One of the earliest and most important pieces of furniture, an upright chair is an awkward type of chair with two independent pieces of a hard wearing but flexible material, often attached at a 90 degree or even more angle, to each other in a 90-degree or more reclining angle. This makes it very comfortable to sit on but also provides support. It was probably invented by a French furniture maker in the 17th century. The term ‘upright’ derives from a combination of two Latin words ‘up’, meaning ‘up high’, and’re,’ meaning ‘back’.
A chair that has four legs is called a ‘stern’. Most commonly they have two seats and two chairs are usually fitted with a single chair. If there is only one chair there is no need for the name of the chair but it is known as a ‘four legged chair’.
To this day the most famous and well known chair remains that of the old French chaise longue, better known as the garden chair. This is normally found in patio gardens or outside the homes of the rich and famous. They have a long stem and often have an additional seat attached beneath it. It is an extremely versatile piece of furniture having an incredibly wide base and flexible arms extending out to either side.
The base of the chair can be left straight and the rest is flexible to be bent at the knees or at the back to suit a range of sitting positions. If it has only one seat attached beneath it, the chair can be folded up flat when not in use. If it has only two seats attached, the chair can be fold up into itself to allow one person to sit in it, the same way as a camping chair. If there are additional people in the group, the old French chaise longue will have to be adjusted to accommodate the extra people.
The main feature of the chair is its beautiful design that allows it to fold up into itself, into a triangle shape. At the base of the chair, there is an extra flexible seat that can be used as a footrest when a person sits on it, or as a chair when someone sits on it, in order to accommodate two people comfortably. On the inside of the chair there are four legs that extend out into the garden or onto the grass. At the back of the chair there are long thin wings that can be opened to allow someone to sit in it or for a person to stand from it. These simple but practical features make the garden chair perfect for people who live in small apartments and do not want to spend a large amount of money buying a complete patio furniture set.
One of the advantages of the old French chaise lounge chair is that it can be adjusted into almost any position. For example, if someone sits down in the chair with both feet on the ground, or at a maximum height if you have tall people in the family, then the chair will rise up to give that person more leg room. If someone sits on the chair but uses the chair only for their legs then you can adjust the backrest to raise the chair up higher and give better support to the person sitting in it. A chair like this is comfortable and will provide years of use if properly taken care of.
