The 10 Best Bungee Chairs
Special Honors
The Zuri Comfort Bobbie Low Back Office Chair This chair brings the comfortable, supportive sensation created by bouncy bungee cords to the traditional desk chair, making working at a laptop for hours a bit less miserable. It's available in several bright and muted colors to easily fit in around the office, has an adjustable seat height, and boasts a tilting mechanism to get to that perfect angle. zurifurniture.com
Editor's Notes
November 14, 2019:
While most can agree that a little bounce in a chair can be quite pleasant, everyone has their own taste when it comes to furniture style and preferred features. We believe our list showcases all the different kinds of seats that can make use of the flexible, comfortable properties of bungee cords.
We rounded up several dish-style options, since they capture the casual and playful spirit of this type of chair. The Impact Canopy 46006001-VC, the Navaris Lightweight, and the Impact Canopy Round Sunrise all offer a bouncy net of cords that hug the user, plus a generous fabric seating area. The Impact Canopy Round Sunrise also boasts water-resistant fabric, making it a good choice for keeping outside beneath a patio umbrella. We removed the Giantex Round since many users find it doesn't actually boast the weight limit it states, and can break or bend under only moderately heavy individuals.
Those who want a more traditional design will like the Caravan Sports Infinity. It offers support from head to nearly-toe and can be locked into one of many desired positions for a comfortable reclining experience. The Timber Ridge Fraser Deluxe is another stand-out item in terms of a more conventional seating option. It's well-padded, has a swiveling cup holder, and comes with a convenient carrying bag. We removed the Euro Style High Back as we felt it was too expensive to justify having on this list with so many affordable options that are just as high in quality. We also removed the Coleman Comfortsmart, because we felt our other comparable options are made of more durable materials.
The Benefits Of Bungee Chairs
Teachers using flexible seating plans, which are becoming more and more popular, could be well served by bungee chairs, too.
A bungee chair uses elasticated cords in its construction, a simple shift that gives many benefits. In general, these types of chairs offer greater portability than standard models and can even be more comfortable than the typical portable camping chairs they might replace. That’s because they use less of those types of lightweight fabrics that don’t shift or support well, instead employing bungees that cradle you.
Bungee chairs also offer eye-catching styling not found in classic chair types. Bungee saucer chairs, for example, can sometimes resemble giant dreamcatchers. But they can also be toned down to resemble typical office chairs, so they’ll fit into a conservative environment, as well.
Where the bungee chair really shines, though, is the dorm room, since you probably don’t want to spend a fortune on furniture that is in all likelihood going to see a lot of rough treatment. They could even be good for study sessions, as they travel well, preventing anyone from having to sit on the floor. Plus, many already have a dorm room aesthetic, with bright colors and modern, clean lines.
Teachers using flexible seating plans, which are becoming more and more popular, could be well served by bungee chairs, too. In such classroom design, teachers offer a variety of seats and flat surfaces at which students may sit, which gives learners more control over how they feel comfortable performing their work. Just note that bungee chairs may not be appropriate for very young kids, as they could get caught in between the cords. You’ll need to pay attention to each chair’s weight limit, too.
Decorating Tips
When you first look at a bungee chair, you may either feel energized by all the possible ways you could use it in your decorating scheme, or you might wonder how it will fit into your room aesthetically. If you’re in the latter group, don’t worry — we have a few tips for decorating with a bungee chair, whether your tastes run more to the conservative or wild side.
And considering color, the options you have are virtually limitless.
One of the most important things to remember is that most decorators no longer dictate that all furniture must match, a rule that has gone right out the window. Instead, try to bring your large pieces into harmony with each other. So, if you get an ultramodern bungee chair with clean lines, you’d want to perhaps pair it with a chrome coffee table and sleek sectional sofa. In this way the same overall design — modern, clean, sleek — is found in all of the pieces, which pulls them together without them having to expressly match.
For a truly eye-grabbing room, you can try mixing in some contrasts, as well. Using the modern decor example above, you could throw in a nubby blanket so that the two types of surfaces, smooth and textured, offer the eye a pleasing contrast. Other areas to mine for contrast include shapes, items’ ages, size, and color.
And considering color, the options you have are virtually limitless. Some of the most popular color schemes make use of complementary, monochromatic, and analogous colors. Complementary colors are those that are opposite each other on the color wheel, such as red and green. A monochromatic scheme would use various shades and tones all within the same hue. Analogous colors are those that are next to each other on the color wheel, such as green and blue.
Finally, think about size. It’s long been held that you shouldn’t put large furniture in a small room, but modern designers are rethinking this rule. If you want to make a larger bungee chair the focus in a smaller room, go ahead, but remember that balance is key. Don’t overcrowd the room, and choose less dominant items for the other pieces of furniture.
The Many Uses For Bungees
The bungee chair is not the first use for the humble bungee cord, and it probably won’t be the last. These handy items, essentially just an elastic cord with a woven sheath, have been in use for many decades, helping in a range of tasks along the way. We’ve found a few of the ways that bungee cords have made their mark, from fun to functional.
These handy items, essentially just an elastic cord with a woven sheath, have been in use for many decades, helping in a range of tasks along the way.
First and foremost, when you hear the word bungee, it’s not unlikely that you’ll picture bungee jumping. Although this activity took off in the 1980s largely thanks to New Zealander entrepreneur A. J. Hackett, the practice is actually much older. Islanders from the nation of Vanuatu have engaged in land diving for centuries; they use vines instead of elasticated cords, with only males being allowed to participate. Today, bungee jumping is a favorite of both men and women, and it’s certainly a more extreme use for bungee cords than the bungee chair.
The bungee cord has found a place in more run-of-the-mill applications, as well. For example, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania created a backpack that utilized bungees instead of traditional straps to take some of the strain off the wearer’s back. Or consider young inventor Andrew Pelham, who essentially created a long bungee cord from rubber bands for his E-Z Baby Saver. Winner of the 2013 Rubber Band Contest for Young Inventors, this cord stretches from the driver’s side car door to the headrest; when the driver opens the door and cannot get out, he or she is reminded that there is a child in the backseat, preventing the little one from being left in a hot car.
Such uses for bungees are perhaps a little less common than the bungee cord, which would probably take the top spot as the most standard use for these elasticated devices. Occasionally, however, bungee cords have been known to snap the user in the eye during the process of securing something. Some doctors have even suggested that securing items should be done in other ways, such as with ratchet straps. Perhaps these cords are better left for bungee chairs, after all.