Best Heavy Duty Inflatable Chairs and Sofas | 2023 Update

by inflatable chairs, inflatable furniture, inflatable sofas

When the word “inflatable” is mentioned in a context of home or even backyard furniture, most people react with a mild instinctive frown. Inflatable chairs did have their 5 minutes of glory back in the 90s but it did not end up well.

They were all the rage for a moment but the structural and durability issues shot them back into oblivion. If you remember that happening, you probably belong to the majority of people with that frown we mentioned.

Give us about 3 minutes and we’ll change the way you think about inflatable furniture and turn that frown upside down.

modern inflatable chair
Last updated: March 2019
Adieu Lilo, Welcome Style

If you recognized yourself in what we said above, you’re no exception. Most people old enough to hold that credit card and be the decision-makers of the remember the inflatable chair fiasco from the 90s and think about inflatables as beach accessories.

Long gone are the Lilo days

Over the past decades or so, the  industry has bloomed and broken its way into the mainstream with a blast.

From the classic air mattress to the high-end adjustable airbeds and from cheap gaming chairs for man-caves to design pieces bordering on art, one thing is for sure – inflatable furniture is here to stay.

It’s like seeing your nephew after 5 years. For you, the years flew by, but that kid has changed in ways you could never have imagined.

A response to a shrinking living space

The growth of the industry seems to be a response to people clustering in cities where the cost of living, whether you’re buying or renting, has skyrocketed.

Inflatable furniture for adults is a response to the market gap that appeared with the shift – people living in small studio apartments but refusing to let the square feet of their home stop them from living in a stylish space.

It’s the right way to think about organizing small rooms – a stylish sofa that’s a conversation piece by day folded into a corner of your closet by night.

If you can get a sofa that actually does the job, how smart is that?

We promised to change you mind with some stylish inflatable pieces, so let’s dive in.

1. Ultra Lounge Day Bed

intex ultra daybed inflatable lounge

If we were to present this piece as if it was the latest addition to the line of stylish lounge furniture by an Italian designer, not a thing would seem out of place.

Except, it’s not – this lounge daybed is coming from a company that’s still best known for their pool accessories – Intex.

It costs about half as much as a one-person meal in a Michelin star restaurant and looks like it belongs on the cover of House & Garden.

Can you imagine yourself sipping freshly-squeezed orange juice and lounging on this eye-candy on a scorching August day?

We can. One important note, if you are looking to get one of these, pay attention to get a good deal by choosing the right supplier. Below is a direct link to the product.

2. The Anda Tehila Inflatable Chair

Inspired by the flat pack furniture (ready-to-assemble pieces that large brands like Ikea have capitalized on) Tehila took the concept a step further and presented the Anda.

Anda inflatable chair stands out because, unlike typical inflatable chairs and sofas, it’s not just plastic and air. The wooden dowels are not there just for the flair they add to the design, they make all the difference in terms of structural integrity.

This puts the Anda closer to a traditional chair you’d use for your home. You can add one of these as a focal piece to your living room or throw it in the trunk and be the most stylish person on a campsite.

Tehila hit a home run with this one.

anda modern inflatable chair

90 sec assembly of the Anda Tehila

3. ChestAIRfield inflatable sofa

ChestAIRfield 2-Person Inflatable sofa Smart Air Beds

Will you like it or absolutely love it?

That’s the only question about the ChestAIRfield sofa, as far as we’re concerned.

But let’s address that though that’s rummaging in the back of your head right now.

It’s the same one we had when the ChestAIRfield hit the market, “Sure, it looks awesome in a professional photo, but I bet it looks rubbery and tacky when you see it live.”

It doesn’t.

It’s one of the few inflatable sofas that we know of that doesn’t look tacky – if you’re asking us, the ChestAIRfield is in the Top 3 best inflatable sofas on the market today.

4. Intex inflatable corner sofa

intex inflatable sofa bed

When you think of inflatable furniture for adults, you’re probably thinking about a temporary piece to last through the summer and be a bouncy castle for the kids so that you can get some “you-time.”

That’s not what this sofa is – it’s a full-on piece of furniture with a weight capacity of 880 lbs.

The flocked finish of the sofa is waterproof and the inner beam structure doesn’t have that bouncy ”airbed-quality.”

You won’t be squirming every few minutes looking for that sweet spot.

5. Bestway Inflate-a-Chair

Bestway Inflate a Chair purple

If any of the choices that made this list says, “let’s have a pool party and some Jell-O shots” – it’s this Bestway inflatable chair.

The available colors tell the same story – turquoise blue, purple and red.

An inexpensive addition to your backyard that’s likely to stick with you as a vivid summer memory.

We love it.

6. Intex Inflatabale Pull-out Sofa

intex-inflatable-pullout-sofa-bed-queen

This queen-size inflatable pull-out sofa by Intex is the latest addition to their line of pull-out sofa beds and chairs.

If the user reviews are the measuring stick, it promises to be the best one so far.

Inflated, it’s either a spacious sofa or a true-to-size queen bed. Deflated, it packs down to 18 x 15 inches.

As inexpensive as all Intex pull-out sofas, it’s a cheap way to freshen up a space or add some pizzazz to your backyard.

7. Quilt series – in a category of its own

canape quilt inflatable sofas bourollec

Yes, this is an inflatable piece of furniture. As stylish as they come.

We thought long and hard before we finally decided to include the Quilt series by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec here, simply because this iconic classic is so very different than the other items on the list. As we said, it’s in a category of its own and not your average piece of furniture. With that said, the prices of this work of art matches the style. So, if you’re looking for an affordable inflatable piece, you’ll probably want to keep looking.

The other point of concern is that you might experience what we did – the restlessness of trying to find where and how you can get this mouth-watering piece in the USA. At this point we couldn’t find the price listed anywhere, it’s only available via direct inquiry on their site.

As if that wasn’t enough to get our pupils dilated, the newer pieces from the Quilt series come in a range of vibrant colors.

bourollec inflatable quilt sofa

The Quilt is a piece of art.

If this article was interesting enough for you to stick around and read all the way through, it probably took more than 3 minutes, but we’re willing to bet that your mind was changed somewhere around the Anda Tehila chair.

If you have any questions at all about these pieces, feel free to use the comment section below or contact us here.

Inflatable furniture for adults vs. kids

Since the last update, we recived a few emails asking us whether inflatables are at all an option for an adult, primarily in terms of durability and longevity of the pieces, so let’s address that.

Average per-person weight among adults in different parts of the world:

  • North America – 178 lbs
  • Europe  – 156 lbs
  • Latin America – 150 lbs
  • Australia and Oceania – 163

So, if you look at the weight limits for these pieces, the answer is clear. Yes, they can accomodate 2 adults without any significant structural issues.

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