If you’re at all familiar with ancient Roman art – or you follow #classicartmemes on Instagram – you’ll be familiar with images of emperors reclining with a glass of wine in hand, while being fed grapes and fanned by large leaves.
It’s a common set-up repeated in historical dramas both serious and satirical alike - and they all have one thing in common, the ruler in question is reclining on a chaise longue.
The piece of furniture dates back to around 3000BC. Archaeologists discovered the long chair style in ancient Egyptian tombs, before being popularised in 16th century France. While modern day iterations may not feature opulent ivory detailing and they have shed their purpose as a horizontal way to enjoy meals, they are still a hugely desirable addition to your living or bedroom.
A chaise lounge operates much in the same way as an accent or arm chair; to bring a luxury feel to your boudoir rather than considered an essential part of your home furniture. If you have the space, you can create a cosy reading nook or it can act as simply a surface to temporarily store your clothing rejects before they head back into the wardrobe or into your washing basket.
Contemporary chaise longues can be modular in design to connect to a larger sofa, offer additional storage capabilities or can stand alone to bring elegance to your room’s interiors. There are asymmetrical designs for those who prefer a sideways recline as well as symmetrical constructions with both a head and footrest for sprawling on your back or front.
In a range of plush fabrics from leather to velvet, these are fun and functional pieces that will bring a sophisticated edge to any room.
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Heal’s Matera Chaise Lounge
Whether you use it as a space to unwind or a temporary storage area for those pieces that aren’t quite dirty but not clean enough to go back into your wardrobe, Heal’s chaise lounge is an elegant home addition.
In wool, velvet, boucle, cotton or four types of leather, the fabric and shade can be customised to your design style. Using traditional craftsmanship in Italy, the contemporary construction will suit modern design schemes.
The look is pared-back with just slim black metal legs in the way of detailing. The piece is crafted from memory foam so the shape will stay in tact no matter how often you’re lounging.
Buy now £1875.00, Heal's
Habitat Daisy Velvet Chaise Sofa
If comfort is what you are looking for, then comfort you shall get. Habitat has covered the Daisy Chaise Sofa in a sumptuous velvet fabric that will not only look elegant, but feels lovely on the skin.
In hues of teal or grey, the furniture item is versatile with the minimalistic design detail of oak tapered legs. The construction is curved to offer a hugging effect as you while away the hours in ultimate relaxation.
Buy now £372.96, Argos
LC4 Chaise Longue in Hairy Hide & Leather
Ensure that your chaise longue accent piece has the intended eye-catching effect by opting for a loud and proud print like this hairy hide number. You will be surprised just how easily you can pair this piece with other furniture. Much like its fierce leopard cousin, cow print is surprisingly neutral as the muted colour palette of white, brown and black has endless styling potential. The headrest is made from leather and the C-shaped design supports the body in all the right places to bring comfort.
Buy now £5201.00, The Conran Shop
Ikea GRÖNLID Chaise longue
The Swedish flat pack label does the basics and does them very well. Case in point: this cosy chaise lounge. It appears like an oversized armchair with an elongated foot rest that feels as cloud-like as it looks.
The furniture item will be enhanced by the decorative pillows that you will inevitably layer up. As the colourways are neutral (it comes in white, two shades of grey, green, red and natural), it’s the added details that you invest in that can pair with the rest of the room for example, a pop of green in the pillow can match a sage green accent wall.
The piece lifts to reveal under storage.
Buy now £450.00, Ikea
MADE Margot Right Hand Facing Chaise Longue
If you’re anything like us and devouring the latest good read in bed results in the unexpected closing of eyes, you may be looking for a comfortable place that is not too comfortable so you can actually start to make some progress. Enter this chaise longue from MADE that is upholstered in a plush velvet with an asymmetric quilted backrest.
Available in dark grey, gold, forest green, navy blue, old rose pink and teal, there is a shade to suit all spaces, while the wooden legs with metallic accents gives an extra subtle pop of opulence.
Buy now £575.00, MADE
Deluxe Vintage Style Faux Leather Chaise Longue
This chaise lounge has a Midcentury Mad Men aesthetic perfect for WFH offices. The upholstered design keeps it clean, classic and elegant with a wipe-clean surface and a hard-wearing construction. The PU leather is designed to do exactly that; stand the test of time - which is only furthered by its perennially sophisticated styling and a durable pine wood base.
Buy now £199.99, The Range
Olivia's Lily Chaise Longue Velvet Taupe
While we can’t promise that someone will feed you grapes as you recline, we can ensure that you will lounge in comfort and style with this chaise longue from Olivia’s. The velvet covering has a soft-to-the-touch feel that you’ll stroke endlessly, while the variation of square and cylinder pillows ensures you’ll always be able to find a soft yet supportive position. The gold metal legs gives a touch to the Art Deco about it and it comes in this taupe or vibrant pink for whether you are a minimalist or a maximalist.
Buy now £636.00, Olivia’s
Loretta Chaise Longue
This chaise longue looks like it came directly off the set of Bridgerton with its Regencycore look. The piece to place in sultry boudoirs, it’s extravagant, regal and elegant with all its curvature and opulence.
The frame is made from solid wood and you can set the finish of the legs (cream, light oak or mahogany) as well as the orientation (left or right). If it something more netural that you are after, or you’d prefer the pattern in another shade, the colour and fabric can be customised.
Buy now £399.99, Wayfair
The Small Biggie Chaise Longue
After a long, stressful day, sink right in to this chaise longue from Snug. As the brand’s name suggests, the construction is pillowy and soft with plump cushions made with a thick foam. Best of all, it lifts to reveal capacious storage, the perfect place to store the likes of blankets, linen or hoodies if you’re on the hunt for a space-saving solution.
Buy now £1064.00, Snug
Loaf Fats Chaise Longue
Loaf is known for offering some of the most comfortable sofa and sofa-like furniture items on the market. The brand has real sink-in potential but that can often mean endless manual plumping - but not in the case of this chaise longue. It retains the comfort that the label are known and loved for but without the maintenance. In that vein, there is also Castelan Protection that shields against stains and spills for at least five years.
Buy now £1195.00, Loaf
Levante 008 Chaise Longue Cushion in Sand
With the sand cushion and wooden frame, this chaise lounge is giving us Japandi feels - the combination of the minimalism of Japanese and Scandi interiors. It is intended for outdoor use, where the fabric is quick drying. You’ll spend hours on end soaking up the summer rays with a cocktail in hand feeling content and most importantly, comfortable.
Buy now £647.00, The Conran Shop
