Talk:Couch

Inconsistency
This article claims that the term "couch" is both predominantly and rarely used in Ireland.

Comments
Does anyone know the origin of the word "couch"? 24.177.175.169 (talk) 01:30, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

There's still more to be done - this page is full of generalities. Perhaps someone has a furniture book or expertise in that area would like to comment on different couch styles... Someone who is more versed in the visual arts could give some examples of paintings.

It would be helpful if anyone can get their hands on:
 * the German academic paper "Das Sofa" (paper outline here) by Michaela Dantler
 * the book "An encyclodedia of sofas" by Constance King
 * the tape of the arte (French/German TV station) documentary: "Die Dinge des Lebens: Das Sofa"

—Preceding unsigned comment added by Pteron (talk • contribs)

Gendered object?

 * The couch is an extremely gendered object. It is invariably associated with femininity. In the visual arts women were represented sitting or lying on couches, oftentimes in the nude and/or in submissive positions, thereby satisfying masculinist erotic fantasies. The persistent use of this trope (still to be seen in modern cinema, e.g. in Titanic) has established an almost intrinsic connection between the female body and the couch.

I've removed the above section - it just doesn't sound right. References might help to back it up and if so it could be put back. violet/riga (t) 21:51, 7 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 * I agree. It may be for assistance|help]])   22:49, Oct 7, 2004 (UTC)
 * That smells a lot like WP:OR.--h i s  s p a c e   r e s e a r c h 20:35, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

Loveseat Merge
I've merged Loveseat into this article, I put up the suggestion a while back and got no opposition to it, just thought I'd let you know †he Bread  07:17, 6 October 2006 (UTC)

Not gonna take the time to do the research now, but I for one am appalled - appalled I tell you! - that the "S" shaped, two-seaters-facing-each-other style (albeit usually with padding), is nowhere mentioned. Back in the day, "Love Seat" meant nothing else. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 96.50.106.190 (talk) 19:50, 10 September 2010 (UTC)

I agree; a love seat is an S-shaped piece of furniture (for an unusual but clear version, see here. --91.125.204.60 (talk) 16:59, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

Couch tag
Does anyone know the history of the laws regarding the couch tags that say, "Do not remove under penalty of law." I've been trying to figure out why couches have them, but could find nothing as of yet.

It's mostly intended to be followed by retailers, as a Customer Protection because of Truth in Advertising Laws. Don't worry! As The End-Consumer, you can do anything you want to your Couch, lol. 71.233.230.223 (talk) 01:23, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Tom Cruise?!
Is that really necessary? 203.132.67.134 10:12, 11 February 2007 (UTC)

I think the Tom Cruise information should be left in but formatted into a more standard "couches in pop culture" section similar to other wikipedia entries. Or place all that trivial information into its own entry... however that stuff gets done around here. Divadotn 23:37, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

The photo is so obviously put in there just for laughs... you can hardly see the couch! Joke photos should be less obvious.--24.85.46.33 22:52, 18 June 2007 (UTC)


 * This is one of the most irrelevant pieces of trivia I've seen in Wikipedia. It has nothing whatsoever to do with couches and I'm removing it. Angela. 14:12, 22 August 2007 (UTC)

Cry more please, Angela —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.195.72.55 (talk) 06:01, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

developing
wow. would someone take a look at this?

it's atrocious.

developing
wow. would someone take a look at this?

it's atrocious.

Itsallaroundus (talk) 17:03, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

Actually, that's YOUR job! Feel free to edit at your leisure.Homely (talk) 21:34, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

Couch the game?
What is this section and what relevance does it have? It should definitely be removed.. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.195.184.117 (talk) 04:02, 4 June 2009 (UTC)

I have not heard of this game, now I am intrigued ... Smin0 (talk) 01:13, 3 December 2009 (UTC)

Rucked Up
Various editors seem to have sprawled all over this article to no great effect. Hakluyt bean (talk) 21:55, 1 August 2009 (UTC)

Second photo is not a couch
According the definition at the beginning, the second photo is not a couch (it's just a single chair, for seating one person). I'm removing it, but someone could add another one? Smin0 (talk) 01:13, 3 December 2009 (UTC)

Edit request from Institutinalized, 16 September 2010
A couch is a generic term in North America, Australia (Most commonly known as a lounge), New Zealand, and sometimes the United Kingdom for an item of furniture designed to seat more than one person and providing support for the back and arms. Typically, it will have an armrest on either side. In homes couches are normally found in the family room, living room, den or the lounge. They consist of a wooden or metal structure supplemted by padding and are covered in a variety of textiles, leather, or sometimes a combination of both. They will also be found in hotels and parts of commercial offices, furniture stores, etc.

Other terms synonymous with the above definition of couch are sofa (derived from the Arabic word suffah), settee and canapé.

The term canapé is commonly used also in Greece, for fans of Greek Football teams Olympiakos.They tend to sit on the couch and watch Panathinaikos play in the UEFA competitions.

Etymology
The traditional meaning of couch is a particular type of sofa with a half back and one raised end. By this definition it more closely resembles a daybed, chaise longue, or indeed a bed. In the UK, where the generic term for the item of living room furniture is usually "sofa" or "settee", the term "couch" retains this specific meaning, for example in a therapeutic setting (e.g. a psychiatrist's couch). A couch is therefore used while lying down, while a sofa or settee is for sitting upright. The word "couch" derives from Old French couche, meaning "bed", and from coucher, meaning "put to bed, lay down".<ref name="couch"/

Types
The most common types of couches are the "loveseat", or British two-seater, and the settee or sofa, with two or more seats. A sectional sofa, often just referred to as a "sectional", is formed from multiple sections (typically two to four) and usually includes at least two pieces that join at an angle of 90 degrees or slightly greater, used to wrap around walls or other furniture. A sectional sofa is known as a corner sofa or corner suite in the UK.

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 type of footstool). To conserve space, some sofas double as beds in the form of sofa-beds, daybeds, or futons. There are also couches known by genericized trademarked names, such as a davenport or Chesterfield (named for one of the Earls of Chesterfield).

The term "chesterfield" is a Canadian term equivalent to couch or sofa. The use of the term has been found to be widespread among older Canadians, but is quickly vanishing from Canadian English according to one survey done in the Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario in 1992. In the United Kingdom, the word refers to a particular style of sofa featuring a low rolled back and deep buttoning.

The term "three-piece suite" is used to describe a furniture set consisting of a two or three-seater couch and two armchairs. Other less specific terms for sets with at least one sofa include "chesterfield suite", "lounge suite", "living-room suite" and "sofa suite".

Edit request from 62.103.215.199, 16 September 2010
Please change "The term canapé is commonly used also in Greece and Cyprus, for fans of Greek and Cypriot Football teams Panathinaikos and Omonoia.They tend to sit on the couch and watch Olympiakos, APOEL and Anorthosis play in the UEFA Champions League." to "The term canapé is commonly used also in Greece for fans of Greek team Olympiakos. They tend to sit on the couch and watch Panathinaikos play in the UEFA Champions League" because historically Panathinaikos has given many more international games than any other Greek team and especially more than Olympiakos.

62.103.215.199 (talk) 14:01, 16 September 2010 (UTC)

Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Celestra (talk) 15:25, 16 September 2010 (UTC)

Edit request from Ak200969, 16 September 2010
The article sais

"The term canapé is commonly used also in Greece and Cyprus, for fans of Greek and Cypriot Football teams Panathinaikos and Omonoia.They tend to sit on the couch and watch Olympiakos, APOEL and Anorthosis play in the UEFA Champions League."

The truth is the exact opposite. The term is used only for Olympiakos fans who sit on the couch and watch arch-rivals Panathinaikos play in all european competitions, while Olympiakos is either eliminated earlier, or eliminated from August.... The fact that Panathinaikos has played more games in all European competitions than Olympiakos is undoubtable and can be confirmed by a brief research in UEFA history.

Ak200969 (talk) 14:48, 16 September 2010 (UTC)

Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Celestra (talk) 15:29, 16 September 2010 (UTC)

Edit request from ChriskLGate13, 16 September 2010
The term canapé is commonly used also in Greece and Cyprus, for fans of Greek and Cypriot Football teams Olympiakos and Omonoia.They tend to sit on the couch and watch Panathinaikos, APOEL and Anorthosis play in the UEFA Champions League.

The information is wrong. Correct it with the upper add-on.

ChriskLGate13 (talk) 15:26, 16 September 2010 (UTC)

Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Celestra (talk) 15:31, 16 September 2010 (UTC)

South Australian terms
English, Irish and Scottish migration to South Australia over nearly 175 years has brought different spoken terminology to the vernacular. Couch is the main older Australian word used but English and Scottish settlers from the 1950s onward use the term settee. Offspring from these settlers use a variety of terms, namely couch, sofa, lounge and less often, settee. The term sofa is not generally used in South Australia though it appears in furniture catalogues so may appear in the younger gererations' vocabularies given time. Gradual media-influenced Americanization of Australian English may see some words soon becoming acceptable when they were scorned in the past. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Trevorheywood (talk • contribs) 10:18, 18 September 2010 (UTC)

is the word sofa really americanisation? in england it is a sofa or setee NOT a couch. therefore, I don't think sofa is an american word. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.21.4.251 (talk) 21:38, 23 October 2010 (UTC)

I'm taking the United Kingdom part out of the list of places that use the word couch as I'm English and have never in my 22 years heard anyone call it a couch! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.195.72.55 (talk) 06:14, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

I've restored the United Kingdom to the list of places that use the word couch since the above is almost certainly OR and, to make it worse, incorrect OR. For example, http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k.aspx — Preceding unsigned comment added by Feefa (talk • contribs) 20:48, 20 May 2012 (UTC)

Ottoman
Also known as an ottoman? Since when? If that's the case, why do we have a separate article for Ottoman? Suggest either we remove this from the first line or merge pages. 81.100.244.9 (talk) 11:07, 4 November 2010 (UTC)

How much material do i need yo buy for a 3 seat cushioned couch? How much for a 2 seat cushion love seat? It is mission style, so all wood on the sides.... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.182.36.133 (talk) 14:38, 13 November 2010 (UTC)


 * An ottoman is also known as a hassock, a well-cushioned footrest often used with an armchair. Watch the start of Private Benjamin where she complains that the ottoman isn't quite mushroom colored enough. She's picking it up. Even after boot camp she would not have been able to pick up a sofa.

100.15.127.199 (talk) 22:12, 4 June 2022 (UTC)

Definition change? (or maybe just the third picture )
In the beginning of the article it says "A couch, also called a sofa, is an item of furniture designed to seat more than one person and providing support for the back and arms"

Towards the end of the page the caption reads "A single seater couch". This poor excuse for a couch also does not feature support for the arms.

Clearly one of them is incorrect. Thought I would post here rather than removing the picture of the monstrosity of a couch. Adam BSR (talk) 23:10, 1 May 2011 (UTC)

Images: settee and chaise longue = couch ???
The definition of "couch" has been interpreted too broadly in this article. A couch or sofa is an upholstered piece furniture that can seat at least two people, made for sitting or lying down upon. The word "couch" is from French (couche) originating in the verb "to lie down" (coucher), and "sofa" is from Turkish for carpet or a divan (suffa). --- If the piece of furniture under discussion here is not upholstered, or at least padded, and made for comfort, it's not a couch -- it's something else. The photo of the wood and cane Portuguese settee in this article is not a "couch" and I don't know anyone who would call it that. Also, the chaise longue, designed for one person, is also not a "couch". --- I plan to remove these two images from this article soon. Comments? Charvex (talk) 09:35, 14 August 2012 (UTC)
 * go by the sources174.114.11.60 (talk) 13:55, 30 October 2013 (UTC)

Furniture layers (inside construction)
What are the names of materials used inside furniture (for example: the cloth inside used to sandwich sponge between it and the outside material and saw it in place)?

Couch of Loriot?
Does anyone outside Germany know who Loriot was? A more relevant caption perhaps ... 79.213.11.5 (talk) 11:10, 18 May 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
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Use of sofa in American English
Does anyone else find the idea that "sofa" is not used in American English quite bizarre? It's used all the time. It's used regularly in the vernacular, and is also the term in the furniture industry, where I work. There is a subtle difference in how the terms are used, but they are both used constantly. I wanted to ask for comment from other Americans before changing the article. 12.118.186.226 (talk) 16:16, 23 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Reply to myself: Well, I just asked two people at work, both Americans, and they both said they grew up calling it a "couch" and maybe occasionally a "sofa" but didn't really start using "sofa" regularly until they started working in the furniture industry. I should also note that I grew up partly in the UK. Any other Americans want to comment? 12.118.186.226 (talk) 16:24, 23 January 2020 (UTC)

American here. Anecdotally, “couch” might be a little more common, but “sofa” is still used very often. &mdash;Will(B) 18:32, 4 June 2020 (UTC)


 * American here. I grew up using sofa but I know that some people here also say divan.

100.15.127.199 (talk) 22:12, 4 June 2022 (UTC)

Another American checking in. I have always used "couch" and "sofa" interchangeably. Rreagan007 (talk) 03:05, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

External Link: Reference 11 has incorrect URL
It is supposed to point to an entry for chesterfield suite on Merriam-Webster (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chesterfield%20suite), but it instead links to The Free Dictionary's listing for couch. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.153.30.218 (talk) 17:30, 2 June 2022 (UTC)

English
English was around the world for a long period of time 116.240.51.119 (talk) 10:28, 17 October 2023 (UTC)