Seven of the best: Chaise longues

Traditionally a thing of elegance, the chaise longue is now showing off its edgier side as it is reinvented for the modern market.  
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Jenny Dalton3 December 2015

The London interiors show 100% Design in September was chock-a-block with examples of Moon, the latest convertible recliner from the Slovenian design company Lina, while designer Marc Newson’s legendary Lockheed Lounge sold for an eye-watering £2.4 million at auction in April, making it the most expensive piece of furniture on the planet. This has only enhanced the desirability of even the most workaday chaise.

There are several ultra-practical models ideal for city homes with little space. PINCH — the Londonbased design company run by Russell Pinch — offers the Leta, a clever and sinuous new chaise longue with an arm merging seamlessly with the body. It can be produced in bespoke lengths to fit the smallest of spots.

Federico Peri, the Milan-based interior design practice, has its “Living in a Chair” metal-framed chaise longue, which it unveiled at the Ventura Lambrate design fair in the Italian city earlier this year. It is not just a chair, but a “living environment” that includes work surfaces, shelves and storage spaces incorporated into the design.

Lina’s Moon — the star at 100% Design — is loved for its versatility. This chaise longue is constructed in an apparently random mix of foam shapes, which can be rearranged to fit together in a space-saving block when not in use.

Meanwhile, furniture brand Cubit has launched a modular range of upholstered furniture, including a super-slimline chaise longue, from about £800, which you configure yourself online — specifying the shape, colours and fabrics.

Intimacy is the aim with Gam Fratesi’s new double-ended leather chaise for Porro. Inspired by classic travelling safari chairs, designer Enrico Fratesi says it was created to enable tête-à-têtes between himself and Stine Gam, his life and creative partner, rather than having to crane their necks sitting next to each other on the sofa

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