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For gardens big and small, patios and balconies, these are the cocoons to curl up in this summer and beyond
As the days grow longer and the sun starts to shine a little brighter, it’s the perfect time to spruce up your outdoor space. Enter egg chairs, the ultimate in chic al fresco comfort. These stylish swing chairs, with their distinctive, cosy cocoon shapes, are more than just a place to sit – they’re a statement piece.
This year’s selection pushes the envelope with designs that are not only eye-catching but also incredibly functional. Whether you prefer sleek and modern or rustic and traditional, there’s a hanging egg chair that will fit perfectly with your outdoor scheme. The really good news? Brands are competing for our business like never before, which means the once unattainable hanging egg chair is now more affordable than ever.
Durability is a top priority, and the best egg chairs are made to last. Think weather-resistant materials such as powder-coated steel, UV-protected PE rattan, and innovative shower-proof cushioning that dries in a jiffy. Comfort is also key, with plush cushions that offer great support – not to mention the best snuggly feeling.
Hanging egg chairs provide a perfect spot for a bit of solo relaxation with a good book. Some models are even big enough for two, making them great for cosy couples, while some forgo the swinging action altogether with a solid standing base, but still give you that luxurious cocooned feel.
Whether you have a large garden, a small patio, or even a compact balcony, our top picks will help you find the best egg chair to transform your outdoor space into a stylish and comfortable retreat.
We tested a range of hanging egg chairs – including some stationary styles – in our back garden, looking for great design and top craftsmanship. With most requiring minimal assembly, we considered how easy each was to put together. We also looked at how well they stood up to the elements, and, most importantly, the comfort factor.
With its delicately hand-woven criss-cross weave, this hanging egg chair brings a touch of whimsy to the patio. Don’t be fooled by its relatively loose structure – it proves sturdy and robust. It keeps you perfectly cocooned as you gently bounce and sway in the breeze. This one comes with some serious padding, too. The generously wide and plush cushioning is a dream to sink your tush into.
On the practical side, this hanging egg chair is brilliantly low maintenance. Not only are cushions shower-proof and removable, for fuss-free cleaning, but they’re also UV-protected, ensuring durability in all weather. If you are to leave it out in the elements, it’ll even withstand a pressure wash. This sturdy, stylish hanging egg chair offers a cosy spot to unwind, no matter the season.
The best hanging egg chairs don’t come cheap but Wilko’s offering is relatively affordable. It boasts a loosely woven basket with a delicate look but a solid and sturdy structure. In charcoal grey, it brings a chic, contemporary feel to a patio space, while the lighter grey cushioning adds to the sense of sophistication.
It proved to be incredibly durable, too, as it is more than capable of standing up to the elements. The cushions are plush but don’t offer any side support, so, you may have to get creative and add in some extra scatter cushions. That said, the simple, rectangular pad is handily compact enough to roll up and store away neatly over the winter months.
For the past few years, this hanging egg chair has gone out of stock before you can say “sun’s out!”, and with good reason. Crafted from hand-woven poly rattan and supported by a sturdy galvanised steel frame, it ensures both durability and style. It’s become quite the patio icon, in fact, with its pale natural colourway bringing a sense of serenity to the garden – and that’s before you’ve started sitting in it.
The chair features weather-resistant, removable cushions, allowing for easy maintenance and year-round use. With its corrosion-resistant frame and plush padding, it offers supreme comfort for lazy garden days. A perfect blend of practicality and elegance – and it is relatively affordable, too.
The Castello swing seat, crafted from polyethylene wicker, successfully mimics the look of the natural material, with its detailed mottled effect. Its anti-rust iron frame, UV-resistant and shower-proof cushioning ensure durability, too. The airy design features generous side openings for easy access, while the deep basket and round shape make it perfect for curling up in with a gripping summer read.
We found the plush cushions dry super quickly, even after an unexpectedly heavy downpour, so, outdoor relaxation is in no way hindered. We loved the thoughtful addition of the hairpin-legged base – at no extra cost – allowing for a stationary setup if you want to change things up: this is a robust, stylish and versatile swing seat.
Dunelm’s offering had us swooning, thanks, in large, to its extra-plush, extra-wide cushioning. This is a furniture piece that understands the need for curling up and getting cosy. The basket is simple in design, with its classic egg shape and side voids making it easy to get in and out.
In natural pale rattan, it brings instant calm to a patio space, while its strong metal frame in jet black makes for a cool, contemporary contrast. This one features a very robust, very grounding circular base, which for us, scores points for aesthetics. While you’re gently bobbing and swaying in the breeze, it ensures zero tilts or wobbles, too.
This ingenious design allows you to enjoy all the benefits of a full-sized hanging egg chair from your balcony. While most are woven in inflexible poly-rattan, this one boasts a clever rope design, allowing it to fold flat. Suffice to say, this is also super handy even if you have a sizable outdoor patch but you prefer your garden furniture to be stored away during the colder months. The natural rattan (and rope) egg chair comes complete with a charcoal-coloured seat cushion, which awards it a chic contemporary twist, while its frame proves sufficiently strong, despite being slimmer in profile than some. No garden? No problem.
If you want to get that cocooned feeling from your garden seating but without the swinging sensation, you’ll love this luxurious furniture piece. This is a generously proportioned double version of Cox & Cox’s popular standing egg chair, so it is ideal for sharing cosy moments. This chair boasts the same elegant diamond lattice weave in a soft taupe hue and is thoughtfully angled for optimal relaxation.
The seat, crafted from waterproof PE rope, is both practical and durable, paired with a sturdy powder-coated aluminium frame for longevity. It includes the cosiest seat and head cushions in cream, offering pillow-soft comfort while being reliably water-repellent, UV-resistant, and quick-drying. The chair seamlessly combines style, comfort and durability, making it a perfect addition to a larger garden.
Adding a touch of romance to the back garden is Dobbies’ Malmo double hanging egg chair. Designed for two (but extra spacious and luxurious for one) it proves a chic addition to any garden or patio and is designed with ultimate relaxation in mind. The swing seat features a weather-resistant frame and durable steel poles, ensuring long-lasting use. The double poles and hefty springs also ensure the basket is kept perfectly aligned and balanced – even if you don’t have an even weight distribution between the two sitters.
We love this one for its contemporary hand-woven synthetic rattan design, and its monochrome warm beige colourway, which is seen across the frame and basket as well as the plush fire-resistant cushions – of which you get an extra pair for even more cosy comfort.
It’s important to note that not everyone appreciates the swinging, bobbing motion that a hanging egg chair gives you, which is why we’ve included this design-led beauty in our round-up. The chair is a wholly inviting take on the classic egg chair, with its cocooning structure, its woven rope design, and its mid-century-inspired angled wooden legs. Suffice to say, it looks the part indoors as much as it does pride of place on the patio. We love its hooded, angular structure, which gives you a cosy spot to enjoy uninterrupted solitude in the sunshine. One of the best things though, is its extra-plush cushioning in a contrasting light grey – we were hard-pushed to get out of this one once we’d sunk into it.
While most egg chairs are either oval-shaped or perfectly round, this one boasts a delicate tear-drop form, making it even more pleasing to the eye. That shaping is echoed in the curvature of the sturdy metal frame, as well as the decorative weave of the basket itself, with a more open design on the top half, and a tighter weave on the bottom, which is reassuring when it comes to support. The Karla boasts seriously plush cushioning, too, with a luxuriously deep seat and back cushion, complete with side padding that gently hugs you while you sit and sway. On a practical note, the egg chair proves brilliantly weather-resistant (despite its attractive pre-weathered look) and boasts removable cushion covers, for easy cleaning.
Forming part of the brand’s wider Amelie range, this egg chair boasts a lovely craft-driven aesthetic, thanks to its loosely woven criss-cross design. There’s no mistaking the distinctive oval shaping of this one, which offers us a truly inviting and relaxing spot in the garden. Boasting all-weather properties, the egg chair is made from a man-made (but impressively realistic) rattan, while the frame is crafted from hardwearing steel. This one features particularly plush cushioning on all sides, ensuring you’re kept perfectly snug as you swing.
Stationary egg chairs feel a little bit excessive – why not simply buy a standard garden chair if you’re not going to swing? But this is precisely why we love Habitat’s Kora. Featuring a sturdy steel frame in a hardwearing rattan-effect weave, and with plush, extra-high cushioning, this is a statement seat that demands pride of place on the patio.
In black, it offers dark drama and a chic, contemporary feel, while its stately, enveloping form gives it a throne-like quality. You’ll be fighting off housemates or family members for this coveted seat, which is reliably stable, weather-proof and perfectly comfy.
While any egg chair has a naturally bohemian feel to it, Anthropologie’s design epitomises boho chic. Suited for both indoor and outdoor use, the egg chair is crafted from 100 per cent natural rattan and boasts a shabby white painted finish with a lacquer coating for extra protection. We love its intricate swirls and cut-outs, which mimic peacock feathers, while the rest of the hanging basket is reliably sturdy and tightly woven.
This one comes with a plush seat pad that sits at the bottom of the piece without detracting from the decorative weave. Without a frame, it does rely on a sturdy structure to hang from, ideally a mature tree with plenty of shade. Due to its natural make-up, it won’t thank you for leaving it out in the elements.
With a knowing nod to the iconic mid-century egg chair designed by Nanna Ditzel, John Lewis’s take is a beautifully crafted and tightly woven number that offers relaxation just by looking at it. The Dante is made with a handwoven synthetic wicker that, just like the real thing, boasts a rich texture with tonal variations, whether you choose the natural or grey colourway.
But where this one differs to the original design is its generous side voids that give the piece more of an open feel – and a place to rest your elbows, beverage in hand. In keeping with the basket’s clean lines and slim silhouette, the powder-coated steel frame is also pleasingly minimal and fuss-free.
We loved Fishpool’s Martinique hanging egg chair for its decorative hand-weave and its chic charcoal colourway. It proves reliably low-maintenance and is a match for any unexpected downpours. We also loved Dunelm’s Singapore hanging egg chair for its classic design, its calming colourway, and its abundance of cushioning. For a great alternative to a hanging egg chair, if you don’t like the motion, try the halvrebene lounge chair from JYSK.
For more stylish furniture to spruce up your garden, read our review of the best bistro sets