The UK Inflatable-Furniture Boom

Forgotten Trends · 1995–2000

In the late 1990s, inflatable sofas and chairs seemed to be everywhere. Brightly coloured or transparent, they brought a playful look to bedrooms and living rooms.

Alongside packaged novelty chairs were designs from Inflate and Emma Salmon Designs. IKEA tried its own approach with A.I.R., putting inflatable inserts inside fabric covers.

Why It Mattered

Inflatable furniture made an ordinary chair or sofa feel fun. From colourful novelty seating to designer pieces, it offered a different way to furnish a room during the late-1990s revival.

Living with it was another matter. Punctures could leave PVC furniture flat, while IKEA’s separate A.I.R. range suffered from leaks, deflation and dust attracted by static, leading to high returns.

British Design-Retail Revival

The Independent profiled Inflate and Emma Salmon Designs in August 1995, including inflatable sofas, coffee tables and an armchair.
Inflate was a London collective of Nick Crosbie, Mike Sodeau and Mark Sodeau; its products were sold through American Retro and Space in London.
By January 1996, The Independent reported that inflatable furniture had reached the British high street.

Materials and Market Range

Inflate’s specialist examples were described as PVC.
Emma Salmon Designs’ zebra-print inflatable armchair was priced at about £130, while Inflate’s made-to-order sofa was £600.
These design-market examples do not establish typical mass-market pricing.

The Distinct IKEA A.I.R. Case

IKEA launched the ROLIG easy chair and INNERLIG sofa in Stockholm, Hamburg and Paris during summer 1997.
A.I.R. used polyolefin plastic with fabric covers and could be inflated with an ordinary hair dryer.
IKEA recorded valve leakage, deflation, customer misuse and high returns, ending its involvement with the development company in September 1999.