I love interiors. I always have. I’m fascinated by the way our homes tell a story about us, from the art we hang on the walls to the chair everyone fights to sit in.
But I have to confess, until relatively recently, I hadn’t given much thought to owning a bean bag. For me, the words “bean bag” conjured up something slightly studenty, probably lurking in the corner of a bedroom in the 1990s, gradually losing its beans and its shape. It certainly wasn’t something I had on my interiors wish list.
Then I discovered Big Bertha Original and, rather unexpectedly, I’ve become a complete convert.
I now have them at home and I absolutely love them, especially my rabbit colour one. More importantly, so do my guests. They have become those pieces of furniture that people naturally gravitate towards. Someone sits down, sinks in and suddenly doesn’t seem particularly interested in getting up again.
The rise of the softer home
For several years, interiors have been moving away from spaces that simply look beautiful towards spaces that also feel good to live in.
We’re seeing softer silhouettes, rounded furniture, tactile fabrics, oversized sofas, deep armchairs, cushions, throws and pieces that invite you to curl up rather than perch politely on the edge.
The ultra-minimal, rather severe interiors that once dominated magazines and Instagram are having to share space with something warmer, softer and altogether more human.
There’s also been a renewed appreciation for texture. Bouclé, velvet, corduroy, linen and wonderfully tactile upholstery can transform a room without the need for endless pattern or colour. Layering these different textures creates warmth and personality, particularly in British homes where, let’s face it, we spend a considerable amount of time indoors.
The Big Bertha Original Classic bean bag chair is a good example of how much this particular piece of furniture has grown up.
Rather than being an enormous shapeless blob on the floor, it has a high supportive back, a deep seat and enough structure to make it feel much more like a contemporary armchair.
You get that lovely sink-in feeling, but you’re still supported. I’ve found mine brilliant for relaxing, reading or watching television, but they’re equally useful when people come over, and you suddenly need more places for everyone to sit.
And because they’re lightweight, you can move them around.
One interior trend I particularly like is the move away from the idea that everything has to be pristine, as I don’t want to live in a show home. I want to live in a home.
For me, a successful room isn’t necessarily the one that photographs best. It’s the one where people walk through the door, kick their shoes off, find somewhere comfortable to sit and immediately feel relaxed, and that’s what I’ve noticed with my Big Berthas. People actually use them.
Big Bertha Original has managed to take something many of us probably thought we’d left behind decades ago and reinvent it for the way we live now. With different fabrics, colours and styles available, it can become part of an interior rather than something you need to hide when guests arrive.
