If you told me a couple of years ago that an egg chair would be the most important piece of furniture to ever grace my garden I would have probably laughed in your face. I'm not afraid to admit when I'm wrong though, and on this occasion I am.
The egg chair trend is showing no signs of dwindling and Brits seem to go crazy for them. I struggle to keep up with just how many times Aldi has sold out of their version, and I can only imagine that shoppers must book the dates in their diary for when their restock is due.
I've always wondered why people love them though? Because let's face it, they are quite expensive, (the Aldi version retails at £189.99 so I can understand why this goes first), with the average one starting from £200 onwards depending on size. There's also the question of do you really want to spend that much money on something that's going to be a massive upkeep in our, not-so-predictable British weather, if you choose to have it outdoors? The constant covering and uncovering must get quite annoying.
Read more : Popular hanging egg chair now on sale - find out how to buy with All Round Fun
And are they all that comfortable? A chair that swings, and is cocooned like an egg, may not work if you're temperamental to a bit of claustrophobia, or if you get a bit of motion sickness too. I wanted to answer all of these questions and to find out if the trend was worthy enough to be a trend.
I wasn't able to get hold of the Aldi one, no surprise there. But Manchester-based retailer, All Round Fun, offered me the chance to review one of their popular egg chairs, and I couldn't say no. Temperatures have also risen recently with spring well and truly making an appearance, so now was a good time than any to test it out in my garden at home.
They sent me the Brampton Cocoon Cushioned double egg chair which retails at £499.95 (pictured above). They offer other sizes for different prices, with the single-seater costing £299.95 and the triple costing £599.95. I was bit worried about reviewing something so expensive and was thinking would I pay this much for an egg chair? I was about to find out.
All Round Fun say the Brampton series offers comfort and style and with its premium rattan weave, they say you can expect this to last for many years. They also describe the chair as quick-assembly thanks to the freestanding base which you can designate this to whichever area you want. It features a 20mm flat weave and a clean rattan, and the frame has been tubular powder coated so that it is aimed to be highly durable and resilient.
The delivery
The first thing to note is the sheer size of it. The delivery had to pre-booked in with me as I was informed the chair would be arriving on a pallet. Yes, a pallet. Which made me think of my tiny, terraced house. The chair is for both indoor and outdoor use so surely it will fit through the front door?
When the chair arrived I couldn't get over the size of it. One thing was immediately clear, the cocoon body of the chair wasn't going in my house, period. The main body of the egg chair is made of a metal frame which is shaped into a cocoon with the rattan material then weaved through. There was no way of getting in through our front door so we (myself and my partner Mark), took it into the back of the house but then discovered that getting it around the corners of our tiny home was also impossible.
Sweaty and a little annoyed we opted to place the chair in the conservatory and wait for a sunny day to set it outside. I was disappointed as I had already decided in my head that this chair would be the perfect reading den, to curly up in with a book on a rainy Sunday afternoon, but it was not to be.
The assembly
When it came to assembly it actually took nearly 30 minutes to remove all of the packaging, there was so much of it. I can understand that the chair needs to be protected but I do wonder whether something a bit more environmentally friendly can be provided?
Setting up the chair was a breeze though, I can't fault how easy it was to put together. There are three pieces to the frame, the circular metal base and the two long poles that attaches to the egg chair itself which are screwed in and tightened with the wenches provided.
The egg chair then hangs off the poles and once the cushioned seat and pillows are placed and tied in you are good to go. The whole process, including the unpackaging took about 40 minutes. It would have took less time if there wasn't so much tape to cut through.
The chair
Once I got to finally sit in the egg chair I understood why these were at the top of people's garden wish lists. The comfort from the cushioned seat was bliss. I felt like I could sit there for hours and not have to reposition myself in the sun. The cocoon shape of the chair added to the comfort for me too and also offered the illusion of privacy as I cosied myself in with a book and a cup of tea.
The chair does swing but only if you swing it, and even then it's not like a swing in the park where you go full throttle to try and see if you can go over the top. There are Velcro ties that you can attach to the chair, and then onto the metal poles behind, which stops it from swinging out too far, and probably blowing away in adverse weather conditions.
The cushioned interior comes as one seat and two separate head rest pillows. The main body of the cushioned seats fits in snugly with the arm rests aligning with the sides of the cocoon body. The separate head rests can be tied through the rattan weave a little higher up the egg chair in line with your height.
The seat fits two people and there's still enough room to move about. It's a decent size and I do like curling my feet up onto the seat when I'm lucky enough to sit on my own in the garden.
The chair itself looks lovely in the garden and I particular like the grey colour too. It doesn't look to harsh and neither does it stand out in a horrible way, like some furniture can.
Obviously it's a great piece to enjoy during the warmer months and when the sun is shining. When it rains we are using our previous bench cover from Amazon, which was bought for our swing bench but it still fits the egg chair all the same.
The verdict
The price of this chair is £499.95 which is a lot of money. However, the chair screams quality on its appearance and comfort. The fact that you can use the chair both indoors and outdoors too makes it worth the money, in my opinion.
On the other hand, if you're like me and can't actually fit this double one inside your home, and have no option but to leave it outside, then I would maybe opt for the single version, which is a little cheaper at £299.95. Yes it is still a bit pricey but I honestly believe that you'll get your use out of this chair for years to come.
The padded cushion provides enough comfort for two people and the adjustable head rests can suit any height. My only recommendation to All Round Fun would be to perhaps provide a cover that fits the chair in the price to make it an even better deal. My advice to shoppers would also be to double check the size and measurements of the chair if you're thinking of buying it for indoor use as you don't want to be disappointed like I originally was.
All-in-all, a lovely chair that's comfortable, stylish and of a high quality. To find out more about All Round Fun visit their website here.
