There’s a Very Important Difference Between a Sofa and a Couch
There’s nothing better than spending a lazy Sunday lounging on your sofa…or is it a couch? Odds are, you’ve been using the terms sofa and couch interchangeably, and understandably so. Retailers lump the two pieces into the same seating category, and unless you went to interior design school, there isn’t a noticeable difference in design or use. However, there is a difference between the two, and it mostly comes down to formality and use. Ahead, we outline the subtleties that make a couch a couch and not a sofa.
What Is a Couch?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word “couch” as a piece of furniture used for sitting or reclining. When you think of a couch, think about comfort. A plush seat, cozy upholstery, and a soft frame are all definable qualities. Back in the day, originally cucher in French, the term literally translated to set in place. A couch is often used in less formal living spaces like dens, family rooms, and media rooms or basements. This is a piece of furniture that is designed for game nights and binge-watching the new season of Love is Blind.
What Is a Sofa?
Typically, more structured and formal in nature, a sofa is designed to be a decorative piece of furniture that is more for looks than for comfort. Picture a formal, Bridgerton-esque, sitting room or an occasionally used foyer—those seating pieces are more often considered to be sofas. Merriam-Webster defines a sofa as “a long-upholstered seat usually with arms and a back and often convertible into a bed,” but the term was first used to describe a raised carpeted area in Italy and Turkey.
Which One Is Right for You?
While not every couch is a cloud and every sofa a secret-sleeper, it’s important to understand what you’re getting when a retailer distinguishes between the two. If your priority is comfort and having a place to lounge the weekends away, opt for a couch with a plush, foam seat and an equally supportive back cushion. However, if you simply want extra seating for entertaining, or if you prioritize structure and statement over nap-ability, a sofa sounds like the right piece for you. Luckily, we have a shopping guide to point you in the right direction.
Shop our favorite sofas here, and shop designer-approved couches here.
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