THE REMARKABLE HISTORY OF THE RECLINER

Walk into any modern home, there's a 90% chance you'll be greeted by a recliner in the living room. It may not have as great aesthetic value as, say, a traditional sofa set, it does enjoy the spotlight especially around elderly people and it's not difficult to see why. It offers the ultimate comfort level. True story, I've even seen people sound sleep on it through a party!

And while it's commonly believed that recliners popped up when La-Z-Boy, the most iconic purveyor of these chairs, was created in the ’20s, in truth, recliners have actually existed in for more than 200 years.

So sit back, 'recline' and dig into the amazing story of how reclining furniture went from a dentist's clinic to sanitariums, and finally, to being a common fixture in innumerable modern living rooms across the globe:

EARLY HISTORY: The story finds its roots in 1790 when an enterprising dentist named Josiah Flagg came up with a brilliant idea to add a movable headrest to a Windsor writing chair with the noble intention of making appointments more comfortable for his patients. This paved the way for James Snell, who in 1832 created the first mechanical dental chair which was basically a folding armchair equipped with a mirror to illuminate.

In his version, patients could lean back in the adjustable chair making the footrest rise up automatically. This feature became common for dentist chairs moving forward.

The references to reclining chairs go beyond the world of dentistry. In fact, these references date back as far as 1813, when Ackerman’s Repository of arts, literature, commerce, manufactures, fashions and politics featured an illustrated image of a Fauteuil chair. This piece of furniture was outfitted with double reclining footstools, that slide from under the chair to extend it when the back is reclined. The back can be reclined to the length of a couch.

One of the more famous owners of such a recliner was Napoleon III. Around 1850, he is known to have owned a chair similar to the one mentioned above. it could recline into a bed.

THE MORRIS CHAIR IS BORN: But the true precursor to the modern recliners burst onto the scene in the 1860s. That’s when William Morris, the 19th-century philosopher, and designer, introduced the Morris Chair. The original Morris Chair was launched in Europe and featured a "back and seat made with bars across to put cushions on, moving on a hinge.”

Around 1880, just a few decades after the Morris Chair hit the market, people began referring to adjustable chairs as recliners.

The success in Europe led to an updated version of the Morris chair which was introduced in the United States by Gustav Stickley’s design company. The upgrade included the ability to recline at multiple angles, and coupled with comfortable cushions the chair became a popular choice for middle-class Americans.

While the Morris Chair was enjoying popularity in residential homes, reclining seats were also popping up in a multitude of other locations around the world:

● In 1877, a Kansas City doctor named N.N. Horton designed an adjustable chair for trains in order to provide travelers a more comfortable sleeping solution.

● In the early 1900s, a reclining medical chair known as the Sitzmaschine was designed by Josef Hoffman. He designed it for the Purkersdorf Sanatorium in Vienna. He designed the building as well (Just an additional tidbit)

THE 20th CENTURY: But travelers and medical patients weren’t the only ones searching for a more comfortable seating arrangement. After the Morris Chair achieved national popularity, other reclining seats started popping up.

One of the more remarkable variations of this product was introduced in the early 1900s and it certainly got people talking.

The Adjustable Rest-Chair hit the market. Aside from its ability to recline, it featured attachments for tables, reading desks and even lights. Its over-stuffed shape was a clear leap towards the recliners we enjoy today.

As remarkable as these variations were, they were just the early prototypes for the modern recliners. But it was 1928 when the ultimate recliner heavyweights hit the scene. This is the year when Edward Knabush and Edwin Shoemaker filed a patent application for a reclining wooden bench and started an iconic company known as La-Z-Boy.

This company quickly became the most powerful purveyor of reclining armchairs. How powerful you ask? So much so that people refer to recliners simply as La-Z-Boys.

A decade after La-Z-Boy took the furniture world by storm, they finally had a competitor named Edward Joel Barcolo in 1940. Edward acquired a license to produce scientifically articulated motion chairs and thus the Barcalounger was born.

By this time, multiple brands were marketing these upholstered, adjustable chairs and promoting it as the ultimate way to relax at home. They were so popular that, during the 1960s, even big American celebrities were being featured in Ads.

Now the 21st century is in its second decade, and the recliners continue to enjoy immense popularity around the world. In fact, it's evolving in designs, styles and comfort levels. For example, they are in high demand in nurseries, for the comfort of nighttime feedings and lounging with a sleeping baby.

Now we have electric recliners that facilitate far more controlled movements and have a longer life span.

Hope you enjoyed taking this journey with us through time.

So try one of these comfortable recliners and maybe you can sleep through a rowdy social gathering.