What does right-hand facing mean?

This describes which end the headrest sits when you look directly at the piece from the front. A right-hand facing antique chaise has the tall arm on your right side. Dealers use this specific terminology to help buyers match furniture to alcoves, fireplaces or bay windows in their rooms.

There is this narrow gap between the fireplace and the door in our room, and will one of these block the walkway too much or does the curved back help it fit?

The asymmetrical back on many examples does reduce the visual bulk in a room. Because the backrest tapers down to nothing at the foot end, they often intrude less into a walkway than a standard sofa. You still need to measure the maximum depth across the scroll arm. The widest point is always at the head end, and the legs can sometimes splay outwards past the upholstery line.

How heavy are Victorian ones?

They are substantial pieces of furniture. A mid-nineteenth century antique chaise packed with iron springs and a solid mahogany frame is heavy. Moving one safely always requires two people.

Looking at the fabric on the back of the padded section it is just plain dark cloth instead of the patterned silk on the front, so is that how it was originally done?

Cabinetmakers often used secondary fabrics on areas designed to sit firmly against a drawing room wall. It saved money on imported silks and damasks. If the plain cloth is black cambric or a simple linen, it is standard practice. Free-standing centrepiece models would have show fabric all the way around, but wall-facing designs rarely did.

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Antique Chaise

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An elongated chair combining a standard seat back with a lengthened footprint to support the legs, the antique chaise emerged as a dedicated resting spot for daytime reclining without requiring full retirement to a bedchamber.