Inflatable furniture has always been associated with camps, picnics, beaches and the like. But in recent times, more and more people have started using this kind of furniture in their homes. Typically, inflatable furniture is made of a hardened polyvinyl carbonate material which has extreme strength and elasticity. It is because of the elasticity that the material can withstand the heavy pressure blowing within the object. They are all supplied with hard plastic or rubber push buttons which can be opened to fill in the air, and then closed again. The material of the button is so designed, so as to keep it securely fastened. There are inflation pumps specially available for inflating this furniture. A lot of typical household furniture can be made in the inflatable style. Very common materials are sofas, chairs, stools, beds and a lot of kids' furniture. Because of the polyvinyl carbonate material used for their manufacture, they can be given any color and design. That is how a great amount of diversity can be created with inflatable furniture. Their basic structure is the same, but the assorted designs on it make all the difference. In fact, it is the colors and the design that differentiate inflatable furniture meant for kids from those meant for adults. What's the appeal of inflatable furniture anyway? They are good additions for children's bedrooms, but for the mainstream rooms of the house, they might not be good fits. Just a single inflatable sofa here or a footstool there could make a good accent, but that's about it. But yes, when it comes for picnics and such things, they turn out to be the best options. Advantages People buy inflatable furniture because they have a lot of advantages attached to them. The following are some of the commonest reasons why people would want to buy them.

• They are cheap. Inflatable furniture is the cheapest kind of furniture around. You can get plain sofas for two at about $30, while the more jazzily printed ones could go up to $50. Even the large beds are obtainable at well under $50. Thus, these become good choices if you are living in a temporary house and want furniture for the stop-gap arrangement.
• They are very good for kids' rooms for many reasons, and the least of these reasons is that they are colorful and quite attractive for the young people. But more than that, inflatable furniture is completely safe, as they have no hard ends anywhere. That makes them suitable for toddlers too. Children like the bouncy feel this furniture gives them.
• They are portable. All you have to do is to let the air out from them, and fold them into tiny parcels. These can be then carried wherever you want. Well, you can carry the entire furniture of your home in one single suitcase if it were inflatable.
• They require no maintenance at all. You don't have to polish them, wax them or spray them with pest and insect-proof substances. Because polyvinyl carbonate is resistant to all these factors, these furniture items ensure you a long service.

Disadvantages But there are the disadvantages of these furniture too. If there weren't any, everyone would have disposed of their other forms of furniture and packed in their homes with inflatable things. Here's a list of the disadvantages that go with inflatable furniture:-

• They are quite delicate. Because they are inflatable, a little puncture with a pin could make the whole thing useless. You can patch them up with adhesive tape, but that wouldn't last quite long too. Children must be made to realize this, because their rough play can easily damage this furniture.
• Because they are not heavy, they do not get a firm base on the ground too. As a result, they keep swaying. Especially, the child seats slip a lot when the toddler tries to get up on it. Also, if the toddler pushes his/her weight on one side of the seat, the whole thing might topple over, injuring the kid. This problem is lesser with the larger furniture, like the sofas and beds, though.
• They are marketed as invincible furniture, but in reality, they cannot be used for long. As you keep using them, they get outworn. The rubber buttons may become lose, or the seams might give away slightly, etc. When that happens, the furniture becomes useless, because it will not be able to hold air. In fact, just after a few weeks of using this furniture, you will see that it doesn't hold as much air as it used to earlier.
• They are considered inelegant. You can keep them in children's rooms, but it is very unorthodox to use inflatable furniture in the other rooms of the home, apart for a few pieces here and there. For people who are looking for making a statement with the décor of their homes, the inflatable furniture is certainly not the best option.