Poach one of the best hanging egg chairs around with our edit of the finest on the market. Fix one up on your patio and you'll be relaxing in pure bliss
All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission. camping chair
Hanging egg chairs have a richer history than you might think. The original hanging egg chair was conceived by the Danish design duo Nanna and Jørgen Ditzel in 1959. It went on to become a true icon of the swinging ’60s, thanks to its playful form and bohemian spirit. Offering us an idyllic, cocooned spot in which to shut out the world, it’s little wonder the egg chair has enjoyed a renaissance in the last few years in particular. And thanks to buyer demand, this once unattainable piece is becoming increasingly affordable. Indeed, with top brands competing for our attention, the egg swing chair is fast becoming a garden furniture staple.
While you'd traditionally picture an egg chair to be hanging from a tree, for those of us without a garden filled with mature oaks, most designs come with a heavy metal cantilever stand, typically crafted from iron or powder-coated steel, while the chair itself is usually suspended via a chunky chain, which can be adjusted to suit the height of the sitter. That said, you don’t need to worry about keeping your feet on the ground, a hanging egg chair is positively designed for curling up in, preferably with a good book and a large glass of something refreshing in hand.
When it comes to materials, natural isn’t always best for outdoor furniture, these days some of the most expensive, high-end retailers are working with a PE or polyethene rattan-effect material, which proves highly durable and weather resistant. It also does an incredible job of aping the real thing: think tonal variations and natural textures in both look and feel. Go faux and you’ll be able to enjoy the outdoor use of your egg chair for many summers to come.
In a handwoven design, this John Lewis chair has a relaxed, rustic feel that'll make you feel like you're on vacation from your garden. With comfortable cushioning and a chilled aesthetic, it's a win on all accounts.
There aren’t many hanging egg chairs under £300 (though often, retailers will offer the option of paying in instalments, which can be a huge help for those on a tighter budget), and so Wayfair’s Caitlynn is a great find on sale – simple but effective, it looks anything but cheap.
Whether you place it indoors or outdoors, this hanging day bed creates a nice and aesthetic space for relaxing and unwinding in the evening. Fitting a few people, or just nice and spacious for one, it's exactly what we want in our garden this summer.
There’s no doubt about it, this is an indulgent furniture piece made for solo relaxation. With a hefty cantilever frame, it’s also a bit of a space-stealer, rudely taking up more of your precious garden space or decking than other, more sociable patio pieces. That said, a hanging egg chair is guaranteed to become a coveted spot and you’ll soon be fighting family members or flatmates over it. Once you invest in one, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
Egg chairs can be supremely comfortable, thanks to their ergonomic shaping and the way in which they gently rock, twist, or sway in the breeze. Some designs even offer a little bounce, making you feel both comfy and supported. While most come with sufficient padding it’s often worth adding extra scatter cushions to up the cosy even further, or if you’re feeling particularly boho, a natural (or synthetic) sheepskin.
While the patio is a hanging egg chair’s natural habitat, there are plenty of stylish indoor/outdoor products on the market that look great in a laid-back bohemian living room, or in a lush, house plant-filled conservatory. The trouble is the bulky frame. If you’re after a clean-lined (and space-saving) look, it’s best to commit to a permanent indoor spot and suspend your egg chair from the ceiling. Unless you’re particularly handy on the DIY front, it’s worth getting the professionals in here.
All of GQ’s interiors guides are written by our in-house team of contributing testers and experts, and are then edited by Daphne Bugler, British GQ’s Senior Commerce Writer, who has been working at GQ for the past four years, and has written extensively about interiors since 2020. The team regularly talks to experts in a variety of interiors categories to better understand the products we write about and what we should be looking for.
When we pick egg chairs to recommend, we look at a combination of different elements ranging from quality and durability of construction – because nobody wants to sit in a hanging chair and spend their whole time fretting about whether it’s about to crash to the floor – to the shape and design of the chair. We aim to include a range of materials, and to cater for different price points and budgets. We talk to brands regularly to keep up to date with new products. And, ultimately, we choose the products we would most like to have in our own homes or gardens.
For more interiors, fashion and technology releases delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our GQ Recommends newsletter.
Another charming rattan number, Charles Bentley’s swinging egg chair is open to the sun, making this a seat in which you can soak up rays as you read or sleep. It has the benefit of a pretty compact round base stand, allowing you to slot this chair into smaller spaces than you otherwise would be able to, and comes with a thick cushion and adjustable headrest (both of which are removable and washable). And it also has a handy belt which can be strung between the back of the chair and the stand, so as to restrict the range in which it can swing and help your chair avoid actively resembling a playground swing. £399. At wilko.com
For those who love camping but don’t have the chance to actually get away into the wilderness all that often, allow us to present to you the answer to all your problems: the Outsunny khaki egg chair. They don’t have egg chairs on safari (do they?), but if they did, they might look something like this: simple, sturdy and comfortable, with weather-resistant cushions and cover in a low-key shade of khaki. It’s one of the cheaper egg chairs out there, too, so you can easily replace it if it’s mauled by lions, leopards, local neighbourhood cats, et cetera. £199. At wilko.com
This chrome-looking steel and plexiglass bubble chair is a retro throwback to the 2000s, both minimal and clean with a simple shape. That shape, however, belies a quality hanging egg chair (if we can call it an “egg” chair; it’s more of a golf-ball chair, really). Its rust-resistant steel frame is suitable for an outdoor set up, where it will bring a touch of the modern to your garden, or for inside, where the simplicity of the design will come into its own – the see-through bubble won’t dominate a room or block light in the way something opaque might do. It comes with a cushion, too, in several different colours: white, blue, red, black, orange and a weird, sort of Space Age silver number. £749. At bubblechairsdirect.co.uk
John Lewis’ offering is based on the classic egg-shaped hanging chair but features generously sized cut-outs on either side, which gives the piece a light and airy feel. It also allows the summer breeze to waft through the piece, gently rocking you as you sip that refreshing Campari soda. The Dante is handwoven in a durable synthetic wicker, and whether you choose the natural or grey colourway, the material does a great job of mimicking the real thing, complete with all its natural variations in tone. The hanging chair is supported with a slimline and inconspicuous powder-coated steel frame in black, while cushioning comes in the form of a comfy, round seat pad and a plump rectangular cushion. £625. At johnlewis.com
There’s something about the shape of the cushion that comes with Atkin and Thyme’s rattan Amelie egg chair that reminds us of those deep, comfy living room armchairs of yore – the sort you sink into to watch terrestrial TV before putting your feet up on a matching footstool. In this case, of course, you’ll most likely be on a terrace rather than indoors, but the cushion – which includes vertical side arms and a headrest – is to die for nonetheless.
Ideal for afternoon lounging or a nap in the sun, the chair is made from grey rattan-effect polymer EverWeave weave which looks natural enough to fit into any garden, while the UV and water-resistant cushions will last for yonks and come with removable covers for easy cleaning. They’re stuffed with fibres made from recycled plastic bottles, too. So, come to think of it, perhaps it’s a little more high-tech than your beloved TV armchair. But it will be no less homey. £379 £299. At atkinandthyme.co.uk
Break out the incense and bandannas and relive the 1970s with Anthropologie’s louche peacock-eye-motif woven hanging chair. Lightweight and comfortable, it’s one of the relatively few that requires its own hanging hardware (i.e. you need to put up a hook or have an appropriate beam or rafter from which to hang it). Counter-intuitively, this makes it less obtrusive in whichever space you choose to have it (terrace, living room, kitchen, orchard…) as there’s no unwieldy stand to trip over. It comes with a round cushion that all but demands crossing your legs and settling in with a glass of wine to watch the stars. £598. At anthropologie.com
For a different look– and one of our favourites for style and aesthetic– this day bed from TiiPii is giving all the boho-chic vibes that we’re after this summer. Suitable for indoors or outdoors, you could just as easily hang one up in a corner or nook of your bedroom and throw plenty of pillows and throws on it as you could put one on your patio for lounging on warm nights. The bed supports three to four adults, which means it’s not just a solo swinging activity, and even has an attachable sheer net which makes it into an even cosier, or dare we say romantic, experience. As far as the technical details go, it’s got anti-mould, anti-UV and water-resistant properties, but it’s best moved indoors during bad weather or throughout the winter months. £499. At johnlewis.com
The Paxton is slightly darker than many other rattan-effect chairs on the market, but it also avoids that shade of grey that characterises some others, too; it’s an excellent middle-range, weather-resistant chair with a relatively small footprint which will sit nicely beside a pool or on a patio. It comes with a removable cushion and arm inserts, and is fitted with an adjustable chain to tweak how high or low you want to hang while relaxing in it. The chair comes in two pieces which fit together with ease, but will also allow it to fit through doorways or perhaps a large window to sit in a harder-to-reach place like a first-floor patio or roof terrace. £699.99. At gardenesque.com
A simple all-rounder, Argos Home’s Jaye chair is another hanging egg chair which comes with a steel stand, meaning you can set it up anywhere you like and enjoy the gentle breeze as you sleep/read/socialise/work from home (perhaps). In grey rattan-effect weave, with grey cushions, it’s a good blank canvas to which you can add throw cushions and blankets as required, but which won’t dominate a garden unless you want to make it a centrepiece. It’s also an excellent seasonal buy: easy to dismantle and store, you can put it in the attic or garage during the colder months of the year, then bring it back out with the sun. £280. At argos.co.uk
Combining the holiday feel of an egg chair with the sleek contemporary look of black furniture, Wayfair's Caitlynn is very laid-back chic, giving an edge to a piece that often looks quite casual. Moisture and mould resistant, with water-resistant cushions, it should fare pretty well against the elements, but take care to cover or store it when things get a bit more intense in order to keep it in the best possible condition you can. Happy hanging! £276.99. At wayfair.co.uk
While most hanging egg chairs do their best to blend their frame into the background, this one turns it into a design feature. Crafted from multiple layers of FSC-certified spruce wood, the sculptural hanging chair features imposing arches, while the chair itself is perfectly circular in form. Scandi-influenced, the pale blond wood brings an instant sense of calm to the patio space and the natural material is offset with a chunky charcoal cushion that fits perfectly into the seat and is secured with ties. This outdoor-only number proves surprisingly weather-proof, frame, chair and cushion alike. £1,169 £949. At cuckooland.com
The best garden furniture stores for livening up your outdoor space
Best outdoor rugs for a stylish garden upgrade
The best mattress to buy now for a better night’s sleep
Folding Sunlounger The best sun loungers for relaxing in style this summer