Who invented bean bag chairs

It's science. But quality furniture doesn't flatten that easily because the "comfort" part of a comfortable arm chair or couch is made of foam. About 20 years ago, a few companies realized that a "bean" bag chair was much more comfy without the beans. Foam also lasted much longer. The future was filled with foam. Once people realized that bean bag chairs could be very comfortable and last a long time, they wanted them made to high standards. Luckily, at the same time, there was a consumer-driven trend toward better quality, often hand-crafted products.

In many ways consumers were forcing manufacturers to look backwards to find better ways to make things. The high-quality foam-filled bean bag chair, like the one made by Xorbee, has furniture-grade, hand-sorted foam inside. It has an inner liner to secure the foam against spills and to allow the cover to be removed and washed. The covers are hand-stitched and expertly crafted so they stand up against wear and tear.

Bean bags of the 21st century offer many cover choices, such as twill, suede or microsuede, leather, and fur. These high-quality foam-filled chairs are more stylish, making consumers more likely to show them off. The modern bean bag chair has graduated from the kids room and the dorm room to the living room and home theater. At the same time, foam-filled bean bag chairs with quality covers are more durable. Blog Expand submenu Blog Collapse submenu Blog.

Your cart. Close Cart. The bean bag chair too. The First Bean Bag Chair Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini and Franco Teodoro were commissioned by Sacco in to design a new type of chair that would appeal to a young demographic that desired new materials and counter-culture. The Hippie Chair In the late s, the hippie counter culture was in full swing. However, most ended up with a vague concept.

Again, the air inside created a sort of rigidity which was uncomfortable and the opposite of what they had in mind — fluidity and softness. Polyurethane foam was the next contender. This was popularized by Gufram, but strangely, even this material left something to be desired.

Although polyurethane foam almost hit the nail on the head, something was not quite right. After tremendous brainstorming sessions, they were closer to developing a concept in their heads about what might work rather than what might not. They envisioned something small, spherical, and multiple little clones of these objects. When placed inside a sack-like structure, these marbles, or balls, might behave semi-fluid.

Yes, they were getting closer! At first, they thought of buckshot but scrapped the idea immediately as the lead would be too heavy. Again, they reasoned against it, citing that it would be too expensive. Finally, the line of thinking led them to a building material — foam polystyrene, typically used for sound and heat proofing. They experimented by cutting open an envelope and pouring these little balls into a vinyl bag.

Admittedly, they liked where it was taking them. And the Italian designers wanted the Sacco to be indisputably Italian. However, the target market for the chair was people belonging to or identifying with the hippie culture that started in the United States and had spread to Europe.

The hippies were known to be very relaxed, and they were not interested in conforming to the norms established by previous generations. Thus, bean bag chairs fit with their culture perfectly. In the s, bean bags were at the height of their popularity.

A large number of manufacturers was producing them. Although some consisted of leather, newer materials, such as nylon and polyester, were commonly being used. Also, other alternate elements for filling bean bags appeared. Many of the first bean bags used pellets made of PVC or extruded polystyrene, but during the s, expanded polystyrene EPS was discovered to be more resilient and durable.

Most of the bean bags manufactured during this era were spherical, and they often featured bright colours and busy designs. However, very few used high-quality materials, such as those used for the Sacco. Most of them comprised of cheap, inexpensive materials that made them increasingly affordable. During the s and s, the popularity of bean bags declined significantly in popularity.

But they were still being manufactured by several companies. At this time, only cheap bean bags were available, and the deaths of several children were a result of these unsafe products. These infant deaths prompted federal authorities in the United States, Europe and Australia to adopt new manufacturing safety standards.

These standards included safety mechanisms to prevent children from opening them, climbing inside and suffocating on the beads. Today, bean bags are just as safe as any other type of furniture, and they are experiencing a strong resurgence in popularity. Bean bags are now available in thousands of shapes, sizes and styles.

There are many different types of bean bags available. They may mimic the forms of traditional chairs, sofas and loungers, and are suitable for indoors or outdoors. They also combine materials that are more durable and are even accessible for use as pet beds.