Matt Jung and Chip George: 'Creatures' of Comfort
Matt Jung and Chip George, Founders of Comfort Research
Photo Source: Comfort Research
These two. Energetically lighthearted with just a dash of mischief. So, I didn't think they'd mind being called "creatures." (More accurately, they are highly successful creators of comfort). They may not take themselves too seriously, but when it comes to leading the way in lifestyle furnishings, they mean business.
“We don’t look at ourselves as a company, we look at ourselves as this really cool, unique, funky platform that can then take our brand and make different things within the brand using the platform . .”
Photo Source: Comfort Research
You’d think that launching the first bean bag chair into space would be the pinnacle for these two college buddies turned furniture barons (though again, they're quick to humbly and humorously rebuff lofty or limiting titles). But when you’ve proven that you can cast interplanetary vision ahead of Elon Musk, you just have to move on to greater things. Ironically then, instead of reinventing the wheel, Comfort Research Founders, Matt Jung and Chip George initially set out to make bean bag chairs great again, and the rest is history.
Not your father’s dorm room bean bag chair
The year was 1997, and after an uncomfortable wrangle with an old bean bag chair, came the epiphany. Stuff the old bags with shredded foam mattress pads and voila! New life. The Fuf was born. Friend to friend sales rapidly gave way to college welcome weekends, then seasonal sales in an outlet mall, and on to Meijer, a well known midwest chain store. A welcome refreshment to retailers, Matt and Chip’s products even sold out of futon stores. Seven Fuf sizes (and a variety of lifestyle products) later, with the platform established, an evolution toward “real” furniture was underway.
A second and crucial ‘ahh-ha’ came when the two realized that polystyrene normally used to make insulated cups or coolers could be molded as furniture frames; upholstered, yet incredibly lightweight, durable, and capable of being manufactured domestically. Orahh® technology had arrived.
Innovating from the Inside Out
Fast forward. As though having seen the future, the Comfort Research Big Joe® Lux line of contemporary indoor outdoor furniture debuts just as designers and architects focus on consumers' growing fondness for fresh air (namely, products and ideas that accommodate interior-exterior spaces). And perhaps not coincidentally, this uniquely affordable line launches at a time when industry price points are at a premium for outdoor furniture that’s attractive, versatile, and well made.
Just a few core, modular pieces (each weighing no more than 15 pounds) and you have multiple configurations; sectionals, chaise lounges, and the option to make the entire arrangement as large or small as desired. Hidden handles make pieces easy to relocate.
How could this line get any better? Its wood free frame not only makes it ideal for the transition from indoors to outdoors, but it is one hundred percent recyclable. The pièce de résistance however, is that modules are made with Sunbrella fabric, and we all know how advanced this beautiful performance textile has become. Water and fade resistant, easy care, long lasting.
So, think lakeside, poolside, fireside with friends and family. As Matt and Chip say, "front yard tonight, back yard tomorrow night." Listen to the complete interview here.
