Even if you don't buy form us, here's a few pointers.  Making a bean-bag isn't rocket science but it's surprising how many bean-bags just aren't that good. Look out for:

Quality Material.

Leather bean-bags are more expensive than fabric or faux-leather but leather provides the ultimate bean-bag material since it ages so well, resists dirt well, feels good and can be very individual. There are many different types of leather but the most suitable leathers for bean-bags are strong & supple. Cow & buffalo hide are good for this purpose.

We offer two leathers.

1. Our "Buffalo" hide bean-bags are made from quality nubuck leather. This is the whole hide thickness (not split for leather & suede and it is less “processed”). Less processed means it has more individuality from the original buffalo such as stretch marks and unique grain. This leather has a very luxurious feel. It is GORGEOUS and everyone loves these bean-bags once they've seen, felt or sat in one. This leather in light colours, like tan & pink, can be a little harder to care for since it can absorb particularly fatty or oily "spills”.

2. The "Regular" hide is cow hide tanned to have a much more uniform look, is a little thinner and is very easy to care for (needs practically no care at all). We say "regular" but it is good quality leather, perfect for bean-bags.  These bean-bags are of the same quality since they are made by our prefered supplier. 

Regular Leather & Buffalo Leather

Design

Good bean bag design should combine style and comfort.

By "style" we mean the bean-bags should look good when they are being used and when they are not being used and should complement your home furnishing.

Comfort comes from the size & shape of the bean-bag parts. A bean-bag should provide both support and sink-in comfort if it has a good design. That's the beauty of bean-bags over regular furniture. To achieve this the bean-bag needs a base and sides that hold firm whilst the top should have “spare” space into which you can sink. This way small bean-bags can be surprisingly comfy. They just need to be “high” ie: the height from base to the top should be at least the same as the base diameter – if not more.

Our bean-bags all have longer segment lengths than diameter base.

(Our round bean-bags have “segments’ which you will notice sometimes are made of smaller pieces. This is done for styling but mainly to keep the cost down. If each segment was without the extra panel or two then a lot of leather has to be wasted since there’s a limit to how many whole segments you can get out of each whole hide.)

These pictures show this idea in practice.

Craftmanship

Basically the bean-bag needs to have been well stitched together so it doesn't fall apart! The stitching (as well as leather strength) supports all pressure within the bean-bag. Double machined stitching is the way forward here. Also a good strong base is good too since this is on the floor. A zip for filling/refilling should be big enough to allow the filling to be taken out in a liner.

Our bean-bags are all made of strong leather that have double machine stitching and have durable leather bases with large enclosed zip openings.

These pictures show segments, double stitching & leather base.

Filling

Filling is generally standard but a little foam (shred or crumb) can provide a little protection to the beans and means that refilling is less frequent saving hassle and money.

We try to always provide the perfect bean/foam mixture with all bean-bags in Ireland and U.K. bean-bags have premium quality 'virgin' beans.

Liners

Liners can constrict the movement of beans in the bag. Liners allow for the bean-bag to be emptied to clean but this is not necessary with leather bean-bags. Liners are usually made from a light fire-retardent “interliner” type material.

We supply liners as an option (click here).

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