no more than five minutes, a hex key and some elbow grease and when complete the EP200 felt strong and sturdy and is clearly built to last. We were immediately impressed with the clean lines and contours of its design, offering up a very slim profile when it’s tucked into a desk, which could be good for those who are working in a confined space.

Available in black and grey, the mesh of the seat and backrest cradles both back and bum very nicely and the seat is supremely comfortable with four levels of backrest recline. Further customisation is available with a four-way lumbar support, seat depth and height adjustments and excellent neck support from the semi-circular, adjustable neck pillow.

If space saving is a priority for your work from home area then this could be a good option because the armrests flip up at 90-degrees, so once you’ve finished work you can lower the chair and tuck it right into the desk. The mesh back was hammock-like, cradling our back throughout the day and the seat pad, filled with high density foam, wasn’t too firm and so allowed for all-day comfort. Adjustability comes in the form of a rocking mechanism and height adjustment, so if you’re after a task chair to use for a few hours a day, the Hbada is an excellent investment.

Okay, let’s get our take on the assembly of this product out of the way first because, quite simply, the BS11 pro doesn’t make it easy. This is mainly because the accompanying instructions are a bit too simplistic so there’s a bit of trial and error involved which can be frustrating. However, once the job’s done, you will be rewarded with a very eye-catching and well-built chair (available in grey, black and light blue) with quality components and plenty of emphasis on good ergonomics.

There’s a mesh backrest and seat which makes for a very comfortable sitting experience and the chair was breathable, which will appeal to many workers, particularly as we head into heatwave season. The BS11 pro also offers excellent customisation throughout, with the seat setting you up in a position that props you up and discourages the slouching effect that can often lead to an aching back at the end of a long day.

What we loved most with this chair though was the arch-shape design of the headrest which offered excellent relief from tech neck and seemed to really help in reducing the pressure from our daily sit.

The first thing you’ll notice about any Humanscale chair (or maybe you won’t, such is the subtle design) is the absence of levers, knobs and dials. Not only does this help with the overall clean aesthetic of the path chair, but also gives an indication of the manufacturer’s “gravity mechanism” that relies on the user’s bodyweight and adjusts automatically as soon as you sit in it. So, the chair actually works with you as you move, supporting you throughout all the micro working positions you cycle through during the working day.

We really liked the fact that the arms are attached to the back (unlike many task chairs where they are attached to the seat) which means when you sit back the arms are always supported. The mesh-like FormSense eco knit textile that makes up the seat and backrest is made from upcycled plastic bottles and is both breathable and comfortable. And the self-adjusted lumbar support means you can dial in the ergonomics in the lower back according to your height.

This faux leather chair will tick the box for workers who like the executive look at their office desk and is styled with a nice high back. With minimal assembly needed, the radcliffe is well-padded, without feeling too spongy and the chair manages to retain a firm feel for good ergonomics with a large seat pad that allows for easy movement and shifting of weight, so you’re never going to get up from the seat and suffer pins and needles.

The swivel seat is height-adjustable, the backrest has a tilt mechanism that locks into place. There’s no lumbar support, however this could still suit dedicated sitters who would rather get the support they need in that area from a favourite cushion. The lack of armrests means the chair will slide away underneath all kinds of desk set ups.

It’s not often we sit in a chair that’s inspired by the design of the world’s suspension bridges but it’s immediately apparent what the designers were going for – making this a bit of a Marmite chair, we reckon. Personally, we like the statement it makes in a room or office and we liked it even more when we sat in it and experienced the elastomer strands that are all tensioned differently so that your spine feels nicely cradled as you shift position, as well as providing responsive comfort and lots of breathability for warm working afternoons.

Herman Miller has imbued the sayl with something called “harmonic tilt” in the chair’s recline facility which means you can lean back effortlessly without feeling like you’re taking part in a trust fall. There was plenty of easy adjustability throughout the rest of the chair too, for fine tuning the optimal sitting position. There’s an open-mouth shaped, height adjustable lumbar support, which was one of the best supports we tested across all the chairs, while the seat pad design distributed the weight of the body, taking pressure off the legs.

With three different fabric choices, five different colour choices and fully assembled delivery, this is an investment chair that will repay you in terms of comfort, sitting health and very impressive build quality.

Another wonderfully engineered and striking chair, this will really add some style to your office set up thanks to the butterfly shaped backrest that is made to move with the worker. Even micro movements, like leaning to the side or slightly bending forwards, are tracked by the backrest which did a great job of supporting the S-shaped curve all the way down to the lumbar region.

Offering a smooth reclining mechanism and a full range of movement in the armrests, the chair was incredibly comfortable to sit in even for prolonged periods, responding to even the slightest movement, which the manufacturer calls “personalised ergonomics”. With excellent lumbar support, which can be adjusted according to height, the seat pad distributed weight well and the mesh offered excellent breathability.

Overall, the mirra 2 actively seems to promote better posture throughout the working day and makes finding the optimum working position incredibly easy thanks to the many micro adjustments that are available.

With its nice tall back and headrest our working position felt well supported all day, whether we were leaning towards the desk or reclining backwards. There’s all round adjustability with three levels of backrest recline, as well as lumbar, head pillow, seat depth and arm rest customisation. In particular, we found the lumbar support to be very well designed and after a day in the fit pro we were surprised to leave the office without the usual stiffness we’ve experienced in the past after long sitting sessions.

Great for back health, supremely comfortable and very easy on the eye, the UK manufacturer has really hit upon a superb task chair that warrants the extra expense.

The New York manufacturer has realised the value of the phrase, “if it ‘aint broke, don’t fix it”, by taking the very popular freedom chair and simply adding a headrest to enhance the comfort and support. The seat and back pad contouring of the original chair remains the same to guarantee all day comfort and a naturally healthy working position, and there is plenty of adjustability throughout, including the headrest, which will move with you when you look down at a screen or up at a wall-mounted TV.

Again, Humanscale’s weight sensitive recline means the chair automatically adjusts tension according to the pressure being applied to the backrest – the mechanism lifts as you sit back, so your body becomes the natural counterbalance and is firmly supported wherever it stops. This means you can stretch your back out without having to get up from the seat, which is very gratifying for deadline days or when your inbox keeps filling up.

This spine feels constantly supported whether you’re typing or reading and reclining. Added to this is excellent lumbar support and we liked the subtle scalloping on the front edge of the chair, which didn’t create any pressure points on the knees or behind the thighs. The chair only doesn’t get full marks because the price point makes it another investment chair, and the price point you pay will depend on how you want it upholstered. However, we have no doubts that this chair will be with you for a long, long time, which is backed up by Humanscale’s generous 15-year warranty.

A well-designed, value, chair that won’t look out of place if you’re working at a kitchen or dining table, the långfjåll is fully customisable so you can add armrests, if required. Very easy to assemble, the design of the seat back offered good support and the height adjusting mechanism was well engineered and robust enough to cope with plenty of up and down. The fabric-covered foam was comfortable and is available in eight different colour choices to suit your taste and your walls. The castors rolled easily and are fitted with a weight-activated brake mechanism that anchors the chair when you stand up, and releases when you sit down.