French Polishing and Bespoke Furniture
In everyday modern usage, sofa is the most popular word in Britain to describe that big, comfy bit of furniture in your living room, while couch and settee are really just used as alternative words for the same thing. In Mitford’s list, sofa is the proper ‘U’ word, while couch and settee are naff, new-money and ‘non-U.
The word settee or setee comes from the Old English word setl, which was used to describe long benches with high backs and arms, but is now generally used to describe upholstered seating.
a long seat with a back
Many Uses For a Settee : Additional seating in the living room, or even a substitute sofa. A place for guests to sit at the dining table when there are not enough chairs. A bench in a dressing room or walk-in closet. Desk seating in a home office. A bench at the foot of a bed.
Lounge : And what do they call the room in which the settee/sofa is to be found? Settees are found in lounges or living rooms; sofas in sitting rooms or drawing rooms. You may occasionally hear an upper-middle-class person say living room , although this is frowned upon. Only middle-middles and below say lounge .
One of the most practical (and therefore traditional) pieces to put at the end of a bed is a bench , sometimes called a “bedroom bench ” if you’re searching for one online.
The name we have for this family space also depends on age. The younger you are, the more likely you are to call it the living room , as two thirds of millennials do. But the older you are, the more likely you are to call it the sitting room . Those who are middle-aged (35-54 years) are most likely to call it the lounge .
It was designed just for sitting, while the couch was created for both sitting and lying. The word davenport actually describes a specific type of sofa , made by the manufacturing company A. H. Davenport and Company. The word davenport is often used to describe any sleeper- sofa , regardless of the manufacturing company.
‘ The main room in an American home, the room where people usually sit and do things together like watch television and entertain visitors, is called a living room . The British name for this room , sitting room , sounds rather quaint and old-fashioned to American ears.
private conversation between two persons
A settee with space between the back and the seat, like the one shown here, can also be called a bench . If it is upholstered (as this one is) it’s still safe to call it a settee ; if there is no upholstery, definitely call it a bench .
transitive verb. 1 : to express sorrow, mourning, or regret for often demonstratively : mourn … must regret the imprudence, lament the result …— Jane Austen. 2 : to regret strongly He lamented his decision not to go to college.
The main difference between a loveseat and a settee is that a loveseat is built to fit two people only, while a settee usually fits two or more people. While loveseats are always an individual furniture piece, settees may be part of a sectional sofa with pieces that can be added or removed as desired.
24 inches
A banquette is a dining bench that seats multiple people and is often used in a breakfast nook. Banquettes can be freestanding pieces of furniture or built-in.