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Originally posted by GT:
What I know about the Contour Chair Lounge...they where made in St. Louis, MO at least since the early fifties, then the company was bought, at some point, by a maker of adjustable beds(Comforest I think?), now that company no longer makes them. The chairs, like the adjustable beds, they where often recommended by doctors to relieve pain. The buyer would be measured, and the chair would then be custom made to their body specifications. Although these can be very comfortable chairs even when they don't fit exactly, here's how to tell if yours correctly fits you. Your heels should hang off the end of the foot rest so that the leg relaxes completely, and "headrest", is really a neckrest, it should fit in the curve of your neck. The idea of the chair is to raise the feet above the heart while distributing the weight of the body evenly. If you have a completely non-electric Contour Lounge with the nail head tacks, it's more than likely from the fifties, the reason you see so many more electric ones, is that the factory would reuse the old frames when they were recovered and then update them at the same time. They typically take 7 yards of fabric to reupholster. Though I have seen petite chairs and absolutely gigantic. Even though they don't have a famous name attached to them (that I know of) They are very noteworthy chairs when you think of them coming from a time when ergonomic wasn't exactly a household word. Finally, just so I don't leave you with the impression that all Contour lounges were just dull "grandma chairs", I have a old House and Garden ad where a lounge is described as "Pure Luxury!" (it's shown covered in mink!).