The History of La-Z-Boy Recliners

In 1927, cousins Edwin Shoemaker and Edward Knabusch designed their first La-Z-Boy recliner in Monroe, Michigan, just outside of Detroit. Up until then, no one had created a chair that reclined. The mechanism for reclining worked by allowing the bottom of the chair to move forward as the sitter pushed the top part of the chair backward. Notably, Shoemaker and Knabusch created the recliner entirely out of wood, so it looked very similar to what we would think of as patio furniture today. And indeed, that first version was intended for use outdoors and meant to represent “nature’s way of relaxing.” In 1928, they developed an upholstered version that was intended for use inside the home. However, it wasn’t until 1961 that the now-famous La-Z-Boy recliner-rocker was invented. As the name suggests, not only did the chair recline, but it also rocked. This design change led to a massive increase in sales. (La-Z-Boy went from $1 million in sales per year to $52 million in just 10 years’ time.) As the popularity of the rocker-recliner skyrocketed, the company rolled out other furniture pieces throughout the 1960s, including reclining sofas. Today, La-Z-Boy recliners remain popular in many parts of the world and the company now offers technologically advanced recliners, including powered recliners and lift recliners that allow the sitter to easily stand up to get out of the chair.