Luxury brands are giving the lounger a smart spin to suit contemporary spaces, says Shreya Shukla

Here’s an easy way to stretch out stylishly. Sink into a statement piece that combines the plushness of a sofa and the styling of a chair and promises many indolent moments. Interior designers are rooting for chaise lounges yet again (well, they refuse to drop out of favour) and top-notch interior brands are creating them in drop dead good-looking variations. Just watch a space transform from drab to inviting in a flash — whether you plant one in the formal living room, the den or even the bedroom.

Luxurious brands are offering chaise lounges (by the way, in French, it stands for ‘long chair’) not just with traditional high, curved headrests but with new twists as well. They can be a part of a large modular sofa or can be embellished with gleaming silver. In its various versions, there are chaise lounges with armrests/no armrests, no backrests or curvy backrests — and much more besides.

The lounger is believed to have roots in ancient Egypt where it was used as a day bed. By the 16th century it made its way into wealthy French homes from where it found its way to the rest of the globe.

A chaise lounge, say the designers, works very well as an informal divider in a space which has two seating arrangements (as in a living room).

“A lot of my customers also buy them for bedrooms since that’s the best place to lounge around in,” says Navin Kanodia, of SPACIO.

Here’s looking at some of the most desirable chaise lounges doing the rounds….

Calia Italia’s latest chaise lounge, the “Poul”, was designed to combine the comfort of a bed with the aesthetics of a seat.

The designers are also experimenting with coloured glass, metal, mirrors and brighter fabrics on its chaise lounges to make them more striking.

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Published in:           The Telegraph, Calcutta India    –    July 7, 2013