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The Best Bean Bag Chairs

Helena Olena/Shutterstock.com
🕚 Updated August 2022

Bean bag chairs are informal yet plush, relaxing, and durable. Whether for a child's playroom or the minimalist in your life, your bean bag chair must offer a comfortable place to sit. Here are some we recommend.

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  Best Classic Design Best for Schoolwork Best Extra-Large Option Best for Kids Best Convertible
 
  Sofa Sack
Plush Ultrasoft Bean Bag Chair
Big Joe
Dorm Smartmax
Chill Sack
Bean Bag Chair
Creative QT
Stuff 'n Sit Bean Bag Chair
CordaRoy's
Chenille Bean Bag Chair
 
Our SummaryThis bean bag utilizes memory foam stuffing for an optimally comfortable experience.This bean bag chair is easily transportable and ideal for learning environments.This comfortable extra-large bean bag chair comes in a myriad of colors and is ideal for both children and adults.This provides a dual function as a bean bag chair and storage unit.The double-duty design lets you convert the bean bag chair into a bed for your guests or for yourself.
ProsMicrosuede cover filled with furniture-grade memory foam, wonderful for reading, an array of colors to choose from, 3 feet in diameter, works well for children and adults.Filled with UltimaX Beans that take the shape of its occupant, has built-in pockets for storing books, small electronics, and a water bottle, constructed with SmartMax Fabric for water and stain resistance.Extra-large bean bag chair, packed with shredded memory foam; machine washable, double-stitched, stain-resistant microsuede fiber cover.Cover doubles as a bean bag chair and toy storage, has double-stitched seams for durability, can store blankets and other plush items.Chair converts from a bean bag to a bed, cover made with durable microfiber material, easy to clean, is washer- and dryer-safe.
ConsMay not offer the most support for long-term sitting, not machine washable.May be smaller than some expect, may need to purchase extra fill for desired fluffiness.Takes about 24 hours for the foam to expand fully, may need to purchase extra foam filling.Zipper can break with repeated zipping and unzipping.Memory foam filling may feel lumpy to some when positioned as a bed.
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The Best Bean Bag Chairs

A woman sitting in a bean bag chair.
Helena Olena/Shutterstock.com

Buying Guide for Bean Bag Chairs

A blue bean bag chair in the floor.
Aquarius Studio/Shutterstock.com

Why buy bean bag chairs?

Bean bag chairs are a great choice if you’re looking for a comfortable and stylish place to relax. They’re cozy, easy to move around, and can work anywhere in your home—whether in a bedroom, den, or anywhere you imagine. Another plus about bean bag chairs is that they cradle your body without hard edges that may cause discomfort or limit movement. They can be especially fun in a child’s reading nook, where kids can snuggle up and get comfy with their favorite books.

What should you look for in bean bag chairs?

  • Comfort: Even if this purchase is the alternative, it shouldn’t feel like it. Find a chair that offers the ideal sitting experience when you’re low to the floor. You don’t need to shell out the amount of money you would put into an office desk or sofa, but keep in mind that a better bag may warrant some extra beans.
  • Use: A bean bag that feels like a dream-and-a-half is worth the investment for adults, but kids are more interested in exciting covers. Find a chair that specifically caters to those who will be using it (i.e., storage options for notepads vs. storage options for plush toys).
  • Design: Don’t be a square when purchasing your bean bag. Find an intricate pattern or a hue that is unabashedly you.

Are bean bag chairs safe for your back?

Sitting in a bean bag chair for moderate periods can be healthy and comfortable for your back. This is because a quality bean bag can conform to your body to support the spine and distribute pressure evenly. Be sure your bean bag chair is filled adequately to provide the most support and help prevent slouching.

Our Picks for the Best Bean Bag Chairs

Best Classic Design

Sofa Sack Plush Ultrasoft Bean Bag Chair

This bean bag utilizes memory foam stuffing for an optimally comfortable experience.

Pros: What’s the best indication that a bean bag was made with luxury in mind? Two words: memory foam. The Sofa Sack combines a microsuede cover with furniture-grade memory foam—not beans. This beanless chair may be an ideal addition to your house, wonderful for reading, watching movies, or relaxing, with the cozy construction of memory foam filling, double-stitched passion suede, and an array of colors to choose from. At 3 feet in diameter, this chair works well for both children and adults.

Cons: This beanless chair may not offer the most support for long-term sitting. Also, although the chair is easy to spot clean, it isn’t machine washable.

Bottom Line: Whereas other products have taken to complicating the bean bag chair, the Sofa Sack would rather maintain the nostalgic appeal of the bean bag chairs of the ’70s. This incredibly soft memory foam-filled chair may provide the best accidental nap you’ll have in your life.

 

Best for Schoolwork

Big Joe Dorm Smartmax

This bean bag chair is easily transportable and ideal for learning environments.

Pros: Emphasizing productivity while bringing serenity, this bean bag chair is filled with comforting UltimaX Beans that take the shape of its occupant. It has built-in pockets for storing books, small electronics, and a water bottle. As its name suggests, it’s geared toward students, which is why it was also constructed with water and stain-resistant SmartMax Fabric to accommodate coffee-loving, fast food-chomping undergraduates everywhere. The Big Joe is sealed with two safety-locking zippers for child protection. To refill the chair, simply take any paper clip or safety pin and unlock the zippers.

Cons: This chair may be smaller than some expect at 33 x 32 x 25 inches. Also, you may want to be proactive and go ahead and purchase extra filling for the chair in case it’s not as fluffy as you’d like.

Bottom Line: With its student-appropriate features and stain-resistant fabric, the Big Joe is as multifaceted as any bean bag may get. For extra fluff, add some extra filling, get comfortable, and get busy.

 

Best Extra-Large Option

Chill Sack Bean Bag Chair

This comfortable extra-large bean bag chair comes in a myriad of colors and is ideal for both children and adults.

Pros: This extra-large bean bag chair is perfect for children and adults to sink into 60 x 60 x 34 inches of coziness. Ideal for movie-watching, reading, gaming, or just relaxing, the chair is packed with shredded memory foam, making it a plush and supportive choice. It includes a machine washable, stain-resistant microsuede fiber cover that is double-stitched for durability. With a whopping 32 available color options, you should have no problem matching it to any decor.

Cons: After unpacking, patience will be needed since the foam will take about 24 hours to fully expand. Additionally, this is another chair that you may want to purchase extra filling for so you can get it as plump as you want it.

Bottom Line: This memory foam-filled bean bag chair can seat two people and is a unique choice for a living room, bedroom, game room, or study area. Since the cover is machine washable, invite Fido or Kitty to join you on this chair for some snuggle time.

 

Best for Kids

Creative QT Stuff 'n Sit Bean Bag Chair

This provides a dual function as a bean bag chair and storage unit.

Pros: Creative QT’s bean bag chair is the original developer of the stuffed animal storage bean bag known simply as the “Stuff ‘n Sit.” Not even the busiest kids will tear through the cover’s durable, double-stitched seams, so the chair ensures an escape from the stuffed animal clutter. Blankets, throw pillows, and other plush items can be easily stored inside too.

Cons: It may be best not to stuff the chair with items you and your child frequently use since the zipper can break with repeated zipping and unzipping. You should be able to get a replacement, even quite some time after your original purchase.

Bottom Line: The Creative QT Stuff’ n Sit makes decluttering fun and practical. It’s available in twelve different designs and two sizes, so you can choose the style that works best for you and your child.

 

Best Convertible

CordaRoy's Chenille Bean Bag Chair

The double-duty design lets you convert the bean bag chair into a bed for your guests or for yourself.

Pros: CordaRoy’s Memory Foam Bean Bag Chair is just as fun as a traditional bean bag chair but much more practical. This chair converts from a bean bag to a bed in one simple step. When you or your guests are ready for a nap, remove the cover, flip the inner cushion around and place it in your desired location. Fold the cushion and tuck it back into the cover, and you’ll have your plush bean bag chair all set for you to kick up your feet, read a book, or watch TV. This convertible chair is made with durable microfiber material that is easy to clean and washer- and dryer-safe.

Cons: Since the filling consists of pieces of memory foam, some may feel some lumpiness when the unit is converted to a bed. It’s not as smooth and level as perhaps an air mattress would be.

Bottom Line: This double-duty bean bag chair that converts into a bed is great to have on hand for guests, slumber parties, or any other occasion where having an extra mattress would be a plus.

Final Thoughts

Since its popularization in the psychedelic ’70s, the bean bag chair has become a welcome oddity in households across the globe. Doubling as a staple for kids and college dorm rooms everywhere, a bean bag chair isn’t just easier on the wallet; it dares you to take a seat. Our picks for the best bean bag chair can be used in a variety of ways and can make a fantastic addition to any home.

Hollis Mills Hollis Mills
Hollis Mills is a freelance journalist and a content writer for LifeSavvy. He has a bachelor's degree in English literature, and as an undergraduate at Texas A&M University, Hollis wrote and edited for the nationally recognized student newspaper, The Battalion. When he's not writing, you can find him complaining about Boston Celtics basketball or giving plenty of peanut butter biscuits to his always-hungry Catahoula dog, Blue. Read Full Bio »
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