Best Inflatable Couch – 3 Expert Picks | 2024 Update
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.
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.
Credit where credit is due – when it comes to budget pieces that are worth it for homes and patios, most of the upgrade happened due to the Intex pieces.
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.
Best inflatable couch for those on a budget – Intex Pull-out
If practicality and budget is the name of the game, there’s no better value than this cheap but good inflatable couch from Intex. They got the sizing right and balanced the firmness with comfort well.
Most importantly, it scored high in pretty much any category we compared – from air retention and incidence of air leaks to visual appeal and price.
Best inflatable couch in the corner-sofa category and top-rated overall – Intex L-shaped (Gray or Beige)
If we were to present this piece as if it was the latest addition to the line of stylish lounge deign furniture, 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…yes, Intex again.
It costs about as much as a 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…be it indoors, on the porch or near a pool.
What makes it better than other inflatable couches
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.
Honorary mention – 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.
It’s an honorary mention because it’s a concept and I don’t even know how much something like this could cost.
And it’s not a couch…so there’s that.
But it is cool…
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.
This one is a style home-run.
3. ChestAIRfield inflatable sofa – nice but no longer made
Will you like it or absolutely love it?
That’s the only question about the ChestAIRfield sofa, as far as we’re concerned. Or at least it would have been if they were still making it. I searched far and wide and it definitely seems discontinued.
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 kinda does….did…was…whatever…
5. Bestway Inflate-a-Chair
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.
A few more “deets” about the top-rated inflatable couch
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
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.
Is it worthy it for homes?
Probably no…at least not for 99% of us.
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.
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.
What is the red chair that looks like a brain at the top of the site?
If the Bestway Inflate-a-Chair is in the sun, doesn’t it get very hot?
Also, are any of the inflatables made of material for the outdoors but which don’t get hot if sitting in the sun on a deck?
Thanks!
Hey Alice,
The first red chair is called Gladis but most people won’t be as interested when they hear the price…last we know is that its upwards of $6000. Its also scarce and, to the best of our knowledge, its available in some shops in Europe.
As about the second question, plastic does get hot and the best you can do is get a flocked model (with a velvet-like finish). Most reasonably prices pieces have a flocked top only, but if heat is the main issue, go with a piece of inflatable furniture for adults that’s flocked top-to-bottom.
I hope this helps