Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Chaise Longues - A Brief History

By Frederick Maude


The chaise longue is a truly special furniture piece within the history of interior style and is perhaps among the least understood of all products of household furniture. In contrast to the sofa or chair, which have become common fixtures in the household home, chaise longues have held on to a impression of mysterious elegance due to their unusual function and form. Neither sofa nor a chair, the chaise is actually a curious halfway house with a distinctive heritage of its own. So if you are interested to discover far more about chaise longues, here is a short history on the piece to introduce you to the product.

In many ways, the modern day chaise longue tracks its roots back to Roman dining chairs which were extensively used all over the Roman Empire as banquet seating in the villas of prosperous merchants and citizens. Shaped with a extended footrest and supporting head rest, Roman lounge chairs encouraged the user to recline whilst eating offering a degree of comfort but additionally showcasing their attire in a prominent fashion within the social context. In a number of mosaics, Romans are represented lying in this kind of manner whilst eating with close friends, family and peers.

Even so, it was only subsequent to the advent of upholstered furniture that the modern day chaise longue really came into existence. As opposed to their Roman predecessors, French furniture producers of the eighteenth Century created a range of ornate, padded lounge chairs made for living rooms, bedrooms and drawing rooms instead of as dining room furniture. Making use of horsehair to upholster the body, the French developed both the classic day bed and chaise styles which have gone on to define the product even to this day. Padded for comfort, the lounge chair now took on connations of elegance, luxuriousness and indulgence, becoming terribly popular with the French elite of the time.

Becoming well-known during a time of French pre-eminence in the course of European history, the chaise longue has become nearly irrevocably linked with the affluence, charisma and cachet of the French Empire style of home dcor. Perhaps the iconic furniture piece of this time period, the chaise longue maintains a particular mystery and admiration within the eyes of a lot of the English speaking world who still associate the item with the extravagance and splendour of French culture during this golden era. Because of this, the majority of interior stylists would agree that the chaise is often seen as a timeless or classic item with a distinctly French interior aesthetic.

Whilst nonetheless a luxurious item, following the industrial revolutions of the 19th and 20th centuries, the chaise longue has turned out to be ever more inexpensive as an item of home furniture available to the vast majority of individuals. But on account of its uncommon shape and indeterminate function it's nonetheless seen as an indulgence rather than a requirement in terms of interior dcor. Nonetheless, as awareness of design trends have developed with the rise of the internet, the chaise longue is undergoing a resurgence in popularity and has grown to be increasingly desired by discerning shoppers planning to add an authentic heritage piece to their interior space.




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