The Holy Grail of Bachelor Furniture: The Beanbag Chair.

Chicks dig beanbag chairs.

The only ‘large’ (by relative standards) monetary splurge I have ever made on furniture was a LoveSac beanbag chair. This is, without a doubt, one of the best investments I have made to date.

The obvious starting point is comfort. Go to a store at the mall and sit in one – you won’t want to get up. It fits to you, rather than you fitting to the furniture. I can’t count how many times I have accidentally fallen asleep on mine – it should have a built in alarm clock. I also recommend getting a decent cover as well. I use the Black Croc skin cover and it is ridiculously soft. Even softer than a baby’s bottom – which is actually kind of weird…

Now, being obsessive about design, I want to break down why it is an incredible relaxation system and a vital addition to any bachelor pad.

“Good design is as little design as possible.” Dieter Rams, former Design Director for Braun

Deconstruct a beanbag an notice that it is simply contained foam with a pleasant cover. Traditional furniture like chairs use backing and arms to tell users how sit. Beanbags can shape to the user and are easily reformed with some fluffing.

Often times, adding bells and whistles to traditional products makes them more confusing, less reliable, and ineffective. Look at the progression of point-and-shoot digital cameras over the years – they have gotten simpler as unnecessary features get stripped. Look at how the modern ‘motion control’ running shoe can cause more injury compared with barefoot/simple footwear.

“I like the concept of wearing in, rather than wearing out.” -Bill Moggridge, Co-founder of IDEO

A LoveSac beanbag gets more comfortable with age and use. The foam gets softer and expands as it is exposed to air and strain (think tenderizing meat). If the cover begins to tear, I can simply order a new one.

Any time company is over, the beanbag chair is the first to get reserved. People fight for it. Overall, it is an amazing piece of furniture – besides, what else in your living room can you do a somersault onto without something breaking?

As for purchasing a LoveSac, they can be expensive if paying full retail. I suggest waiting for holidays as the website tends to have amazing sales. I got a $900 beanbag with the cover for $300 and free shipping on Black Friday weekend. Also check for 10% off coupon codes online.

And remember the cardinal rule for owning a bean bag: Only 1 male per beanbag, regardless of its size.

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If you are interested in design, I recommend watching the documentary ‘Objectified.’ It interviews many designers on industrial applications and methods, including Apple’s head designer, Jonathan Ive.

Also check out the owner of LoveSac’s blog, Shawny D. He is a pretty funny and hard working guy. He also won Richard Branson’s short-lived reality show a few years ago.