Sumo Solace review

We here at the Gadgeteer are not afraid to tackle anything that could remotely be considered a gadget – even a piece of non-traditional furniture. Such is the subject of today’s review, the Sumo Solace, a beanbag-type chair that adjusts to the user’s body. I was sent one in a deep red wide-wale corduroy to test. I have given it a full battery of tests, from reading, napping, and just sitting while chatting with others to playing guitar and trying to type.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

What is it?

In 1968, the Italian Modernist movement in it’s transition to post-Modernism, released the Sacco chair, a loose sack stuffed with polystyrene beads. Due to the post-war manufacturing machinery of the time, the design was easily copied, slightly modified, and took over dens, dorm rooms, and TV rooms of most of the families I knew at the time. It was tough to go to a house where there wasn’t one lurking in a corner, usually in a slick vinyl, and in some pop-art color like buttercup yellow, fire engine red, or Mr. Yuk green. Sometime in the late 1970’s however, structure returned to furniture and we got overstuffed couches, but at least you could get out of them with ease.

Let’s go to Wikipedia:

A bean bag chair is a large fabric bag, filled with polystyrene beads, dried beans, or a similar substance. The product is an example of an anatomic chair. The shape of the object is set by the user.

Hardware specs

As best as I could for a flexible seat, here are the measurements I took:

  • 25 in. X 25 in. seat
  • 16 inches high on the front
  • 30 inches high in the back
  • 41 inches deep overall

What’s in the box?

Just the bag, in a plastic bag.

Design and features

The Solace is roughly L-shaped. The back is fairly thick but doesn’t force you to sit up straight like a structured chair does. Instead, it conforms to your back’s natural shape. The texture of the fabric is lush and inviting. When you push your hand into it, it gives for a long way before offering support. There is a single pocket on the right side as you’re sitting in it, which would hold the remote for an AppleTV or a smartphone. I don’t think a normal cable system remote would go in without stretching or ripping the fabric out – it’s pretty tight, especially once you sit down in it.


The transition between the 25”x 25” seat is a stitched seam, and the side panels make a dramatic upward angle at that point. This is the point where your hips will naturally fall. The less-than 90º angle of the chair gives you some of the benefits of sitting (you can eat and drink and see others in the room) and some of the benefits of lying down (your back is fully supported, your pelvis is not forced into a right angle). This could be a good angle for watching TV or playing a video game. I tried it with a stand for my iPad with the keyboard on my lap. Since I still have to look at the keyboard on occasion, it’s not optimal.


The biggest irritation I noticed when sitting in it is that everything required effort to hold up on the chair. Books had to be held tightly, along with holding your arms up. (Note that the whole Solace is only 25” wide, so there is little space to hold your arms on the back or seat area.) Gravity wants you to have your arms flop to the floor. Plates required constant attention because your thighs are slanted back, which makes for easy spillage. If you want to nap, your arms will flop at an unnatural angle, unless you put them in your pockets or hook them into a belt loop. Using a blanket helps, but you have to almost swaddle yourself.

If there is an animal in the house, your face is at a perfect vantage point for attention, which may or may not be to your liking. I didn’t use this in a house with toddlers, but that may be another thing to consider.

Since it’s low (25” from the floor), it requires surrendering to gravity when sitting. You don’t sit on it so much as approach it with a controlled collapse. (Forget trying this in a short skirt or with your kilt on, unless you’re among intimate friends!)

Unless your shins are very short (or you’re under 3’ tall), you’re not going to be able to plant your feet on the ground and lift yourself out with just your legs, since your legs are at a ~65º angle, and you can’t place your feet far enough behind your knees to do a kip-up. (Well, I guess you could slide forward into one, but it’s gonna be tough.) There are no arms or anything else to use to boost your body up, so you’re at the mercy of someone to help you, or rolling onto your knees to hoist yourself up. If you have a drink, iPad, guitar, or another item, you’re further compromised, since there’s nowhere to put these items.

Setup

I suggest you move the shipping containe, or at least the inner bag, as close as possible to where you want to use the Solace because releasing it from that bag is almost like pulling the string on a self-inflating life raft. It’s going to expand – quickly – and be larger than you thought. It can be moved around, but it is larger than the box it comes in and requires a bit of wrestling to move far.

Performance

The Solace performs as expected: it’s soft, enveloping, and comfortable. It’s also impossible to get out of gracefully.

What I Like

  • Comfortable and enveloping
  • Self-contained
  • Washable cover and replaceable filling

What needs to be improved

  • The product as is functions nicely

Final thoughts

I’ve been using the Solace in my living room, and while comfortable, the arm-flop aspect is a huge negative for me. I will probably build, find, or improvise some sort of frame/table to place next to it to provide structure for drinks or other items, as well as assistance getting into and out of it. I could see this being used in my office or an enclosed porch as a relaxation/casual seating piece, but it’s not something I would use regularly for gaming or reading.

Price: Usually $299.00 – currently on sale for $249.00
Where to buy: Sumo Lounge
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Sumo Lounge.

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Sumo Solace review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 24, 2018 at 11:30 am.

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Aalo is reinventing furniture literally one piece at a time

 

Buying new furniture is never fun and it’s usually full of compromises. Affordability usually equals both, reduced quality and boring designs. And custom furniture is out of reach for most of us. Aalo has designed Lego-like furniture that is simple, durable and customizable without the compromises. Interlocking and interchangeable parts allow you to choose from one of Aalo’s designs or make a design of your ownThe furniture line consists of 12 pre-arranged kits. Kits include a side table, bookshelf, and coat rack to name a few. 

Furniture that’s re-purposable

Each piece of furniture is designed to be both adaptable and reusable. The interchangeable parts allow you to take an old piece of furniture and turn it into something new. Tired of your bookshelf? Break it down and turn it into a bike rack. Or turn a side table into a couple of plant stands. Each powder-coated aluminum piece is strong, weather-proof and snaps together with just an Allen wrench. For extra savings, you can send any unused parts back to Aalo for free. 

Aalo’s furniture kits are available in either black or white and prices start at $35. You can purchase components such as different length beams and different types of connectors. Prices for those start @ $1.50. For more on pricing and to purchase visit Aalo’s website.

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Aalo is reinventing furniture literally one piece at a time originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 21, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

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Forget Murphy beds – check out these Murphy doors!

Murphy doors aren’t quite the same as a Murphy bed; they utilize a door to add shelving, but the storage isn’t necessarily hidden away.  There are several varieties of Murphy doors.  Some look like a built-in bookcase, some look like free-standing bookshelves.  Some have the storage visible in the room; others have the storage on the inside, like the closet doors seen above.  You can convert an existing door into a flush-mounted built-in bookcase that still operates as a door.  You can cover a wall opening with a set of free-standing bookshelves that open like bifold doors.  The closet doors seen in our image open like French doors to reveal hidden storage inside.  The Murphy Door company even has introduced barn door styles.

The storage can be all shelving, or you can add upper or lower cabinets, or you could have a wine rack, pool cue storage, or even a laundry hamper door.  You can enter your door or entryway dimensions to get a custom-sized door, or you can select from ready-to-ship doors (when available).  Accessories for the doors include keyed locks, magnetic locks with optional remote, lighting kits, and even a biometric fingerprint scanner.

Of course, the doors vary in price with size, material, and styles – but can you really put a price on having a hidden room behind a built-in bookcase?

You can design and order Murphy Doors at the Murphy Door website.  You’ll also find a local-dealer locator at the Murphy Door site.

 

This murphy bed has gone to the dogs!

We recently told you about a queen-sized murphy bed that folded up into a console.  Today we’re back to tell you about a murphy bed for your dog!  The Ecoflex Abigail Murphy Classic Dog Bed is also from Wayfair.  Folded up, the bed measures 24″ wide x 13″ deep (the larger size is currently out of stock).  When it’s opened, the bed is sized to fit up to a 50 pound dog.  The furniture is made of wood polymer composite, and the bed has a memory foam cushion with a removable, washable cover.

The Ecoflex bed is available in espresso or white to best fit your decor.  When your pup is up and about for the day, the bed blends with the rest of your furnishings.  At night, he’ll sleep comfortably in his murphy bed.  The Ecoflex Abigail Murphy Classic Dog Bed is $144.00 at Wayfair.

Always have a stable place for your coffee cup and phone with this wooden arm rest table

The LOHNtech store at Etsy has another idea for adding a stable place to set your drink without needing to add a table to your room.  Just lay the laser-cut arm rest table over the arm of your sofa or chair (or flat out on the sofa cushion beside you), and you can rest your beverage without risking damage to the sofa.  The arm rest table also has a built-in stand to hold your cell phone.

The table measures 15.1″ x 7.8″ x 0.28″.  It’s made of multiple strips of poplar wood with a felt backing, so it can conform to the shape and thickness of the arm of the sofa.  The built-in mobile device stand is available in two sizes to fit devices with a thickness 9mm or less or devices between 9 and 12mm.

It’s available in a couple of wood stains or in a selection of colors to match your decor.  The LOHNtech laser-cut arm rest table is hand-made in Italy and is ready to ship in 3-5 business days for $45.57 from the LOHNtech Etsy shop.