Chaise Lounge Furniture

Chaise Lounge Furniture

Homes and hotels feature chaise lounge furniture placed in various parts of the premises both indoors and outdoors. The versatility of a single unit of chaise lounger can be transferred from the pool during sunny weather to the den when the weather turns stormy and yet the furniture will look just as good in either circumstance.

Brief History

The chaise lounge, as it is also called, originated from 16th-century France. It become popular in Europe and was later imported to the United States during the 1930s where it was primarily used an outdoor patio seat or an indoor recliner. Then and now, the lounge furniture was designed to be versatile, beautiful and functional on both sides of the ocean.

Emphasis must be placed on the fact that the American spelling for the furniture differs from its French counterpart. In French, it is "chaise longue" (long chair) but Americans altered it to "chaise lounge" because the user was expected to lounge in it.

Basic Design

Basically, the chaise lounger is an elongated chair resembling a couch except for two things - first, the back support portion of the lounge slants toward the back, thus, making for a reclined position with the feet fully elongated possible; and second; the armrests may or may not be present in the chaise lounge. The individual was expected to lie on his back while using the lounge furniture. In contrast, the recliner chairs from ancient Greece had men and women lying on their sides.

Materials Used

During its early years of development, the lounge was made from natural materials like wood and rattan, which were often carved with stylized designs. With the modern times also came the modern materials like plastic and metal although wood is still the most popular material mainly because of its beauty, durability and versatility.

Nowadays, the most popular wood materials for use in pieces of chaise lounger furniture are cedar and teak. These woods are known for their weatherproof properties as well as their excellent grain patterns.

Functional Uses

The beauty of chaise lounge furniture is that it is adaptable to just about any indoor and outdoor space. As a result, it can be moved from the bedroom, dining room and living room to the porch, pool and even the outdoor deck. Of course, most wooden chaise lounges have removable cushions.

Chaise Styles

Homeowners have many choices in chaise lounges including the following styles:

One-arm chaise lounges obviously feature just one supporting arm either on the left or the right. This harks back to the Victorian times when the lounge was a place for a woman to appear relaxed and yet sophisticated.

Armless chaise lounges are designed to conform to the natural body shape, thus, eliminating the need for the arms. The head and neck are supported by the back of the furniture while the body is supported by the seat itself.

Day bed chaise lounges are designed for an upright sitting instead of a reclining position. Its design may not be as body-friendly as the other types but it has its purpose, namely, as a bench-cum-lounger.

The homeowner's choice in the chaise lounge furniture boils down to design preferences, available space and allocated cost. In all other matters, the lounge functions just as well.

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