The History of the Bean Bag Chair

Beanbag chairs were originally created in the 1960's by a group of Italian designers. Pear-shaped, leather with a head rest, it was originally named a "Sacco" for its sack-like look. It was made of vinyl and filled with a recently invented plastic material called polystyrene pellets. Saccos revolutionized the traditional furniture paradigm and forever vanquished the idea that all chairs needed to be rigid.

The Sacco beanbag chair instantly became popular and swept the interior design world into the 1970's. People were immediately enamored of the idea that they could sit on a piece of bean bag furniture on the floor in a wide variety of positions while maintaining a high level of comfort. They loved the fact that their chair adjusted itself to them and that it was lightweight and easy to drag around. Body shape was no longer an issue when it came to sitting down. Regardless of whether you weigh 100 pounds or 250 pounds, the Sacco beanbag chair adjusted itself to fit comfortably around a person's frame.

The bean bag sofa became staple in psychologists offices where it was discovered that the beanbag chair helped patients relax and feel safe. This was because bean bag furniture molded itself to a person and gave maximum support like a child sitting on someone's lap. It afforded the patients young and old the ability to relate in a relaxed manner.

Decorators also loved the beanbag chair, because it offered a lightweight alternative when it came to interior design. The beanbag chair was mobile, durable and melded with most interior decorating schemes.

Doctors also found that their patients recovered from back surgery better when they used bean bag furniture, and it became a standard recommendation to help speed along the recovery process. Popularity grew virally for this piece of furniture that had its humble beginnings in the 1970s.

Today if you buy bean bag furniture it is much more durable and comfortable than the sacco chair of old.