20 Different Types of Couches to Choose From
You can call it a couch or a sofa. At one point in history, there was a difference in the terminology. Couches were armless and meant for catching a nap, while sofas were the more formal type of furniture for entertaining purposes. Today, the terms are interchangeable with dozens of different styles to choose from. Couches remain a practically indispensable home furnishing that provides you and your guests with a place to sit and relax. We put extra guests up on the couch when the beds are all full, and for many, the couch is the focal point of the living room. They come in all shapes, sizes, and designs. Here are 20 different types of couches you have to choose from.
20. Bridgewater Couch
Bridgewater is a sofa design that features slightly rolled arms on both sides. It is a traditional sofa style that doesn’t overpower a room. It’s a simple style that is intended to comfortably seat up to three adults with soft padding, loose cushions, and tailored skirts that cover the lower edges. The Bridgewater is a casual couch type that is designed for its comfort with origins in Great Britain, according to Home Stratosphere. Another name for the Bridgewater style is a Birch-Arm. Another defining feature of a Bridgewater couch is its strong interior springs that add to the comfort and durability.
19. Camelback Couch
The Camelback is a couch style that features a back that resembles the back of a camel’s hump. You can readily recognize this couch style from the high back in the middle that resembles the hump of a dromedary. The lines of the back run directly into the arms of the sofa to the side. Camelback couches may come with one hum or two. The arched back design of the camelback goes back to the latter part of the 1700s through Great Britain’s Thomas Chippendale furniture designer. It became a hit with British aristocracy for its elegance and ornamentation. The camelback is a more formal style.
18. Chaise Lounge
The Chaise Lounge is a type of couch that is popular for use in bedrooms. They’re distinguished by their daybed-like features. This type of couch originated in Egypt in about 3000 BC and the design has been popular through the centuries for providing a place to sit or recline by the poolside, on patios, in bedrooms, or sitting rooms. Chaise lounges may have armrests or be armless. They come in a variety of styles and fabrics with cushions used for headrests. They were used in a variety of ancient cultures including 1500s France and during ancient Roman times.
17. Futon
A Futon is a type of couch that combines the features of a couch with a bed. It serves as a couch during the daytime and converts into a bed when it’s time to go to sleep. Futons are sleeper-style beds that were created in Japan during the 17th century. They’ve been around for centuries and are still popular couch styles, although many people consider them a bed.
16. Loveseat
A Loveseat is a smaller version of the traditional couch. They are often made in complementary styles to full-size couches and sold as a set. Some loveseats are made as standalone units. They come in a variety of styles such as sectional, Chesterfield, Bridgewater, and all other couch types that exist. The loveseat is made to accommodate just two people. It is a compact version of a couch that is small measuring between 51 to 71 inches in length in small to full size.
15. Divan
A Divan is a backless couch that is usually placed against a wall, with pillows or cushions added for comfort. These are not the most popular nor practical type for most people, but there are conditions for which they are ideal. They’re great for placement against a bare wall s an accent when you need a place to sit but you don’t have room for a full-backed couch. They’re a unique type of couch used in various decorating schemes.
14. Settee
According to Homenish, the Settee is a smaller version of a loveseat that some consider being little more than an extra-wide chair. A Settee is still considered to be a couch/sofa though. They’re not as spacious nor as comfortable as a loveseat because a settee is usually much narrower. They comfortably accommodate one adult or two to three smaller children. They’re generally used as a place to sit or as decorator accessories in foyers.
13. Tuxedo Sofa/couch
The Tuxedo couch is distinguished by its straight across cut back and high arms that reach the level of the back. The straight lines of this type of couch are valued in some decorating schemes. It is a sophisticated couch that may be offered in the form of a couch or loveseat stying. The Tuxedo couch originated in Tuxedo Park during the 1920s era.
12. Chesterfield
The Chesterfield couch is a luxurious example of a sophisticated and decorative sofa design. These couches feature high-rolled arms that are the same height as the back of the sofa. They come in a variety of materials, predominantly leather with a quilted pattern. This type of couch was first commissioned by Philip Stanhope, the fourth Earl of Chesterfield, England in the late 1700s. He required a couch design that would allow him to sit without wrinkling his clothing. The Chesterfield couch style has been around for centuries. Although it’s not the most popular type of couch it is a style that is still in production by some manufacturers.
11. Mid-Century Modern Sofa/Couch
Mid-Century Modern is a couch style that features a minimalist design in the shape of a rectangle with a tufted back, seat cushions, and a sleek, clean appearance. The design was first introduced in the 1930s and it flourished as one of the most popular styles through the 1970s, but it fell out of vogue by the 1980s. It’s a style that is still used in some decorating schemes currently with several variations. some of these types of the couch are made with luxury materials and others with plain fabrics and applications such as fancy edges, buttons, and unique finishing details to add a bit of stylishness to complement the minimalist decor.
10. Daybed Couch
A Daybed is a type of couch that is generally considered a bed, but it falls under the classification of couch/sofa. It is similar to a divan, with the exception that the seat is more like a mattress with a back and two raised ends along with a low end. They’re used in small areas of a room as a place to sit during the day with the option of converting them into a sleeping area when needed.
9. Recamier Couch
The Recamier is a couch style that usually features two scrolled ends that allow you to place it in two different directions in a room. There is no back to this couch, and the sides are straight. They may be high or low. The Racamier is a versatile piece of furniture that you can position in either direction.
8. Low-Seat Couch/Sofa
Its height defines the Low-Seat couch. It is low, with a height of 17 inches or less, armless, and compact. These couches come in multiple styles and variations. We typically use them in bedrooms as well as living rooms or sitting rooms.
7. Sectional
They designed sectional couches in the 1950s era. They made the style to maximize sitting space by adding new sections as a family grew in size. Their multiple components characterized sectionals and can be as small as three sections up to five. We can configure sectionals in various shapes with new modules. You can make couches in L shapes, traditional couch styling, or wrap-around styling. They are bulky couches used in large spaces. They’re often placed in unusual shapes to maximize the use of odd spaces with seating. Modulars are an exceptional choice for families with multiple members because they provide the most area for seating. Sectionals are an expandable type of couch.
6. The Lawson
The Lawson is a couch that has a straight back with straight lines. Some of them can have rounded arm shapes, but most are square with clean and crisp lines. The Lawson is a variant of the English Roll style couch with the addition of loose back cushions. This is one of the most comfortable couch styles, with soft billowy pillows on the back. The style originated in the country of England.
5. English Roll Arm Sofa
They designed the English Roll Arm Sofa before the Lawson and served as its predecessor. Its soft lines with deep seats defined this style. Most versions of the English Roll Arm Sofa feature deeply padded arms. They serve as comfortable pillows on which to rest your head and take a nap. The design originated in Great Britain in the 19th century. Since its introduction, the English Roll Arm couch, also called the club sofa, has been a popular choice throughout the world. They come in various styles, including some convertible variants that serve as sleepers that you can make into beds.
4. Modular Couches
According to Living Cozy, Modular couches are contemporary sofas in a style that lets you configure them in various shapes. The term modular couch is used interchangeably with sectional couches because they make them upon components that you can move around. Someone may configure them in a variety of styles and shapes. Some module units come with sleep kits to convert them into beds by night and couches by day. They come in several styles and sizes. Modular couches are expandable to make larger seating areas or reduced to take up less living room space, offering smaller places to sit. They’re ideal for growing families, but you can separate the pieces into any size couch with sections that are the size of a wide chair for a matched set with a cohesive design flow. It’s fun to use modular couches in your decorating scheme because you can change the shapes easily to change the room’s appearance to prevent boredom.
3. Sleeper Sofa/Couch
The Sleeper Couch is a combination of a bed and a sofa. It is a convertible piece of furniture that serves as a couch by day and bed by night. There are various styles of sleeper couches, but the defining characteristic is a foldable bed frame built on the inside. A mechanism allows you to roll the mattress out after removing the cushions from the couch.
2. Cabriole Couch
The Cabriole couch is a distinct style that features a wooden frame that is most often exposed, creating a flowing line with bowed legs and a curvy-shaped back. The Cabriole is an old style of couch that dates back to the early 1700s, designed for King Louis XV. These are formal and decorative couches that become the focal point of any room. The Cabriole is one of the most unique and decorative couch styles used in formal living room decor.
1. Reclining Couch
The reclining couch lets you move the furnishing to a reclined angle. A mechanism that allows you to tilt the back of the couch backward at an angle, similar to an easy chair, characterized this couch style. It lets you create a position to sit at an angle and often serves as a magnificent piece of furniture to kick back on and take a nap. Recliners have been around for decades and previously worked via manually operated latches and mechanisms. Most of the current models feature electronic controls that work by electronics to run the motor that allows you to reposition the back of a section of the couch to various comfortable positions. You can still find the manual style, but they are becoming rare, giving way to the electric versions.