Bean Bags and Bean Bag Furniture

Bean bags are furniture items including chairs, sofas and loungers that are filled (generally) with polystyrene beads. They are unrigid, meaning that they mold themselves to your body shape and are very comfortable to sit or lie on.

Bean bags started to be used as furniture from the late 1960's, gaining popularity in recent times as they are very portable, easy to arrange, and great for furnishing smaller and children's rooms. Bean bag chairs and sofas are filled with chunks of styro foam, PVC pellets or shredded polyurethane foam. Some bean bags are filled with the shredded polyurethane foam, but these bean bags tend to be the most expensive.

Some manufacturers use other fillings, such as polystyrene bead (expanded polystyrene - this material is also used for packaging). The diameter of the beads put into the bean bags can be anything from 1 - 3 mm to 3 - 9 mm, although the beans do compress after a while and the bean bag may not appear as full as it once did. However, you can top them up with beans (available in refill bags) to restore their former glory.

A UK company, Ambient Lounge, has recently remarketed the bean bag as a designer furniture item, creating furniture pieces including sofas, loungers and bean bag chairs, filled with polystyrene beads. They also sell the loose beads for topping up your furniture.

Bean bag furniture has gained in popularity in recent years with expatriates living in the UK for just a few years before returning to their homes overseas, as it is much cheaper and easy to transport than more traditional sofas and arm chairs.

Bean bags have now started to appear on the market in novelty shapes and colours, including with waterproof coverings for both indoor and outdoor use (imagine lying on a bean bag in the sun - it would make a refreshing and far more comfortable experience than a deckchair!). Some of the novelty shapes that are available include donuts, stars, flowers and cubes, which add a bit of fun to children's bedrooms or the family room.

The donuts pictured right are available from I Want One Of Those in red, green or brown. They can be used indoors and outdoors and cost £149 with free UK delivery.

Kids Cube
- Great seating for kids, filled with polystyrene beads, in a choice of fabrics.

Simply Living Jersey
- Soft furnishings including bean bags, chairs, pouffes and cubes, together with the new Z-sac.