The sculptural lounge chair: how to choose one, and whether you need the ottoman
Seat height, depth and recline, bouclé or leather, why the wooden shell stays visible, when an ottoman earns its place, and where a lounge chair works: living room, hotel lobby or office.
Sit before you choose: a lounge chair should sit lower and deeper than a dining chair, with a back that leans further. Pick the upholstery for how the chair will be used, bouclé for softness, leather for easy cleaning. Add an ottoman if you read or rest in the chair for long stretches. Our Lounge Chair starts at €3,900.
Seat height, depth and recline
Three numbers decide how a lounge chair sits. The seat height: a dining chair sits at around 46 cm, and a lounge chair goes lower, so your knees come up a little and you lean back. The depth: a deeper seat lets you sit back with your legs stretched, a shallower one keeps you upright. And the angle of the back: the further it leans, the more the chair is for resting rather than talking.
The right chair depends on how you sit. If you read in the chair, you want support for your head and a seat you can stay in for an hour. If the chair is for conversation, a slightly higher seat and a more upright back make it easier to get up and to face someone.
Measure the room too. A lounge chair needs space around it to be sat in comfortably. Our Lounge Chair is 82 cm wide.
Bouclé, textile or leather
The upholstery changes how a chair feels, how it ages and how much attention it asks for.
- Bouclé is soft, warm and textured. Its loops give it depth in daylight. The same loops can catch on claws, rings and rough zips, so think about who sits in the chair.
- Textile is the quieter choice: a flat weave that reads as one calm surface.
- Leather is cool at first and warms quickly. It wipes clean, and it changes colour and sheen with use. People who like leather like that change.
Why the wooden shell stays visible
On many upholstered chairs the frame disappears under foam and fabric. On our Lounge Chair the shell of layered teak is the outline of the chair: it wraps around the back and sides and holds the upholstery like a bowl. The wood is what you see from across the room, and the cushion is what you sit in.
The shell comes in two versions at the same price: ribbed, where every layer shows as a line, or smooth. The wood is solid teak in Light Oak, Antique Oak or Wengé, finished by hand. The upholstery is Bouclé Ivory, Bouclé Taupe or Leather Cognac.
With or without the ottoman
An ottoman turns a chair into a place to put your feet up. That matters most if you read, watch or rest in the chair for long stretches. For a chair that is mostly sat in for a conversation, it is less needed.
An ottoman is also a spare seat. Pull it to the coffee table and one more guest has a place. Its top should sit slightly lower than the chair’s seat, so your legs rest level or angle down a little.
Our Ottoman is made to match the Lounge Chair: 68 cm wide and 58 cm deep, in the same wood and upholstery, from €1,600. You can add it later; order it in the same finish and the two belong together.
Living room, hotel lobby or office
In a living room, a lounge chair usually sits at an angle to the sofa, so the two talk to each other across the coffee table. Give it a side table within arm’s reach: our Side Table is Ø 45 cm and 50 cm high, from €1,400.
In a hotel lobby or a suite, chairs often come in pairs around one table. That is where a solid frame and a fabric that is easy to look after pay off. Our page for hotels and restaurants describes how we make pieces in series.
In an office, a lounge chair next to the desk gives you somewhere else to sit for a call or a conversation. More on that in designing an executive office.
Lounge Chair or Easy Chair
We make two chairs for sitting back. The Lounge Chair is the wide teak shell, a chair to sink into, from €3,900.
The Easy Chair is built differently: two arms that each run in one curve from the back into the front leg, with no struts. Its seat sits at 39 cm with an 11 cm cushion, the back leans to 108°, and the arms are at 57 cm. It has an upholstered back or eleven spindles, and starts at €3,200. It is the one to read in.
How ordering works
Every chair is made by hand in our atelier in Bali after your order, in about six weeks, then travels 6–9 weeks by sea to your door. We deliver within the EU. You pay in full when you order; prices include VAT, shipping is extra, and within the EU we pay the import duties and VAT.
Questions
What seat height should a lounge chair have?
Lower than a dining chair, which sits at around 46 cm. How low depends on how you sit: lower and deeper for reading and resting, a little higher for conversation. Our Easy Chair sits at 39 cm.
Do I need an ottoman with a lounge chair?
If you read or rest in the chair for long stretches, it makes a real difference. It also works as a spare seat. Our Ottoman is made to match the Lounge Chair and can be added later.
Bouclé or leather for a lounge chair?
Bouclé is softer and warmer, but its loops can catch on claws and jewellery. Leather wipes clean and changes colour with use. Choose for the people, and the animals, who will sit in it.
How much does a lounge chair in solid teak cost?
Our Lounge Chair starts at €3,900 and the Ottoman at €1,600, including VAT; shipping is extra. The Easy Chair starts at €3,200.
See the piece
Every piece is handmade in our atelier in Bali, in about six weeks, then shipped to your destination.