The perfect hangout

Neither couch nor bed, the hammock is for lazy, even uncivilized behavior. No one has ever been thrown out of one for eating crackers; crumbs and spills can be removed by simply flipping it over or giving it a sponge bath. It’s no surprise that hammocks are just as often found on porches, in sunrooms and student dorms as they are on the lawn.

And talk about comfort: Hammocks conform to our contours and lull us like a rocker. They serve as a place of respite from the jungle out there and the pile of bills on the dining room table. It seems as if nothing really awful can happen when you’re on your back, pondering sculptures made from clouds. Their only drawback is being difficult to wriggle out of. (Hint: Maintaining your position in the center, move one leg in an arc, setting the foot on the ground, follow with the other leg until you’re sitting up, both feet planted, and let gravity do the rest.)

When shopping for a hammock, stability is a major consideration. The beautiful hand-woven ones from Mexico and South America often come without spreader bars to help create a horizontal bed. These hamacas also commonly hang from two points, and are best enjoyed by assuming a position across the width of the mesh, using your body weight to keep the surface of the hammock from enveloping you and to initiate a swaying motion. Those who do not wish to be in the swing of things should opt for hammocks with spreader bars and three or four connection points between the sling and the stand.

Once subject to the most pedestrian forms of decoration -- ivy prints and cabana stripes -- they’ve become even more inviting to flop into lately. The classic rope version has been styled into an Ernest Hemingway edition, with Key West green mesh and a faux-bamboo stand. The imported hamacas are a riot of color, while Anthropologie has created one festooned with butterflies. And for the serious investor with $2,000 in laying-around money, the Frontgate catalog (www.frontgate.com) offers a stainless-steel and teak hammock by Danish designer Jesper Moller Hansen that swivels 360 degrees.