Corda-Roys - The Only Beanbag Chair That Converts to a Bed!

I used to work in the Mall of America for a company called Corda-Roy’s. If you have never heard of this company before, let me start by saying this really excites me! These are the only beanbag chairs in the world that actually convert to beds! The cover simply zips open and out pops a mattress in your choice of sizes (Full, Queen, or King – even a sofa which boasts two individual King-size mattresses) which will fit the bedding you already own.

The beginnings of these chairs were very humble. The owner and founder, Byron Young, began making these beds in his garage in Gainesville, Florida. The bed was actually an accident. He was using regular scissors and wanted to avoid cutting another circle pattern. He filled the first chairs on his front porch while his neighbors wondered what he was doing!

That was fifteen years ago, and the company has since expanded to include their website, their home office, warehouse, the store location at the Mall of America, as well as being featured in several furniture stores across the country.

The mattress is not stuffed with the traditional poly-styrene bullets that we have all come to know and hate, but rather polyurethane foam – the same thing you sit on every day – simply shredded up. It’s in your couch cushions, the seats of your car, it’s everywhere, and now it’s in a bed. This is useful for a number of reasons. First and foremost, this means that the clean-up that was necessary with the beanbag chairs of the past is not necessary with these. Secondly, it conducts heat rather well, which is always nice when one is attempting to sleep. Third, the shredded quality, combined with the qualities the foam already possesses guarantee that the bed will never go flat, in either chair or mattress form. Simply fluff it once or twice and it is back to its original cloud-like state.

The covers themselves are offered in three different fabrics (micro suede, corduroy, and denim) and a variety of colors to match most any décor. The covers are pre-shrunk, and completely machine washable and machine dryable. The company also offers a water-proof mattress protector that can be left on the mattress in bed or chair form, and is much more comfortable than the traditional plastic wrapping for traditional mattresses. There is also a lifetime warranty on all the products’ workmanship, from the zippers, to the seams, to the foam inside.

There are footstools that contain HUGE pillows (about 3.5 feet by 3.5 feet) that convert the already comfy chairs into the most comfortable recliner you will ever sit in. The chairs can also be positioned on their sides to provide a wider sitting space, turning one single chair into a cozy loveseat.

All the products come in vacuum-sealed boxes which compress even a King-sized mattress down to a size of only about 2 feet by 2 feet by 20 inches. Because of this, these amazing chairs can be taken straight home from the store in nearly any vehicle. The only vehicles they cannot fit a King size chair into are Geos, the Plymouth Laser, and the Mitsubishi Eclipse. If you drive one of these vehicles, or you simply don’t feel like taking it home that day, they will also deliver your chair to anywhere in the world. Most US locations take no more than 7 days.

Once you have taken a seat in one of these chairs, or laid on one of the mattresses, you will not want to get up, and you will most definitely want one for your very own! They are quite affordable, when compared to similar furniture. The Full size is $180, the Queen is $239, the King is $299, and the King Sofa (remember, this has 2 King size mattresses inside) is $459. Compared to a futon, sleeper sofa, or even a chair, or other bean-bag chairs, these prices are amazing! The mattress protectors start at $24.95 and go to $49.95. The Footstools are $75. Shipping varies depending on what you purchase and where you would like it shipped to.

Corda-Roy's bean bag beds have been featured in the Boston Globe, Entrepreneur Magazine, and on home shopping networks such as QVC. Other TV shows the products have been involved in include HGTV’s Divine Design, I WANT THAT, Harold and Kumar, and Extreme Home Makeover.

In more private settings, this product is widely used for medicinal purposes. Many autism clinics use the chairs because the “squeezing” effect of the chairs tends to be very calming and comforting to autistic patients. Lamaze clinics use these chairs – there have actually been fights over them in Lamaze classes!

So, stop on by the Mall of America (third level near the east parking garage,) or give them a call at 952-854-0355, or go online to www.cordaroys.com. They sometimes run sales in-store that they don’t run online, so be sure you call the store before you order.

1. Unzip the cover. The zipper covers the entire back half of the cover, so be sure that you unzip it completely.
2. Reach inside the cover as low as you can reach and grasp the cover in both hands
3. Pull upwards and snap your wrists (much like snapping a sheet or blanket). You may have to do this twice, depending on the bed size and how deeply you are able to reach.
4. Once the mattress is completely removed from the cover, face the longer side of the mattress. These mattresses can weigh as much as 50 pounds, so be sure that you are using proper lifting form for this. Reach as far as you can under the mattress and grasp it firmly. Stand up, and use a reverse-rowing motion to flip the mattress. Two to three flips is usually enough to even out the mattress sufficiently for use.
5. (Optional) Make your bed! All of your standard sized sheets will fit, so there is no need to purchase special sheets!

It is important to note that there is no "right" or "wrong" way to do this. Remember, all you're dealing with is some shreaded foam and fabric, so there is a lot of "give". This is how employees convert them, and it works rather well, as they do this at least 20 times each day.

1. Open the zipper fully, and lay the cover open side up on the floor.
2. Grasp the mattress firmly by opposite corners. I recommend using your dominant hand for this.
3. Insert one corner of the mattress into the open cover. The corner of the mattress should hit about the center point in the cover.
4. Manipulate the cover by pulling the sides and the end of the zippered portion until the corners in your hand are inside the cover. About half of the mattress (including three of the corners) should be in the cover at this point.
5. Grasp the only corner not in the cover in your dominant hand, and the end of the zippered portion in the other.
6. Rotate the entire item 90 degrees.
7. Stuff the remaining corner down into the cover.
8. Pull on both sides of the zipper (you may need to pick the entire item up and shake it - again, use proper form) and basically manipulate the cover and bed until it zippers fully. For the microsuede and denim covers, I recommend leaving an inch or two of the zipper open, to allow air to escape more quickly, creating a better "sit".
9. My favorite part - FLUFFING!!! Quite simply beat the bean bag until it takes on the desired shape.

If any of this sounds confusing, I can assure you that the explanation is more complex than the actual doing. The website has an excellent demonstration video that is quite helpful. The store I used to work in plays it on repeat all day long.