Bean Bag Life
Most people buy a bean bag based on how it looks in a photo. A few weeks later they realise the fabric isn't right for where they live, the size doesn't suit how they use it, or the quality isn't what they expected. Here's how to get it right the first time.
Most people choose a bean bag based on how it looks in a photo. Which is fair - good design matters, and if it doesn't look right in your space, no amount of comfort will save it. But the people who end up genuinely happy with their purchase - the ones who still love their bean bag three years later - are the ones who thought a little deeper than aesthetics before they bought.
We've been making and selling bean bags since 2017. We've seen every buying mistake, answered every question, and worked with every kind of customer - families, resort owners, interior designers, renters, homeowners. This is everything we'd want you to know before you buy.
This is the single most important question, and it changes almost every other decision that follows.
Indoors only - you have the most flexibility here. Fabrics can be softer and more tactile, colours can be richer, and you don't need to worry about UV resistance, water resistance, or mould. Corduroy, velvet, and cotton canvas are all genuinely beautiful choices for an indoor space and they behave more like proper furniture fabric than outdoor materials do.
Outdoors - the fabric question becomes critical. An indoor bean bag left outside will fade, absorb moisture, and develop mould within a season. You need a fabric specifically engineered for outdoor conditions - UV resistance, water resistance, and mould resistance are non-negotiable, not nice-to-haves. More on this below.
Both - our outdoor fabric are beautiful enough to live inside too. If you want one piece that earns its keep indoors in winter and outdoors in summer, look at outdoor-rated pieces in neutral or warm colourways. They're more versatile than most people realise.
If there's any doubt at all - any chance it might end up near a pool, on a deck, or outside even occasionally - buy outdoor. You can always bring an outdoor bean bag inside. You can't use an indoor bean bag outside without damaging it.
Fabric is the decision that most buyers underestimate and most regret getting wrong. It affects comfort, durability, maintenance and how the piece ages over time.
Cotton canvas is our favourite indoor fabric. It's 100% natural, breathes beautifully in warm weather, softens with use rather than pilling or degrading, and has a matte, organic texture that suits contemporary and coastal interiors. It ages gracefully - the kind of fabric that looks more considered after a year of use than it did on day one.
Corduroy adds warmth and tactile richness that flat-weave fabrics can't match. The ribbed texture catches light differently across the day, it feels genuinely luxurious to sit on, and it photographs exceptionally well. It's a statement fabric - it makes the bean bag a feature rather than just a seat.
Bouclé and sherpa are our cosiest indoor options - plush, tactile, and unapologetically soft. Bouclé has that distinctive looped texture that's everywhere in contemporary interiors right now, while sherpa brings a warm, cloudlike feel that's hard to beat for a bedroom reading corner or a slow Sunday on the couch. Both are for the person who wants their bean bag to feel as good as it looks.
The key question for any indoor fabric: is it removable and washable? A cover that can be zipped off and machine washed is a practical advantage that becomes more obvious the moment someone spills something on it.
Olefin is the standard we've built our outdoor range around, and for good reason. It's a solution-dyed synthetic fabric - meaning the colour is locked into the fibre during production rather than applied to the surface - which is why it resists fading under UV in a way that most outdoor fabrics don't. It's also water-resistant, mould-resistant, and handles chlorine and salt water without degrading.
The difference between a quality outdoor fabric and a cheaper alternative becomes apparent after one summer, not one week. Cheap outdoor fabrics fade, pill, and break down under sustained UV. Olefin holds its colour and structure for years with basic care.
If you want to go deeper on why Olefin is the right choice for outdoor conditions, we've written a full explainer on it here.
Go bigger than you think you need. Seriously.
The most common feedback we hear from customers is that they wish they'd sized up. A bean bag that looks generous in a product photo can feel modest once it's in your living room competing with a sofa, a coffee table, and actual humans who want to sit in it.
A few practical guides:
Single seaters work beautifully as reading chairs, bedroom pieces, or in smaller rooms where space is genuinely limited. They're also ideal for kids' spaces where a large piece would overwhelm the room.
Double seaters are the better choice for living rooms, media rooms, and outdoor entertaining areas. They comfortably seat two adults - or give one adult the kind of sprawling space that makes them never want to move. If you're buying for a shared family space, a double seater is almost always the better investment.
Loungers are a different category again - designed for reclining rather than sitting. If what you actually want is to stretch out fully, a lounger will serve you in a way that a chair simply can't. Our bean bag lounger guide covers this in detail.
Measure your space before you buy. Our product pages list dimensions clearly - check them against your room rather than relying on how the piece looks in a lifestyle photo.
Bean bags come in more shapes than most people realise, and shape affects how you use the piece as much as size does.
Triangle or teardrop - the classic. Relaxed, low to the ground, works for sitting and gentle reclining. Great for kids, media rooms, casual spaces.
Armchair style - more structured, with a defined back and seat. Sits higher than a traditional bean bag and gives proper back support. Works as a genuine chair alternative in a living room or reading corner.
Lounger - elongated to support the full length of the body. Designed for reclining. The right choice if comfort rather than posture is the priority.
Floor cushion - large, flat, versatile. More of a surface than a seat. Great for casual entertaining, kids' spaces, or as additional seating that stores easily.
Think about how you'll actually use it rather than how it looks. A beautiful armchair-style bean bag in a media room where you want to fully recline is going to frustrate you. A large floor lounger in a space where you want to sit upright and read is the same problem in reverse.
Most quality bean bag suppliers, including us - sell covers without filling. This isn't a cost-cutting measure. Filling is bulky, which makes it expensive to ship, and sourcing it locally is genuinely cheaper and more practical for the customer. Not to mention, a full bean bag has more chance of being damaged in transit.
EPS beans (expanded polystyrene) are the most common filling and the one we recommend for most situations. They're lightweight, they mould to your body, and they're widely available from major retailers. The downside is they compress over time and will need topping up - this is normal and easy to manage.
Crumbed foam gives a softer, couch-like feel. It's heavier than EPS but some customers prefer the plushness. The trade-off is it flattens faster than EPS beans and is harder to source in large quantities. We do not recommend foam filling in outdoor bean bags or larger bean bags.
A mix of both is worth considering - the foam adds softness and reduces the slight rustling sound of EPS, while the beans add structure and buoyancy. Many of our customers settle on this combination after experimenting. We do not recommend foam filling in outdoor bean bags or larger bean bags.
Getting the fill quantity right matters as much as the type. Overfilled and the bean bag is firm and resistant. Under-filled and it loses structure and becomes difficult to get out of. Our product pages list recommended fill volumes for each piece - follow them, then adjust to your preference. Our how to fill your bean bag guide walks through the whole process.
This is where cheaper bean bags tend to cut corners in ways that aren't visible until something goes wrong.
Double stitching on all seams is the baseline. Single-stitched seams fail faster under the stress of regular use, especially if children are involved.
Safety zippers matter more than people realise - particularly in households with young children. Bean bag filling is a suffocation hazard, and the zip is the only thing standing between a curious child and the filling inside. Look for child-resistant zippers rather than standard ones.
Inner bags are a sign of quality construction. A well-made bean bag has an inner liner that holds the filling separately from the outer cover. This means you can remove and wash the outer cover without the filling going everywhere - and if the cover ever needs replacing, the filling stays contained.
Removable, washable covers are essential for anything going in a family home or rental property. A cover you can't remove is a cover you can't properly clean.
Does the supplier answer questions? A brand that's confident in their product will be happy to talk you through fabric options, sizing and filling. If it's hard to get a straight answer, that tells you something.
Is there a warranty? We offer a one-year warranty on all our pieces. It's a signal of how much confidence a brand has in what they're selling.
Are the care instructions clear? Good outdoor fabrics should specify UV rating, water resistance, and washing instructions. If a supplier can't tell you how to care for their product, that's worth noting.
Where does it ship from and how long does it take? We ship from our Gold Coast warehouse within 24 hours on business days, and deliver worldwide. Knowing your timeline matters, particularly if you're furnishing a property or buying as a gift.
Buy for where you'll actually use it, not where you imagine you'll use it.
We hear this more than almost anything else - customers who buy an indoor piece for a casual outdoor space because they loved the fabric, then come back frustrated when it hasn't held up.
Be honest about your habits. The right bean bag for your life is the one that fits how you actually live, not how you'd like to live. Get that right and it'll be the best seat in the house for years.
Browse our full range of indoor bean bags and outdoor bean bags, or get in touch if you'd like a recommendation based on your specific space. We genuinely enjoy this part - it's one of the best things about what we do.
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