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... > Industrial design > Furnishings and Equipment > Furnishings by form or function > Furnishing > Seating furniture > Seats (furniture) > Asientos cama > Chaises longues

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Chaises longues  

Definition

  • Loc. fr. A chaise longue is an upholstered chair on which people can lay back and recline allowing them to put their feet up. Unlike a daybed, which is manufactured to be used as both a sofa-like seat and a bed, a chaise longue is not designed for sleeping but for lounging. The modern chaise longue was first popularised during the 16th century in France. They were created by French furniture craftsmen for the rich to rest without the need to retire to the bedroom. It was during the Rococo period that the chaise longue became the symbol of social status and only the rarest and most expensive materials were used in their construction. Today, the chaise longue is seen as a luxury item for the modern home. They are often used to complement a home's décor such as living or reading rooms, or as a stylish boudoir chair for bedroom seating. The chaise longue has traditionally been associated with psychoanalysis. Freud found that lying down promotes a loss of control that encourages more instinctive conversation. The chaise longue is commonly used as visual shorthand to suggest a generic psychotherapist's office in cartoons and other works. The chaise longue has traditionally been associated with psychoanalysis. Sigmund Freud initiated the use of the chaise longue for this purpose, the idea being that the patient would recline on a couch, with the analyst seated beyond the head of the couch, so that the client would not see the analyst. Reclining and not having to face the analyst was thought to be disinhibiting and to encourage free association. At the time Freud began to use the chaise longue, it was considered daring in Vienna to recline on a chaise in the presence of non-intimates. Freud's own chaise longue, given to him by a patient, may be seen today at the Freud Museum in London.

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