Latest  Furniture | All kind of furniture.

About Couch (Furniture)

A couch is an upholstered item of furniture for the comfortable seating of more than one person and typically has an armrest on either side. Couches are usually to be found in the living room, den or the lounge. They are covered in a variety of textiles or in leather.

The most common types of couches are the loveseat (or British two-seater), the settee (2.5 seats), and the sofa (3 seats). A sectional sofa (often just referred to as a "sectional") is formed from multiple sections (typically 2 to 4) and usually includes at least two pieces that join at an angle of 90 degrees or slightly greater.

Other couch variants include the divan, the fainting couch (backless or partial-backed), the chaise longue (long with one armrest), the canapé (an ornamental 3-seater), and the ottoman (generally considered a footstool). To conserve space, some sofas double as beds (sofa-bed, daybed, or futon). There are also couches known by genericized trademarked names, such as a davenport or chesterfield (named for the Earl of Chesterfield).
 

History

Until the 20th century a couch referred to a long upholstered seat with one end inclined, high enough to provide a back and head-rest. "Couch" which in the Late Middle Ages had signified bedding (from the French se coucher, or "to lie down") was interchangeable with "daybed" through the 17th century. (Gloag, "couch"). Well into the 19th century a couch was particularly a seat for a lady; a fainting couch (a modern term) has a back and a single scrolling upholstered end. A récamier was a late nineteenth-century trade term for a similar single-ended couch, such as the one made famous in David's portrait of Mme Récamier (illustration, right).

The sopha or sofa had a separate origin. "Sopha" made its entry in written English in 1717 (OED); divan preceded it (1702). Sofa was originally an Arabic word for the raised section of floor, furnished with rugs and cushions, set apart for a council (see Diwan) thus also for especially esteemed guests. Designs for "sophas" in Thomas Chippendale's Director (1754, 1762) all have solidly upholstered arms with padded elbow rests, cushioned seats and upholstered backs, but show their carved wood framing.

Further back in ancient Roman society, the couch was found in the dining room (known as the triclinium). Three couches would be arranged around a low table and the men would recline while eating (although the women sat in normal chairs).

Originally it was an elitist piece of furniture and it was not until industrialisation that the upholstered couch became an indispensable item of furniture in middle and lower class households. Throughout its history it has often been an object of derision, considered a variety of things from decadent to conformist.

Since 19th Century the couch has become associated with Freudian psychoanalysis. Freud originally used the couch as a tool to aid his hypnosis of the patient. However when he moved on from hypnosis to stream-of-consciousness discourse as his dominant mode of analysis with the development of the interpretation of dreams, he still held on to the couch. He justified this with the need to limit the transference between psychoanalyst and analysand. Thus, the couch proved particularly useful because it limits the visibility of the analyst
  Site Map

 

bedroom furniture | garden furniture | dining room furniture | oak furniture | pine furniture | furniture stores  bathroom furniture | furniture shops | contemporary furniture | living room furniture | second hand furniture | furniture store | dining furniture | furniture uk | furniture shop | modern furniture | antique furniture  cheap furniture | conservatory furniture | furniture warehouse | patio furniture | nursery furniture  oak bedroom furniture | childrens furniture | outdoor furniture | leather furniture | designer furniture | baby furniture | furniture direct | Italian furniture | kitchen furniture | teak furniture | furniture London | furniture world | wooden garden furniture | cheap garden furniture | furniture online | street furniture | furniture design | best furniture in fashion lineReid furniture | discount furniture | wooden furniture | furniture hire | French furniture | teak garden furniture