I use a very nice bamboo chair, it works fine and looks great in the room. You can really use any chair you wish, just make sure you can pullit up to the desk easily. If your desk has a pull out keyboard tray then use any chair, just make sure the proportions are right for the size of the desk.

You could also try a Parsons chair since you mentioned upholstered. I've seen them at very reasonable prices at HomeGoods and I also bought four for my dining room at Carrington Court Direct.com. They did a great job on the upholstery.

I'm sitting in a fairly cheap parsons chair right now and will be for the next three months (I'm an admission officer...it's application season, so I'm chained to the computer). My back is killing me.

If you spend a significant amount of time at your desk, there are nice chairs out there, but you might have to shell out a good amount of money for them.

Off the top of my head, Ballard Designs has some really nice hybrid chairs that are office chairs, but a little more girly than the average Herman Miller chair (whatever his name is).

Obviously, you can pick any fabric you want for their upholstered office chair:

I was going to suggest that Ballard's chair. Or, if you have an IKEA near you, there are some more unusual ones there. Now, if you don't have to have wheels, a nice parson's chair would be great.

Secondary to MS, I have worked at home since the 1980s, sitting at a computer at least 8 hours per day when in remission (which has been 90% of the time) and I have had no ill effects from this ergonomically unfriendly chair that I sit in but it works for me. It just needs upholstery from time to time. It is a chair from my bedroom when I was growing up.

I don't recall people in the decades past having all the back and disk problems that people today have who sit in ergonomically friendly chairs. Just puzzles me to no end why we have far more muscle, bone and joint injuries than we did before we were all sitting in these "best chairs for our backs."

Sit in what makes you happy and what is comfortable for you, and don't worry about the harpies telling you what you need, when all they are doing is trying to get us to spend our money on something they have "perfected," (selling).

What jeannine said.

I work at home so spend all day at my desk, and for comfort's sake it has to be the big ugly Staples chair. I found an inadvertent solution when we moved and my office went from being a highly-visible room off the dining room to a cave in the unfinished basement. The Staples chair looks just fine down there! And I quickly realized that all the other home office stuff is just as ugly (printers, stacks of papers, supplies, routers, modems, cables, cables, cables, etc.) and I like it better with ALL that stuff hidden down there. I use a laptop and when I feel like working elsewhere in the house, I take it with me, but the ugly stuff stays hidden.

I don't recall people in the decades past having all the back and disk problems that people today have who sit in ergonomically friendly chairs. Just puzzles me to no end why we have far more muscle, bone and joint injuries than we did before we were all sitting in these "best chairs for our backs.",

It probably has to do with the fact that years ago, most office workers didn't sit at the desk ALL day long, doing the same, repetitive motion. Even after computers came onto the scene, there were trips to the print room, the fax machine, the copier. Those items have gotten so cheap that you barely have to move to do your work. There are days when I have literally sat at my desk all day, on the computer (usually when I'm working in our databases and coding). I have to make a conscious effort to get up and walk around.

Anyway, my Parsons chair is killing me. I need something better and attractive myself, so I'd love to see suggestions beyond the Ballard chair.

Having spent a lot of time and money on back problems resulting from using a non-ergonomic chair and desk setup, I think that money spent on an ergonomically adjustable desk chair is money well spent. Of course, I got my chair at an auction of used office furniture and it cost less than 25 cents, and the greenish black upholstery goes well with my office furniture, and it's incredibly comfortable, too boot.
With the economy in as bad shape as it is, you may be able to score a deal on a used office chair.

I work from home, on the computer (and should be working now!),and I bought a Aeron chair online. Yes, it's expensive and weird looking, and as I live in a loft, you see everything at once, but my wrists and shoulders out-weighed my aesthetic sense.

I've also been in similar situation--needing to choose two chairs for my home office. Like most things, I turned to Craigslist. With the economy as it is and all the layoffs there are numerous office chairs to have had for a song--many ergonomic, leather, upholstery with or without arms. I ended up buying two black leather ergonomic office chairs, buth then felt they were too bulky. The other option I like is the swivel chairs from Pottery Barn. I was able to procure one of them used and it is just the look I like, but alas not as comfortable. DH prefers an ergonomic chair that has a lower profile than the leather ones so we are still debating, though I use the office more than he does as he just takes his laptop and sits wherever. As for our kids, they have nice desks and ergonomic chairs, but still sit on the beds with their laptops for homework.

Here is the Pottery Barn one that I like (and am still looking for another one used as the price tag is way too high for me).

Here is a link that might be useful: Pottery Barn Swivel Chairs

Instead of the Pottery Barn swivel chairs, you can scout Craigslist or Ebay for the old oak desk chairs that they are modeled on. I have one and it is the most comfortable desk chair I have ever had. People comment that the wood seat looks uncomfortable, but it is carved in such a way that is is really very nice to sit on all day. I'm looking for a few more to use as kitchen chairs.

If you'd like a Parsons chair, but want something on wheels, Ballard Designs has one.

I have a Bradington-Young leather swivel chair with mahogany gooseneck arms. It looks like a goosneck side chair till you see its swivel base, which hides behind the desk. I got it about 12 years ago and it seemed hideously expensive at the time ($850) but I've enjoyed it so much oveor the years, no regrets, and it's very comfy. It had some problems with its casters till I had them replaced with special ones that don't mar the wood floor.

I see BY is now owned by Hooker, not sure if the quality is the same as it was back then in the pre-everything-made-in-China years, but here's the website. Mine sort of looks like the first one but no pillowback, and different colored leather.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bradington Young

Try Carringtoncourt.com You can totally customize the chairs and add casters to the bottom.

A 65cm workout ball is a great way to exercise your body subtly while keeping you alert. It also forces good posture. The only aesthetically pleasing part is they come in different colors to match your decor. :)