Design Classic: The Original Fatboy
Designer: Jukka Setälä, 1998
Details: Original stonewashed beanbag, £159.95, Fatboy
Take the ubiquitous beanbag, mass-produced since the Seventies, add the big beats of Fatboy Slim’s music and what do you get? An innovative, big-as-a-person Original Fatboy beanbag remixed for the 21st century, with just the right amount of cheek.
Rectangular, with a wipe-clean nylon cover and EPS filling (3,542,897 pearls to be exact) that moulds to the shape of your body, its Finnish designer Jukka Setälä playfully dubbed his creation ‘Fatboy’, writ large on a supersized red label, as a nod to the music he was listening to in 1998 while he designed it.
Dutch entrepreneur Alex Bergman immediately spotted the design’s potential and snapped up the rights. He produced Fatboy Original in a range of bold colours in 2002 and it quickly became the must-have lounge chair for modern spaces, from rooftop gardens to Silicon start-up offices – the perfect personal chill-out zone for lounge-lovers across the world.
Renowned for its durability, the nylon fabric of this beanbag is dirt and water repellent, and nearly indestructible. And with its fun and playful design, it’s no wonder more than one million Fatboy Originals have been sold worldwide.
From power naps to poolside hangouts, the Fatboy Original hit the spot, knocking up sales of more than a million since it launched and paving the way for a whole Fatboy family of similarly quirky products.
Be The First To Know
The Livingetc newsletter is your shortcut to the now and the next in home design. Subscribe today to receive a stunning free 200-page book of the best homes from around the world.
The very definition of living it large, this lounge hero and icon of modern living has come a long way, baby.
Now, can someone give us a hand up, please?
Photography: Simon Bevan
The homes media brand for early adopters, Livingetc shines a spotlight on the now and the next in design, obsessively covering interior trends, color advice, stylish homeware and modern homes. Celebrating the intersection between fashion and interiors. it's the brand that makes and breaks trends and it draws on its network on leading international luminaries to bring you the very best insight and ideas.
-
5 Kitchen Lighting Design Rules Interior Designers Warn You Should Never Ignore for a Well-Lit Space
These pitfalls of kitchen lighting can cause practical and aesthetic problems for your cooking space
By Sarah Lyon Published
-
5 Interior Design Trends Experts Are Predicting Will be Out of Style in 2025
Is your house starting to look tired and dated? Designers share the elements that may be causing this, and what to replace them with
By Raluca Racasan Published