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Hot or Not: Inflatable Furniture by Blofield

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OK, this one requires first-person singular: When I (Kayla) was in the sixth grade, the extent of my passion for interior design revolved around a single chair — a huge, purple, inflatable chair. It was awesome. I did homework in it, watched TV in it, talked on the phone in it. It was the perfect chair for a 12-year-old. Now, apparently, inflatable furniture is making a comeback — this time in a more refined form and grown-up colors...

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At $600 for a 2-seater this might not be a good option for the cash-strapped individual but we still think its a fun idea. Hopefully its not as noisy and doesn't leak as bad as our early 90's version... More on Blofield's (grown-up) Inflatable Furniture here.

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Hot or Not?, inflatable furniture, Blofield

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Comments (38)

Humm, wasn't fond of this the first way round back in 1998... wouldn't buy this for that price.

posted by Daniel Poitiers on October 23rd 2008 at 10:22am
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I'm sorry but if you have $600 to spend on something that could pop, then you spend that on a real sofa!

posted by tchamb on October 23rd 2008 at 10:23am
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For a minute I thought, "What a great idea for parties and house guests." It would be collapsible and could be stored away between uses.

Then I saw the price... Forget it.

posted by hmr on October 23rd 2008 at 10:23am
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Wow - $600 for a cheap plastic blowup sofa...
...when you could pay $500 for a Leather Klippan from IKEA - or get something vintage.

It's a no-brainer.

posted by bepsf on October 23rd 2008 at 10:24am
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1998? I wasn't fond of it in 1968 (when I spit up baby formula on my neighbor's).

posted by Lori on October 23rd 2008 at 10:28am
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HOT - just because you didn't say "we"!!!!

posted by amt230 on October 23rd 2008 at 10:32am
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ugh. this crap is never hot. ever.

posted by animalhouze on October 23rd 2008 at 10:34am
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I'm in agreement with hmr.

posted by Allsunday on October 23rd 2008 at 10:35am
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Didn't like it the very first time around, in the late '60's. Don't like it now.

posted by Carder on October 23rd 2008 at 10:37am
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how does a $600 inflatable sofa come close to cash strapped?

posted by razel on October 23rd 2008 at 10:38am
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And since when is $600.00 a "viable option" for someone who is cash strapped. Obviously you and I have very different ideas of what it means to be broke!

posted by Carder on October 23rd 2008 at 10:39am
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I love your use of the singular, but this must be a joke:

At $600 for a 2-seater this could very well be a viable alternative for the cash-strapped individual.

posted by fabframes on October 23rd 2008 at 10:40am
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I think is kinda cool. The price hmmmm, not so.....

posted by Yolanda P on October 23rd 2008 at 10:44am
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$600 for a disposable plastic sofa is "a viable alternative for the cash-strapped individual"?

posted by wally3 on October 23rd 2008 at 10:45am
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Now you can sit on a $600 sofa in the middle of your swimming pool. Or How howabout some water sofa skiing?

posted by souk1501 on October 23rd 2008 at 10:53am
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"a viable alternative for the cash-strapped individual"?
No, I really don't think so!

It was nice to see the royal "we" take a quick break, though.

posted by gordon on October 23rd 2008 at 11:08am
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in no way do i see this as a "viable alternative for the cash-strapped individual". that's like saying someone who makes six figures a year is poor. i don't know if it's the country's economic sitiuation, or the fact that i've seen people be, and have been cash-strapped before myself, but it just makes me wonder about others sense of perspective. a cash-strapped alternative to a bed, might be a $30 inflatable mattress, but for $600 you can buy a nice REAL sofa that won't deflate the first time your cat jumps up on it.

posted by dM on October 23rd 2008 at 11:08am
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I won a turquoise inflatable chair in a drawing in 1999. It was fun, but a $600 inflatable couch is just not a good idea. Especially if you have pets or small children - my cat liked to chew on the plastic "seams."

Amazingly, it took a good 18 months for my cat to finally cause the slow leak that doomed my chair.

posted by Stiletto on October 23rd 2008 at 11:08am
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An inflatable couch saved my sister's life; she fell off the top bunk of our bunkbeds and our glitter-filled inflatable couch cushioned her fall!

posted by Khakigrl on October 23rd 2008 at 11:10am
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I think it's totally offensive that you think a $600 is affordable for the "cash-strapped," inflatable or not. What kind of bubble are you living in? Cash-strapped means you shop at Goodwill for $50 couches.

posted by ooh_food on October 23rd 2008 at 11:18am
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ooh_food - I couldn't agree more with your comment.

posted by twenty twenty-one on October 23rd 2008 at 11:36am
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Well, it would solve the problem of finding a couch that will fit through my very narrow front door.

posted by cmu on October 23rd 2008 at 11:54am
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On the other hand, it is probably immune to bedbugs....

But $600? Ridiculous.

posted by Cassis on October 23rd 2008 at 11:57am
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"Cash-strapped means you shop at Goodwill for $50 couches."
Or pull one out of the dumpster.

My husband and I had an inflatable mattress. Then we got a kitten. Then one morning we woke up and our butts were on the floor. That was when we decided we needed a real bed. We got a very nice futon for $500.

posted by whytephoenix on October 23rd 2008 at 11:58am
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Incedentally, the post says that at $600 it might *not* be a good option.

posted by whytephoenix on October 23rd 2008 at 11:59am
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"It was nice to see the royal "we" take a quick break, though."

Snark! Amen to that - couldn't agree more, gordon!

posted by tahitianpearl on October 23rd 2008 at 12:04pm
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cat claws

posted by *heather leaf* on October 23rd 2008 at 12:19pm
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This is just pure stupidity. I used to shop at thrift stores as a kid and still do every now and then... because I AM the definition of cash-strapped. I've become aware that if you do spend a good amount of money on an object, it's tends to be of better quality and will last longer perhaps... but this? This is just lame.

I can only picture someone buying this has the same mentality of P-Diddy. Only because that asshole doesn't know when not to spend money... and then complains about the cost of fuel for his private jet.

Jesus H, I think it's time for me to move out of this state... Hell, maybe even this country.

posted by dunklekatze on October 23rd 2008 at 12:34pm
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Hot all except for the price.

posted by barbidahll on October 23rd 2008 at 1:14pm
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"Incedentally, the post says that at $600 it might *not* be a good option."

That's because AT likes to go back and edit posts when writers find their feet in their mouths.

Way to go, AT. Not only are you incredibly insensitive and totally out of touch, but you also can't stand behind your own posts.

posted by RQinGeorgia on October 23rd 2008 at 1:27pm
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i thought cat claws, too ... which would be particularly painful at that ridiculous price.

posted by maike on October 23rd 2008 at 1:40pm
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Not so good when you have kitties...

posted by gryt on October 23rd 2008 at 2:19pm
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While I think this would be awesome for tailgating (paired with a floor lamp chandelier from Brocade Home)... something tells me that no one else would appreciate it. I could see it now. I would have champagne in a keg... brillant!

I could definitely see it as maybe an outdoor sofa on a terrace or in a play house.

Why do I have a feeling nobody will agree with me and instead bombard me with "reality"...

posted by Julia at Living Luxely on October 23rd 2008 at 2:53pm
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Julia at Living Luxely;

I agree.

posted by genjenn on October 23rd 2008 at 5:09pm
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UGH!!!
AN OFF-GASSING PETROCHEMICAL NIGHTMARE TURD!

posted by parttimedesign on October 23rd 2008 at 5:17pm
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Oh brother, I am glad people documented the original language in the comments. Are you kidding me?? Totally disconnected from reality. $600 on a novelty item for a "cash-strapped" individual??

posted by jamiealyse on October 23rd 2008 at 5:58pm
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After popping an Aerobed, I just can't justify paying that kind of money on inflatable furniture... If it's $39.99, maybe.

posted by spiffy on October 24th 2008 at 1:46am
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FYI... the original working was meant to be sarcastic and clearly was not understood so the wording was changed to remove sarcasm.

The point of "Hot or Not" posts is to shows designs that are interesting but may have clear drawbacks and limitations and are meant to bring people out of their comfort zone of what they are used to seeing and think.... that includes materials, price, use, etc...

posted by Wesfs33 on October 24th 2008 at 4:46am
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