The lounge chair is known to all for its comfort and familiar form, but its history is slightly more ambiguous. While there are rare armchairs dating back as far as the 17th century, some believe that origins of the first official “lounge chair” are tied to Hungarian modernist designer-architect Marcel Breuer. While Breuer wasn’t exactly reinventing the wheel when he introduced the Wassily lounge chair in 1925, his recliner was indeed revolutionary for its integration of bent tubular steel.
Officially, a lounge chair is simply defined as a “comfortable armchair,” which allows for the shape and material of the furnishings to be extremely diverse. Whether or not chaise longues make the cut for this category is a matter of frequent debate.
The Eames lounge chair, on the other hand, has come to define somewhat of a universal perception of what a lounge chair can be. Introduced in 1956, the chair (and its partner in cozy, the ottoman) quickly became staples in television shows, prestigious office buildings and gorgeous living rooms. Venerable American designers Charles and Ray Eames intended for it to be the peak of luxury, which they knew meant taking furniture to the next level of style and comfort. Their chair inspired many modern interpretations of the lounge — as well as numerous copies.
On 1stDibs, find a broad range of lounge chairs that includes everything from antique Victorian-era seating to vintage mid-century modern lounge-chair options by craftsmen such as Hans Wegner to contemporary choices from today’s innovative designers.