Thursday, 5 September 2013

Understanding The Chaise Longue

By Frederick Maude


The chaise longue is a genuinely special furniture piece in the history of interior design and is maybe amongst the least understood of virtually all items of home furniture. As opposed to the sofa or the armchair, which have turned out to be standard fittings in the family house, chaise longues have maintained a sense of mystery and splendor as a result of their unusual shape and function. Neither a sofa or a lounge chair, the chaise can be seen as a halfway house with a exclusive heritage of their own. So if you are curious to discover more about chaise longues, here is a potted history on the piece to introduce the product.

In many ways, the modern day chaise longue traces its roots back to Ancient Roman dining loungers which were extensively employed all over the Roman Empire as banquet seating inside the houses of wealthy merchants and citizens. Shaped with a long footrest and supporting head rest, Roman chaise lounges invited the user to recline while eating supplying a degree of comfort but additionally showcasing their clothing in a visible style within a social context. In a number of mosaics, Romans are represented lying in this kind of fashion while dining with friends, family and colleagues.

Nevertheless, it was only following the arrival of upholstered furnishings that the contemporary chaise longue actually came into existence. As opposed to their Roman forerunners, the French furniture manufacturers of the eighteenth Century developed a array of ornate, padded lounge chairs created for living rooms, bedrooms and drawing rooms as an alternative to as dining room furniture. Using horsehair to upholster the framework, the French developed both the classic day bed and chaise styles which have come to define the item to this day. Cushioned for comfort, the lounge chair now took on associations of elegance, luxury and extravagance, becoming terribly popular with the French elite of the time.

Becoming well-known during a time of French pre-eminence within the course of European history, the chaise has grown to be almost irrevocably associated to the affluence, charisma and cachet of the French Empire style of interior dcor. Perhaps the iconic piece of furniture of this period, the chaise longue holds a certain mystique and admiration in the eyes of a lot of the English speaking world who still associate the item with the extravagance and elegance of French culture during this golden time. For these reasons, the vast majority of interior designer would agree that the chaise is often seen as a ageless or classic item with a decidedly French interior look and feel.

Although nonetheless a luxurious product, following the commercial revolutions of the 19th and 20th centuries, the chaise longue has turned out to be ever more cost-effective as an item of household furniture available for the majority of people. However due to its unusual shape and function it is still seen as an indulgence instead of a requirement when it comes to household dcor. Even so, as awareness of interior design trends have evolved following the rise of the internet, the chaise longue is undergoing a resurgence in popularity and has become increasingly sought after by discerning buyers seeking to add an authentic heritage piece to their interior space.




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