Who Invented The Sofa?

In the modern home, furniture plays a key role in how we express our design preferences and spend our downtime. One of the most important pieces is the sofa, as this is used to add comfort and function to one of the most pivotal areas of the home.

In 2023 sofas vary significantly in shape, style, colour, and finish and can be used in many different spaces to offer functional yet comfortable seating. Designs are no longer limited to big bulky pieces that take up space and homeowners are now able to choose from corner sofas, suites, love seats, armchairs, and similar to enjoy company, relax, and much more.

As such an integral, everyday feature, you may be wondering where sofas came from and how long we’ve been using them within homes around the world. If this is the case, read on to find out who invented the sofa.

Where did the concept of the sofa originate?

As seating similar to modern sofas has appeared throughout history, let’s take a look at some key points:

Ancient Egypt

Seating actually dates as far back as the 18th century and can be traced to lineages of dynasties in ancient Egypt. Kings and Egyptian pharaohs were buried in large tombs and while you may know that these often featured luxury items like gold and foods that would help the dead pass successfully into the afterlife, you might not know that there were also furniture pieces that were buried alongside these items. The idea behind adding creature comforts was to make transitions into the afterlife easier and provide a home away from home.

One example of sofas featuring in ancient Egypt was when archaeologists entered the tomb of the boy King Titan in 1922. Excursion leader Howard Carter found upholstered seating that resembled pieces that were typical of the current age. Considering that these pieces had been locked away in an underground tomb for centuries and managed to survive in a good enough condition for them to be understood as seating, the quality of materials and craftsmanship must have been at a particularly high standard that simply can’t be replicated in modern design.

Rome

During Roman times, an innovative seating piece called a Lectus appeared. This was a form of upholstered seating that was used as a dining chair where Romans of high standing dined in comfort. Royal families would have both beds and Lectus’s within their homes, whereas less fortunate families would typically use their Lectus as their bed.

The western world

While there may have been examples of upholstered seating centuries before, it took the western world a much longer time to begin to design and build these key features of the modern home. During the 1500s and 1600s, western homes were typically small and contained little to no furniture. In fact, the people of the time would sleep on basic straw linen beds and these were often kept in living rooms and doubled up as seating. Sofas and similar seating options were only found in the homes of the rich and important, and seating wasn’t considered a necessity for everyday use.

Early sofa designs typically contained oak sections and carpentry as crafters centered their focus on style – and many fit the church and Gothic aesthetics that was popular at the time. It still took a while for sofas to really gain traction as household items, but woodworkers, upholsterers, and similar artisans were beginning to expand their skill sets as building materials and a focus on architecture became more prevalent.

As more and more people started to think about how their homes reflected their social status within communities, houses started to be more elaborately designed and built, and people began to see the worth of well-designed furniture pieces that would make their homes stand out among their peers. As a result, large, comfortable, expertly designed sofas were a natural choice.
The first recorded image of a sofa was dated to 1686, on an engraving called ‘Woman Of Quality On A Canape’. The piece featured was in a low-back style known as a canape.

The French court

In the 1690s French court, imagery began to emerge of noblewomen using sofas to lounge upon, and they began to feature more prominently in homes as a result. Craftsmen began to move away from the traditional wooden bench-style seating by adding material furnishings and began to incorporate softer fabrics and even padding to emphasize comfort for more long-term use. Intricate wood carving also remained a coveted feature.

The 1800s

Furniture maker Jay Wellingdon Couch is accredited with creating the first sofa (or couch, as the case may be) in 1895, despite similar seating designs appearing centuries before. However, this is probably the closest example to resemble a modern sofa and acted as the basis for newer and more intricate designs. In this time period, the sofa was still widely accepted as an item for richer individuals with more elaborate homes. In the coming years, however, furniture makers began designing sofas in more durable, functional materials that cost less to improve the accessibility of comfortable seating for homes across the world. Design, style, and function have continued to improve and now sofas are an integral part of everyday life.

Modern sofas

For the modern household, sofas are often one of the most important investments; combining comfort with functionality. The modern buyer not only has access to sofas on the high street that is designed to meet every need in terms of colour, material, size, and shape, but they will also have the ability to choose custom elements for even more freedom.
Buying a sofa can now be as simple as going in-store and choosing the one you like or going online and having your chosen your sofa delivered straight to your door. It is still possible to speak with furniture makers who will create a unique sofa from scratch to meet your needs, but thanks to the internet and well-developed shipping protocols, you can even reach out to artisans around the world and order with ease.
Sofas are still largely handmade, meet a host of safety standards, and can cater to the needs of families, individuals, and even homes with pets. They can be used as little or as much as needed for years to come.