There are a ton of options for couches on the furniture and home décor market. If you are inquiring about a Chaise Lounge, there are some important things to consider. One of the most important is that a chaise lounge has a shape unique to that of your everyday, run-of-the-mill chair.
These types of chairs are normally placed near a window, sliding glass door, in front of a TV, or on a patio. Most commonly, chaise lounges are paired with other couch pieces or sofas to create a recliner that isn’t already attached to the couch.
Although you might not see chaise lounges as often as regular couches with built-in reclining mechanisms, these chairs can be more cost-effective and allow a homeowner to customize their room in a creative way. Whether you are actively searching for a chaise lounge or already own one, there are specific places to configure them that can liven up a space and tailor them to your individualized needs.
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How Do You Place a Chaise Couch?
At this point, you probably have a chaise but might not know where to put it. The good thing about the design of this type of furniture is that it works well alone and with other couch pieces as well. Things like the size of the room, other furniture already in the room, and the size of the chaise itself can affect where it is placed in a room.
It is important to note that many chaise lounges are sold with either a left or right-facing side. This means that the armrest is on the left or right when you are looking straight at it. To avoid collisions, it’s best to place the chaise away from slim doorways and other common foot traffic areas within your space.
Not all chaises have left or right-facing sides. Some come with both armrests, and some come with none. Normally, with a chaise couch, it comes with armrests like a traditional couch. Depending on individual preferences, the characteristics of the chaise itself, and if you decide to put it up against a wall or sit it by itself in the center of a room, the placement can be arranged in many different ways.
Common chaise couch configurations include:
- Up against an empty wall
- In the center of a living room
- Arranged with cushions and side tables
- In the center of a reading area
- Near a window with a view
- In the middle of a walk-in closet
The possibilities are almost endless when it comes to chaise placement within a room. These couches are great for quirky hallways and corners that seem impossible to furnish. As long as you have a room with enough space to fit this elongated couch, you shouldn’t have an issue finding out where to put it.
What Are the Different Styles of Chaise Lounges?
When you search up chaise lounge on the internet, you will probably come across a variety of different kinds. Some look more traditional, while others look more contemporary. Over the years, adaptations of the original French design have flourished and depending on the aesthetic of the room, you might want to browse the wide array of options.
Below are the three most popular chaise lounge styles:
French
If French designs are appealing to you, there are three specific styles of French chaise lounges available on the market. When shopping, you want to look for lounges with the names: Récamie, Duchesse Brisée, or Méridienne. Each subcategory has different features that set it apart from each other.
Starting with the Récamie, it typically comes with a single backrest on either the right or left side with no back, allowing for someone to stretch out their legs. The second is the Duchesse Brisée, which has multiple pieces of furniture separate from the main piece, allowing customization and variation to the overall look of the chair. The final style is Méridienne, which normally includes both a headrest and a backrest, making it more secure to lay down.
Due to the specific design, a French Chaise lounge is best positioned when it’s up against an empty wall, away from main walkways. This way, someone can lean back and relax without having to worry about bumping into something or someone else.
Victorian
This style of couch is often referred to as a fainting couch. Its name is derived from the Victorian period in England where it was rumored that women would rest on these couches after fainting to compose themselves. Its raised backrest and single or double armrest design made it a convenient place to rest one’s head and feet.
Victorian chaise lounges are similar to French chaise lounges in that they are best arranged away from main walkways. The only significant difference is that chaise lounges that have the double armrest are best accompanied with other furniture, and they don’t always have to be positioned parallel to a wall.
Contemporary
Most often in modern homes, you will see a less traditional style of chaise lounges replaced with more functional and neutral designs. In homes with a more simple aesthetic, there are two main types of contemporary chaise lounges: the bench and the chair.
The bench is exactly how it seems. It has two symmetrical armrests and, depending on the model, it may or may not have a back. The chair comes in multiple variations with some that have two armrests and a back, or some that have no armrests and a back. Typically, they have no armrests and look mostly identical to a normal sitting chair.
Contemporary chaise lounges are best placed up against a wall because, if they are backless, they are hard to sit on and offer little to no back support when they are away from a wall. When it’s shaped in a chair design, you can place the chaise like you would any traditional sitting chair. The possibilities for a chair chaise lounge with a backrest and two armrests are almost endless. If there is room for it in your house, it can be positioned according to your individual preferences.
What’s the Difference Between an Indoor and Outdoor Chaise Lounge?
You might be searching for a chaise lounge for the inside of your house or for a patio that needs revamping and a touch of character. In this case, it helps to understand the difference between the interior and exterior chaise lounge options.
Indoor
Normally, indoor chaise lounges use luxury materials for the upholstery and cushions and are embellished with paint and other accessories to make them amplify the elegance of a room. Also, hand-carved wood frames are very common for these types of chairs as well.
Outdoor
When bringing them outdoors it can be more challenging to uphold some of the traditional elements of chaise lounges while also making them incompatible for an outside space that isn’t protected or shielded by four walls and a roof.
Some aspects of outdoor furniture picking that you need to pay attention to are:
- Weather: Sometimes inclement weather like wind and rain can wear out your furniture and even cause mold and insects to eat away at the materials.
- Humidity: Moisture in the air can loosen up the materials and make them more susceptible to wear and tear if they aren’t coated or sealed properly.
- Temperature: Cold or hot weather can melt or harden the materials of a chaise lounge in a way that changes the structure of the materials entirely. With warmer weather comes the risk of fading and warping of the original colors and materials too.
At the end of the day, you need to decide where you will place your chaise lounge before investing in one. Check the product description carefully to make sure that they are specifically intended for indoor or outdoor living. Only then can you avoid the risk of possibly ruining the chair and wasting money that could have been spent more efficiently on more applicable furniture.
Having a Chaise Lounge Is Great for All Spaces
In every room, there is typically some type of seating area that goes along with it. If you find the investment worth it, you can take a somewhat bland space and add character and life to it with something as simple as a chair. Whether you want a couch, chair, or sectional couch with separate pieces, a chaise lounge can fill that gap with its multitude of options and aesthetics.