Settee

A settee is the upholstered seating piece sized between a single armchair and a full sofa, typically 48-60 inches long, seating two people, with a more architectural and slightly more formal feel than a small sofa or loveseat. The form has been continuously popular for 300 years and remains one of the most useful pieces of furniture for entries, foots of beds, dining tables, hallways, and small rooms.

Origin

Settees emerged in early 18th-century English furniture-making as a formal two-person seating piece distinct from a single chair or a longer sofa. The original Queen Anne and Georgian settees often had elaborate frames with cabriole legs and refined silhouettes, they were status pieces in fine homes, used in formal sitting rooms, libraries and dressing rooms. The form became less formal through Victorian and Edwardian periods, then more or less merged with "small sofa" through 20th-century usage. In contemporary design, "settee" implies a more architectural, formal, often historically-referenced piece, a settee in a foyer reads more deliberate than a small sofa in the same spot.

Settee vs loveseat vs small sofa

These terms get confused. The distinctions are mostly historical and aesthetic:

• Settee, formal, architectural, often two-cushion or even single-cushion, frequently exposed wood frame, historically referenced design
• Loveseat, informal, two cushions, typically just a small version of a full sofa with no special architectural identity
• Small sofa, three or even more cushions but shorter than full sofa (typically 60-72 inches); more casual than settee

Roughly: same length, different vibe. Settees feel chosen and considered; loveseats feel functional and informal.

Common types

• Queen Anne settee, curved cabriole legs, gentle silhouette; classic traditional
• Camelback settee, distinctive arched silhouette across the top of the back; very formal
• Tufted settee, button-tufted Chesterfield-style two-seater; library favorite
• Bench-style settee, flat seat cushion, single piece; modern and architectural
• Sleigh settee, curved scrolled arms on both ends; more decorative
• Modern settee, clean-lined two-seater with low arms and minimal detail

Where they shine

• Entryways and foyers, a settee against the wall opposite the door reads instantly elevated; seat for putting on shoes
• At the foot of a bed, replaces or accompanies a bench; provides perching seating
• Behind a dining table, banquette-style seating against a wall, with chairs on the other side
• In hallways, surprisingly common in fine English country houses; adds usable seating to transit space
• In powder rooms or large primary baths, perching seat for putting on stockings or socks
• In bedrooms, at a window or as a reading spot away from the bed
• In small living rooms where a full sofa would overwhelm but a single chair would understate

Common mistakes

The biggest settee mistake is treating it as a substitute for a sofa in the main living room, settees are usually not deep enough or comfortable enough for long sessions of TV watching or napping. They work as accent seating and as the only seating in small or formal rooms, but not as the primary couch in a casual family room. The second mistake is choosing settees in the wrong fabric for their context, a delicate silk settee in a high-traffic entry will be ruined within months. The third is over-decorating around them; settees work best as a single architectural moment, not surrounded by lots of competing furniture.

Cost

Quality settees run $1,200-4,000 new; antique and vintage settees often offer better value at $400-1,500 for pieces with character. Designer reproductions and antiques in fine condition can run $5,000+. Reupholstering a vintage settee runs $800-2,000 depending on fabric.

Related furniture

Settees share territory with loveseats, small sofas, banquettes (built-in bench seating), benches (no upholstered back), bergère chairs (single armchair, similar formal feel), and méridienne (asymmetrical fainting couch). For maximum interior design utility, every house benefits from at least one settee placed somewhere it can be a quiet architectural moment.