It's cold here. And if it's not cold in the rest of Canada, it's grey (looking at you, most of BC.) What does that make me think of besides vacation? Hibernation. Comfy socks, cashmere leisure suit (dream), a fine mug of fragrant tea, a proroguing (ha!) of all household chores, and above all, a plush, comfy seat to lounge in. Need I say more?
And because lounging is a personal passion, here's my taxonomy of the lounging landscape.
Just Try and Not Love It
EKTORP Chaise, white, $299
I dare anyone to resist the siren call of IKEA's Ektorp Chaise. With its myriad of available slip covers, in left or right-hand armrests, the Ektorp series is where I used to wait while my parents shopped their new Canadian hearts out, every other weekend, when I was a teen. And you know what? IKEA staff never kicked me off! So I can tell you that this thing is one of the most comfortable seats my bones have ever graced.
The New Bag
Clockwise from the top; minimalist bean bag, MadeInChina.com; Fly-Bird bean bags; Rick Ivey's "1825"; eco bean bag, WASTE!, via Trendhunter.com.
Out of college dorms and into posh living: the bean bag. Certainly worth revisiting in full confidence because this form of comfort will no longer embarrass you with a lack of style; a minimalist body-sized pillow; another eco indoor/outdoor version made of recycled car upholstery (by Spanish eco company WASTE!); a traditional shape with a chic cover; and even bean bag as art (lower right), by Ontario-born designer Rick Ivey. Ivey's steel bean bag entitled "1875" is a handmade functional hollow shell, going for a whopping $4,500, here.
Highbrow Comfort
Clockwise from the top; Egg chair, TheEggChair.com; Womb Chair, MadeInChina.com; original Eames Lounge Chair, mcall.com; Oval Egg chair, FurnitureInFashion.net.
This is Mid-Mod's take on lounging. I can't help but think of that Absolutely Fabulous episode where 'Eddy' - Jennifer Saunders - has a flashback to her swinging '60s, depicting a visit to a minimalist couple's home. The hosts urged her to have a seat in a room that was completely empty. As extreme as that parody of '60s design sensibilities may be, it's easy to see why these very streamlined, fine chairs seemed a splurge of comfort to their pedantic designers. Jokes aside, all these are timeless prototypes of design achievement, and very expensive.
Built-In Comfort
Clockwise from the top; ApartmentTherapy.com; ShoeboxDecor blog; Green Hill Design; Terry's Fabrics.
I have to be honest, this is really what I picture when I think lounging in cashmere pajamas... If you've got the room, or some kind of nook, you should build one of these banquettes. You'll never regret it. (I especially love the one hiding behind a curtain.)
Oldie but Goody
Clockwise from the top; UniqueContemporarySolutions.com; FutonWorks.com; Kaboodle.com
Say what you will, but these have never gone away. Maybe the Floridian prints on their cushions have been banished (or should be), but they've persisted throughout the decades. Why, you ask? Because they're the abyss of comfort!
Unavoidable: The La-Z-Boy Man Chair
Clockwise from the top; 1950s prototype, TheBSReport blog; 1970s prototype, Morgan.co.nz; a contemporary suped-up prototype, JerkMag blog; 'Jason' rocker/recliner, one of the most popular models, WestDawson.com.
Could we really talk comfortable seating without touching upon the earnestly toiling partners Edward M. Knabusch and Edwin J. Shoemaker, who in 1928 forged the La-Z-Boy institution of the man chair (not that women don't use it, but it was marketed to men originally)? No. We cannot. And even though I can't say I've ever acquiesced to its comfort sorcery, a zillion billion people who have over nearly 100 years can't be wrong, right?
Well I'm spent! Have you anything to add?
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