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Bean Bag Chairs
By Abby Stevens
The imagery surrounding bean bag chairs is that of a swinging 60s vibe and a tie-dyed bean bag as the centerpiece of a peace-sign-loving, mod-style living room. Made of sealed fabric, usually a slick vinyl or other synthetic, stain-resistant cloth, and filled with polystyrene pellets, bean bag chairs are typically round or pear shaped and can be molded to accommodate any number of positions.
Italian furniture designers Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, and Franco Teodoro created the first bean bag in 1968 for furniture giant Zanotta. The Zanotta Sacco, as it was called, was the original pellet-filled chair, able to support the head and neck even in a variety of positions and designed with ultimate comfort in mind. The designers achieved almost overnight success thanks to the squishy chairs, and the bean bag revolution was born.
This unique furniture comes in a variety of colors and designs, some even coming in an ergonomically friendly L-shape. They first became popular during the late 1960s and early 1970s, and made a resurgence during the 1990s, when they became a generation-X and teenage décor staple, easy on the wallet and the back.
New bean bag chair styles are constantly being developed, and though bean bags are not the hot fashion statement of the moment, they are a moderately priced, fun addition to any child's room, den, dorm, school, museum, library, or even office. AHH! Products has even developed a bean bag chair with a machine-washable cover and water-repellant microfiber liners. Many manufacturers also ensure their products are fire-retardant and pass vigorous safety inspections.
Today, chairs aren't the only furniture stuffed with those little white beads - new styles of bean bag furniture include loungers, children's sleepover beds, videogame chairs, poufs, and pillow-shaped. Bean bags are available as wide as a double bed and as small as a pet bed, which are marketed on a variety of animal-friendly websites. And while bean bag furniture comes in a plethora of options, they also come in range of prices. The Lands' End extra large bean bag chair, large enough to accommodate several adults, has a steep price tag of $899.50, while a run-of-the-mill vinyl bean bag chair is available in your local Wal-Mart's toy section for as low as $14.88.
When shopping for a bean bag chair, quality is of the utmost importance. Bean bag chairs, when properly cared for, should last in excess of ten years.