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The Look of Longue

If you chase long afternoons lolling by the pool, with longer evenings of the same, there is only one piece of furniture on your mind. Ours too.

Kathleen Walsh is the founder and head designer of the Los Angeles–based design firm Walteria Living, which was established in 2004. Walsh and her staff of five specialize in usually clever, often ironic, and always L.A.–manufactured objects whose sense of beauty is as tart as their sense of fun is mischievous. Because of her design sense, we sought Walsh’s take on our quintet of outdoor chaises, though it quickly became clear that her opinions were informed by both her career and that uncanny Angeleno sense of precisely what one ought to be lying on next to the pool.
chaise longue chairs walsh kathleen expert portrait

Americans have long butchered foreign tongues, and no language has gotten it in the neck quite so badly as French. Though our Canadian neighbors parlez-vous from time to time, it hasn’t mattered one whit. Be it the over-Frenchification of certain Yanks who store their mem-whaws in their arm-whaws to the over-Americanizing of that fine school in South Bend, Noter Daym, we chew up and spit out la belle langue like an oversalted plate of freedom frites. And little sounds tinnier to a furniture aficionado than a Midwestern drawl or a clipped New Englander’s patter wrapping itself around the undisputed don of outdoor relaxation: the Chaze Lounge. Long gone is the lingual longue of the French chaise longue (literally “long chair”) in favor of a pronunciation as lazy as the lounger.

In the language dodge this is called an “eggcorn” (after a commonly misheard variant on “acorn”), an incorrect or bowdlerized term of art that sticks around because, well, it kind of makes sense—–after all, what ought one do on a chaise longue but lounge? And, thus, an American seating classic, as well as a fraught debate among hidebound grammarians, clucking Frenchmen, and serious poolside revelers was born. The identity crisis continues, but one thing is clear:

For all the semantic simpering, when the sun is out, there’s no place we’d rather be.
 

  • chaise longue chairs vintage chaise henry hall designs

    Vintage Chaise

    Expert Opinion: There is one sweet spot on this chair, and if you miss it, you’re sliding down into the scoop. Aesthetically this chaise is a real winner, but because it’s in a fixed position, there’s only one way to really sit in it. For me this is a far better chaise to look at than to relax in.

    What We Think: At nearly five grand and a bulky 92 pounds, this beautifully clean white curve is perhaps better suited to the NBA-size frame and pocketbook. But if you’ve got the stature and you don’t mind lugging it from poolside to the barbecue, its sculptural form is pure California.

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  • chaise longue chairs 1966 adjustable chaise lounge richard schultz design

    1966 Adjustable Chaise Lounge

    Expert Opinion: The Richard Schultz chaise reminds me of a David Hockney painting—–all those wonderful colors—–and living in L.A. next to a pool. It’s just perfect. It feels like vacation. It also manages to have the fewest parts necessary, which I really respect.

    What We Think: The Schultz is undoubtedly the classic of the lot, and though we’d be enamored purely based on aesthetics, the light frame and wheels make us want to drag this chaise with us everywhere we go. In production since 1966, the Adjustable Chaise Lounge has also benefited from more than 40 years of tinkering and small upgrades since its debut.

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  • chaise longue bouroullec brothers magis copy

    Striped Chaise Longue

    Expert Opinion: This one’s definitely aesthetically pleasing, but it’s not a great departure from the classic pool chaise. It’s more about materials—–especially the plastic strips which have this really luscious, Jolly Rancher candy quality that I like—–than form. It has a very modern materiality, but there’s not a lot new being said here, nothing is being reinterpreted.

    What We Think: Though it does hearken back to chaises of yore, the lightweight but sturdy slats provide ample support against sagging under the weight of the sitter and cracking under the glare of the sun. And as a relatively affordable option, the Striped collection offers a lot of design bang for your buck.

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  • chaise longue chairs veneto stackable chaise longue unopiu dwr

    Veneto Stackable Chaise Longue

    Expert Opinion: To me this one is like Swiss Family Robinson meets chic Topanga Canyon. Out of all of the chaises, this one is the most aesthetically appealing to me. It’s the least slick, the least about flashy technology. It’s about nice, organic materials you actually want to be and live around. The Veneto has an elegant, but really rough-hewn quality, like you are stranded on some modernist desert island in a gauzy tennis dress.

    What We Think: Though it does resemble a tennis net strung across a teak frame, we appreciate the Veneto’s versatility. Unlike most of the chaises here, one could conceivably roll completely over, or, God forbid, lie on one’s stomach. Those in it for the long lounge can also look forward to nice waffle patterns across the backs of their thighs.

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  • chaise longue chairs mvs chaise maarten van severen vitra

    MVS Chaise

    Expert Opinion: I really feel like I’m at the psychiatrist’s office on this one. When it’s back in shrink mode you feel really well supported, and when you’re up, perched in cool and casual mode, you do, too. The materials strike me as a bit institutional, which limited my expectations, but this chaise is quite well balanced. This is a good one.

    What We Think: We love the two positions this chaise affords: fully reclined and sitting up. But it’s so narrow that we don’t know where to put our arms. Go for the stainless-steel base and polyurethane pillow if you’re storing yours outdoors as they’re most likely to stand up to a little inclement weather. In terms of versatility, the MVS holds its own indoors as well.

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