9 Furniture projects that form a soft space : Design requested

Transparency, lightness, boldness, pop culture references: inflatable design it remains fascinating precisely because it is at the intersection of immediacy and imagination. Its charm lies in the plastic’s ability to take balloon-like forms and introduce a playful, almost ironic presence into domestic and public spaces – without ever fully slipping into irony. What results is a renewed field of experimentation built on a material that is anything but new.

The history of plastic, which gained momentum in the 1950s, took a decisive turn with the introduction of transparency and air. Long before that, however, inflatables and pneumatic systems had already shaped the imagination of designers in the early 20th century, when new materials and technologies opened up unprecedented formal possibilities.

Cubee modular inflatable furniture © Yu Ren_Inflatable design

Conqueror Outdoor Collection © Shengjie He and Lan Wang_Inflatable design

Jelly Collection © Jell–O_Inflatable design

Bubble One lamp © Studio Ololoo_Inflatable design

Blow me up Lamp © Ingo Maurer_Inflatable design

BrännBoll inflatable seats © IKEA_Inflatable design

Lighting © PUFF BUFF_Inflatable design

Road seats © Pneuhaus_Inflatable design

Seats © HeFlies_Inflatable design

Eileen Gray drinking chair was conceived almost a century agois an early expression of this sensibility. When soft, transparent, inflatable plastics entered mass production after the 1960s, objects no longer only borrowed the visual language of air structures, but also their physical properties and advantages. The Blow chair by De Pas, D’Urbino and Lomazzi for Zanotta is a direct result of this experimentation, a design that has since permeated everyday culture, from interiors to seaside landscapes.

Contemporary design is still fully aware of this heritage – not just the material’s aesthetic potential, but its identity and latent potential. Lightness, portability, intuitive use and formal adaptability redefine the role of objects in domestic and collective environments. Inflatable design questions how design responds to changing lifestyles, constraints and desires, following paths shaped by necessity. Different contexts require different approaches. In this landscape, form follows lightness, mobility and use, allowing function to emerge from constraint.

At first glance, Cubee engages with the familiar language of modular life, yet its real power lies in how air subtly reorganizes the domestic space. The inflated cores allow the system to shift scale and function without adding visual weight, keeping the interiors flexible. Recycled materials reinforce a realistic attitude, a far cry from the utopian rhetoric that often surrounds modular furniture. Cubee does not romanticize nomadism. it responds to the concrete reality of shrinking spaces. The result is furniture that feels temporary in the most constructive sense: adaptable, reversible, never final. In this collection, air functions more as an infrastructure than as a simple material.

Camping furniture often oscillates between rugged aesthetics and functional compromise. Conqueror avoids both, treating inflation as a strategic design choice. Chairs, tables and beds materialize only when required, reducing bulk without sacrificing comfort. The modularity of the system suggests a campsite that can be assembled, reconfigured and disassembled with minimal footprint. The materials and construction show durability, moving the collection away from the disposable logic often associated with inflatables. This inflatable camping furniture system frames air as a tool for rethinking temporary living.

The Jelly collection occupies a more speculative terrain, yet its intent is clear – these inflatable chairs revisit the language of inflatable furniture through a material-based sculptural lens. Glossy, jelly-like surfaces soften the objects’ presence, moving them away from pure functionality towards visual and tactile play, recalling a candy that exists in collective memory. Forms embrace their bouncy nature, projecting softness and permanence, where longevity seems secondary to atmosphere and the seat becomes a device for mood.

The Bubble Lamp turns inflating into a discreet act of construction. The translucent TPU body forms and stabilizes through internal tension, giving the lamp a suspended, almost breathable quality. The segmented surface gently diffuses the light, avoiding the theatrical effects often associated with inflatable objects. Ololo Studio treats air as a partner, allowing form to emerge through pressure and balance. The lamp occupies space quietly, precise but discreet, asserting presence without dominating.

A lamp that the user must blow up: Blow Me Up condenses Ingo Maurerits experimental ethos in a single, explicit gesture. Delivered deflated, the light tube resists permanence and invites participation, with a new idea of ​​what inflatable design is all about. Its flexibility allows it to lean, hang or spread, adapting fluidly to the space and circumstances. The inflatable shell diffuses the light evenly, softening its industrial tones. With fragility at the fore, the piece allows the air to become performative, turning lighting into an experience of temporary form.

With BrännBoll, IKEA decisively brings bouncy seats into the mainstream, stripping them of irony and profiteering. The inflatable lounger is incredibly functional, designed for play, relaxation and quick setup and is very easy to understand, well priced and enjoyable. Mesh inserts provide structure once inflated, anchoring the item to everyday wear. Its bright color and soft volume suggest informality, even usability, yet the design remains purposeful. BrännBoll normalizes air as a sustainable construction method, subtly reshaping expectations of comfort and permanence.

POOF-POOF it works at the intersection of lightness and control. Their inflatable design lighting uses air to expand volume without adding mass, creating forms that are both graphic and ephemeral. Instead of referring to traditional lamp typologies, the brand explores new configurations shaped by pressure, surface and containment. The aesthetic remains deliberately soft, supported by technical precision. In PUFF-BUFF, air acts as a structuring principle and suggests a future in which lighting is defined less by fixtures and more by atmosphere.

Originally designed as inflatable seating for public space, street seating has recently been redesigned by Pneuhaus to something much more charged. In response to the escalation of violence during US campus protests, the studio transformed its soft, modular inflatable design into lightweight shields designed for collective self-defense.

Made from highly durable materials similar to those used on Zodiac boats, the inflatables remain mobile and attachable, equipped with handles and Velcro ends to form protective barriers. Their large, rounded shape resists easy grip and reduces the risk of injury to both sides. In this context, design refuses neutrality and becomes a political act, and air becomes a social catalyst, helping people in difficult times, confronting without the use of violence.

Floating poufs – two words, a new meaning. The business back HeFlies is to turn the seat into a restraining gesture. Appearing to float until activated, the pouf questions the moment an object becomes functional: is it when it stands in our spaces or, really, when we use it? The theme, here, is all about the bouncy design, which provides buoyancy and presence without anchoring the piece to the ground. Interaction unfolds subtly: approach, descent, use – like a choreography, this piece highlights air as a temporary material, shaping experience over time. HeFlies is less concerned with comfort alone than with redefining the way furniture enters and occupies space.