Herman Miller Mirra 2 Butterfly Office Chair review

Herman Miller’s stylish, ergonomic office chair will wow in any Zoom call – and look good in your home when you’re not at work

T3 Platinum Award
Herman Miller Mirra 2 Butterfly Office Chair review
(Image credit: Herman Miller)
T3 Verdict

Herman Millers’ Mirra 2 Butterfly Chair is a bit like the Lamborghini of office furniture. It looks incredibly good with a design pedigree and is a quality product that will provoke admiration and envy. But just like a Lambo, cheaper and more practical alternatives are available.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Lots of different seating positions

  • +

    Adaptive materials such as cooling mesh

  • +

    Drool-worthy looks

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    The price

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Herman Miller is to office furniture what Ferrari or Lamborghini are in car circles. Everybody wants one of its chairs, which are considered the best office chairs in the world.

The brand’s Mirra 2 Butterfly Office Chair, for example, incorporates state-of-the-art technology and has become a bit of a modern classic, with many high-end offices equipped with them.

As with any Herman Miller chairs, though, the Mirra 2 doesn’t come cheap. However, it promises both comfort and flexibility and you can even personalise it when ordering, so it suits your office’s aesthetics.

That's why we recommend the Herman Miller Mirra 2 to anyone who can afford it.

With an impressive array of adjustment features and imaginative use of adaptive materials, the Mirra 2 chair can accommodate a wide range of activities and postures that people adopt when working. Its breathable mesh back gives it a neat, clean and airy look and feel, whilst encouraging good posture and providing that all-important support. If you work up a sweat meeting a deadline, this feature is also a godsend. 

The manufacturers claim that the Mirra 2 is “leaner, lighter and as responsive as your own shadow”, making it a very appealing choice for those seeking comfort as well as style in their office chair. If only it could be another productive worker, eh?

Herman Miller Mirra 2 Butterfly Office Chair review

(Image credit: Herman Miller)

Mirra 2 Butterfly Office Chair : Features

The adjustability of the Mirra 2 butterfly chair is perhaps what sets it apart from others in its class. There seems to be a lever or dial to fine tune just about anything to suit the individual. 

It has a flex front seat, which allows the depth of the chair to be adjusted in order to achieve the most comfortable position for the individual. But, the flexible seat back is perhaps the most striking feature of the Mirra 2 Butterfly. As well as being distinctive, it ‘gives’ with the user, while offering effective and adjustable lumbar support to prevent slouching and encourage healthy spine alignment. 

In addition to the standard seat height adjuster, there’s also a smooth tilt mechanism that enables the user to tilt forward to work, or lean back in a more relaxed position. Fully adjustable arms minimise the risk of pain in the neck and shoulder areas, which is a feature lacking in many cheaper chairs.

Essential to the Mirra 2’s performance is the manufacturer’s clever choice and use of high-quality materials. The open material chosen for the backrest moves with the user, responding to even small movements and the Airweave 2 woven suspension seat allows weight to be distributed evenly. However, which these features have attracted many fans, some customers don’t like them, can’t get on with them and find them rather unforgiving.

On the up-side, both the backrest and seat materials are ventilated and effective in keeping a user cool, no matter how active or stressed they are.

Of course, al these features come at a cost. You would expect a chair like this one to last a long time, given the investment, and the Mirra 2 Butterfly chair comes with a 12-year warranty to support its longevity, as well as your back.

Herman Miller Mirra 2 Butterfly Office Chair review

(Image credit: Herman Miller)

Mirra 2 Butterfly Office Chair: User Reviews

Over three-quarters of those who submitted ratings on Amazon awarded this chair 5 stars, finding it easy to use, lightweight and manoeuvrable.

What seems to impress many owners is the wide range of adjustable features on the chair. There are no less than 10 different adjustment systems and one owner says this model “has every possible adjustment so it’s impossible not to find a comfortable position”.

The majority of owners find the mesh chair back cool and comfortable and comment on the positive effects of its lumbar support. Comments such as “I can't overstate the difference that proper back support makes” crop up frequently in reviews. 

However, a minority of customers do not rate the adjustable features as highly, finding the lumbar height and seat depth adjustment doesn’t make for a comfy chair. And, while the chair has plenty of fans who say they can work for hours in comfort, some customers say find seat unyielding or that its front edge digs into their thighs. There is no doubt that the Mirra 2 is a very ‘neat’ chair so it may be the case that there are better chairs out there for taller people.

If you’re investing in a chair of this quality and price, it has to look as good as it feels to sit on. And in this regard, the Mirra 2 Butterfly certainly doesn’t disappoint.  As one owner gushes: “The design is very sleek and modern and adds an air of sophistication to any room.” 

Office chair

(Image credit: Herman Miller)

Should You Buy The Mirra 2 Butterfly Office Chair?

The Mira 2 Butterfly office chair is definitely worth considering if you are looking for a chair that has designer looks but also has comfort and good back health at its core. You’ll be hard-pushed to find an alternative that has so many functions crammed into such a neat package.

Of course, that package comes at a considerable cost, so this if a chair built for style-conscious people who are prepared to invest in quality furniture for their home. Like a Lamborghini, there are more practical choices out there. But they’re not as cool or as much fun. 

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Sarah Griffiths

A journalist with 10 years experience, Sarah specialises in Science and Technology, writing for the BBC, national papers and consumer magazines, including T3, of course. Sarah has reviewed a range of products for T3, from children’s electric toothbrushes to water bottles and photo printing services. There's nothing she can't become an expert in!