Every home owns one or more seats for relaxing and chatting with families after a busy day. What kind of seat would you choose for your home, a sofa, a couch, a settee or a loveseat? Any of them must be the centerpoint of your living spaces and often be placed in the living room or keeping room, which is one of the furniture with high frequency of use. Today, those four seats are slightly different and some of those are interchangeable. Here we’ll explore the difference between couch and sofa, settee, loveseat.
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What is a sofa?
Sofa, the commonly used term, refers to a upholstered bench-style seating piece with arms and a back. It primarily serves for sitting and is always more formal for a living room. Sofas can be made from a variety of materials, including fabric, leather, or synthetic materials, and can have different designs and styles to fit various interior decor styles. They can be divided into standard sofa and sectionals.
Example of Standard Sofa:
Example of Sectionals:
Reversible Corner Sectional Sofa
What is a couch?
Couch, a casual term, is somewhat different from what we call today, even though it is also a bench-like polished piece. It is derivative of the French verb – coucher, so it may come with no arms and back, used for both sitting and lying. However, it is pretty much the same thing as sofa now.
Example:
Modular Couch with Unilateral Armrest
Armless Couch for Folding Sofa Bed
What is a Settee?
Settee, originally long bench with high backs and arms, is an upholstered seat similar to sofa. It can accommodate for 2 or more people, which can be a single sofa or a part of sectional sofa. This long seat is generally featured with a curved back which fits for the furniture trends, and made from wood.
Example:
Velvet Settee with Solid Wood Frame and Metal Legs
What is a loveseat?
Originally, loveseat is designed for women who wear long dresses. It is easy to understand, which refers to a standalone seat with two seat cushions. Thus it means for only two persons sitting closely to chat or watch TV.
Example:
Multifunctional Green Velvet Loveseat
Difference Between a Sofa and a Couch/Settee/Loveseat
Settee vs Sofa
If you are trying to figure out the difference between a settee and a sofa, check the list below:
| Features | Settee | Sofa |
| Size | Smaller, 50’’ to 70’’ wide | Larger |
| Seating | Fewer people | 3-8 or more people |
| Design | More like an upholstered bench;
Tall and exposed legs; Streamlined effect. |
Range from traditional to modern style;
Tall and exposed legs or lowline base. |
| Scenario | Any room; small spaces | Always for living room |
| Formality | More formal | Causal and comfortable |
Couch vs Sofa
Is there a difference between a couch and a sofa? Nowadays, it is hard to answer the question but browse the tiny distinctions here:
| Features | Couch | Sofa |
| Size | No clear differences | |
| Seating | More people | Less than couch |
| Design | With one or no arm | With armrest and back |
| Function | For sleeping, lying down, sitting | For sitting |
| Formality | Casual | More formal than couch |
Loveseat vs Sofa
It is very easy to understand the difference between sofa and loveseat. In some case, you even can place both of them in a spacious space.
| Features | Loveseat | Sofa |
| Size | Smaller, 52’’ to 64’’ wide | Larger |
| Seating | 2 people | More than 3 people |
| Design | uniformly sized | For various styles (standard, l-shaped, u-shaped ) |
| Scenario | Any room, small spaces | Living room |
| Formality | No clear definition | |
FAQs:
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What is smaller than a loveseat?
Chair-and-a-half is a comfortable seating furniture piece, which is wider than a singe chair but smaller than a loveseat. A standard chair-and-a-half is 51 inches from side to side, and 38 inches deep from the front to the back.
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What is a half couch called?
A half couch can be considered as a chaise lounge, an upholstered sofa in the shape of a chair. It is long to support the legs. You are able to watch TV and read, play games when lying down on it.
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What is a half couch half bed called?
We can call it sofa bed or daybed. It is a multi-functional piece, which can be used as a couch or a temporary bed flexibly. Daybed is perfect for comfy lounging and accommodate your guest for the night if you don’t have a single space for hime/her.
