Couches: types and features of choice

A sofa, a folding chair, a bed are standard pieces of furniture for organizing a sleeping place in any home. If you want to add a touch of aristocracy and sophistication to your home interior, then it's time to pay attention to antique pieces of furniture, for example, an elegant, miniature couch. This sleek sofa with headboard will not only solve the problem of seating for a short break. It is also a very beautiful, delicate element of the interior, which was used in their homes by wealthy people, aristocracy, nobles.

The couch is a compact sofa for one person. Depending on the model. it may outwardly resemble a sunbed, chaise lounge, bench. A distinctive feature is the absence of a backrest. With or without one / two armrests. Despite the abundance of all kinds of models, they are all united by a common feature: a couch is a single version of furniture, on which you can sit or lie down.

The history of the appearance of this furniture goes back to ancient times. Then the couch was perceived exclusively as an element of luxury. She received the second birth already in the XVII-XVIII centuries. Luxurious couches in the Baroque style could be found in the homes of the nobility as a decorative decoration of the interior.

Later, the couch began to appear in almost every home: in bedrooms or in the boudoirs of beautiful ladies. An elegant bench not only served as an interior decoration, but also allowed you to elegantly sit on it, straightening your clothes or shoes.

Today couches of different sizes and designs decorate the interior of the bedroom, living room, nursery, hallway. They can be found in an apartment or a private house, they serve as furniture for decorating a balcony, cottage or garden area.

The head of the couch (if provided by the model) can have a different shape: semicircle, square, rectangle, triangle. The frame of the furniture is made of wood or metal, and textiles or leather are used as upholstery.

The couch can be folded out (forward or to the side) and be non-foldable. There is also a model that transforms into a clamshell. When folded, the folding bed is hidden under the seat. Many models are equipped with built-in compartments for bedding, blankets, pillows, blankets, bedspreads.

Often, an elegant compact sofa is called an ottoman, a sofa, a couch, an ottoman, without particularly going into the differences between these items. Meanwhile, they all differ in design features, appearance, and the presence of certain elements.

"Couch" in translation from French means the word "sleep". This is a single bed with a soft seat. May have a small or well-marked headboard, one or two armrests. Some models provide headboard height adjustment.

There are also the following types of relaxation sofas:

• Duchess - a round-shaped sofa with a well-marked rounded headboard. Its kind of "duchess-breeze" consists of two parts - an armchair and an attached pouf, which together create a spacious, comfortable sleeping place;
• Recamier. The furniture got its name in honor of the famous French owner of the salon. The model is a small sofa with a back and an armrest, made as a continuation of each other. Their bend resembles the line of an outstretched arm. A very beautiful and elegant piece of furniture;
• Ottoman - a wide, spacious sofa of Turkish origin with cushions that replace the armrest and backrest;
• Chaise longue is a sofa with a pronounced back and armrests;
• Confidant - a pair of chairs connected to each other or a small sofa designed for two interlocutors;
• Canapes - an elegant sofa with a pronounced headboard. Often found in modern interiors;
• Ottoman - a low spacious sofa without a back. Used to organize a sleeping place;
• Sofa - a low, wide sofa with a back and armrests.

The main types of couches:

• with and without armrests;
• with drawers;
• with or without a back;
• with a wooden or metal frame;
• leather or textile;
• on wide or narrow legs.

The couch is a rather original, versatile and useful element of the interior. It can be used as a chair or chaise longue, bed or sofa in different rooms. They can be single (classic) and double, high and low, for adults and children. The last category varies in size. There are also teenage models.

It can be used in home and office environments, for short-term rest or good sleep:

• Often, couches are placed in the hallway. This is ideal for putting on shoes / dressing or sitting down for a minute. For hallways of compact sizes, poufs or miniature benches are more suitable. And for a spacious room, an elegant, stylish couch is perfect. It can be located along the wall, it can be an angular model of varying degrees of rigidity. A semi-soft, hard or soft couch with a back will be a wonderful decoration for the interior of the hallway, hall and corridor.

• Couches of various models look no less harmonious in the bedroom.... The small bedside model is used to sit on it or fold clothes. The couch, located in the corner, becomes a cozy reading nook. Models can be without armrests, with a headrest and vice versa. The variety of products makes it easy to make the right choice.

• A couch in a children's room can solve several problems at the same time: seating children to read books or watching TV, organize a sleeping place and neatly place children's toys, clothes and other things. Typically, models for a children's room are equipped with convenient and roomy roll-out or drawers. And if the family has a newborn baby, then such a piece of furniture can easily replace the changing table.

• The sofa-couch will perfectly fit into the interior of the kitchen... Drawers will be an excellent place to store useful little things, and a comfortable and comfortable couch will perfectly accommodate guests or household members at the dining table.

• Couches are used not only in the home or office... It is also an indispensable item in massage rooms, reception rooms of medical institutions and doctors' offices. The practical, comfortable couch table is ideal for a medical examination, medical procedure or massage. Medical couches are often height-adjustable for a more comfortable position for patients. They are equipped with a manual lifting mechanism or an electric drive. For the transportation of the patient and the performance of medical procedures, comfortable couches on wheels are provided.

• The orthopedic couch can be used not only for medical institutions, but also for home conditions... It is a chair curved for the most comfortable position of the spine.Such furniture is recommended for people with back problems or other orthopedic diseases. Some models have not only a therapeutic, but also a curative effect. For example, couches with casters for the spine.

• Today, couches are increasingly found outdoors.... They are used as garden furniture. Garden sofas help to quickly solve the problem of lack of seating or to relax comfortably in the sun.

Despite all its seeming simplicity of such furniture, modern manufacturers offer to decorate their interior with magnificent fashionable design products, distinguished by originality and luxurious materials.

Since the couch is most often used as an additional piece of furniture, its design and colors should be maximally combined with the colors and style in which the design of the room is sustained. For example:

• Classic style model occurs most often due to its versatility. It is carried out in a laconic design and restrained, calm colors (white, sand, coffee). Bizarrely curved legs, beautifully shaped back or armrest are used as decorations;
• Baroque style always famous for a little pretentiousness, excessive luxury and splendor. Such couches are most often made in beautiful, noble colors (blue, wine, emerald), velvet, velor and other beautiful materials are used for upholstery. Golden fringes and tassels are used as decorations;
• Modern style implies practicality and ease of use. The design is usually as laconic as possible, modern materials are used for manufacturing, decorative pillows can be used as decoration;
• Delicate, noble French style "Provence" combines a simple, modest design, flowing lines and light pastel colors. Everything natural is characteristic of this style, so a metal couch with a pretty color of textile upholstery will come in handy;
• Lovers of brighter and more extravagant style solutions, for example, Art Deco, will surely pay attention to the orange, pink, purple or red couch;
• For minimalism and high-tech direction characterized by modern materials, the simplest design, universal shades and a minimum of decorations. Therefore, a sofa designed in this style is most often made in black, white, dark beige or gray. Usually the product does not have armrests and a pronounced headboard;
• Light, unobtrusive country style does not like excessive pretentiousness and pomp, prefers natural materials and chooses practical, restrained colors.

The classic couch is a ready-made bed. More modern options allow such furniture to be used both as a seat and as a sleeping area. Therefore, folding or sliding sofas have different options for transformation mechanisms. Usually they are divided into 2 groups: universal (for daily laying out) and guest (from time to time). Let's consider them in more detail:

• Click-gag... Simple and reliable mechanism that allows you to control the sides of the couch. Folds out the sofa in three positions: a seat, a sleeping area and an intermediate option for rest. The mechanism is very practical and allows the use of removable sofa covers. Minus: the couch equipped with this mechanism is not installed close to the wall, but at a short distance;
• Dolphin... This mechanism can most often be found in corner models, when a small couch can be quickly expanded to a full berth. The mechanism is distinguished by its versatility and high degree of reliability. Such a model can withstand significant weight and allows you to organize a flat, spacious sleeping place;
• The roll-out couch is very compact, practical and easy to use. When assembled, it provides a comfortable seating position. With the help of a hidden strap, the sleeping place is pulled out. The mechanism is suitable for daily, long-term use.

The couch, like other furniture, is made of strong, durable, practical and sturdy materials. For the manufacture of the frame part, metal and wood are most often used. The assortment for creating upholstery is not limited to two materials and is a fairly wide range of fabrics of different textures and densities.

The metal frame consists of an alloy of steel, chromium, copper and aluminum. Such models are often performed in the Art Nouveau or Provence style. Forged metal couches are a special category of furniture. Openwork metal curls, zigzags, floral ornaments greatly adorn such a seemingly primitive piece of furniture from the point of view of design. A wrought-iron couch will ideally complement and decorate any modern interior.

A wooden couch is a great option for a hallway, bedroom or children's room... The frame is made of solid birch, ash, oak, cedar, cherry and other types of wood. The lacquered finish not only prolongs the life of the furniture, but also gives it a soft, glossy sheen.

There are basically two main groups used as filler for seats or armrests: with and without springs.... In the first version, layers of coconut fiber, felt, foam rubber are laid on the spring block. In the second option, foam rubber, polyurethane foam and other elastic material are used.

Leather (natural or artificial), suede, velor, velvet, microfiber and other fabrics can be used as upholstery for the couch. Leather models look the most impressive, expensive and solid. Such furniture looks appropriate in the study, in the office, and in the reception area. Artificial leather substitutes or soft, textured materials are suitable for arranging a hallway, living room or bedroom.

The size range of couches is not limited by any standards, so today there is no problem to choose an elegant option for a small room or a longer and wider couch for a spacious room. Among the most common and demanded sizes of couches are 1750x650x620 mm, 1950x830x820 mm, 1410x800x760 mm, 1400x750x750 mm and other sizes. Folding sofas provide a sleeping place of 120x200 cm, 70x100 cm, 70x187 cm, as well as other options.

A small model is not suitable for accommodating a large number of people, and this is not necessary. Typically, such furniture is used in the hallway when you need to sit down to put on your shoes or answer a phone call.

The "baby" couch, despite its compact appearance, will be an excellent sleeping option for one person. This roll-out sofa will not take up much space, but it will perfectly cope with the task assigned to it.

A narrow daybed will surely be a great addition to a kitchen set. Small kitchens (Khrushchevs) are so cramped that it is not always possible to place a standard set of furniture there. In this case, a miniature, narrow couch is exactly what you need.

The color of the couch mainly depends on the color scheme of the rest of the furniture, the interior, the decoration of the room. It can be harmoniously combined with the environment or be a bright, contrasting accent color. It all depends on what goals are set for her. So:

• Most often, there are classic, restrained and calm colors. (white, black, coffee, gray, beige, brown sand). Such shades are practical, unobtrusive, elegant;
• Bright green, red, yellow, orange, pink, purple, crimson the couch will certainly attract the attention of others. Such a model serves as a decorative ornament or a bright accent in a calm, restrained interior;
• Wooden couches with a soft or hard seat in wenge, oak, walnut, ash and other types of wood elegantly and sophisticatedly complement residential and office interiors.

The couch most often has a laconic, austere design, so accessories, original covers, pillows and other items are used as decorations or decorative additions.

The terry cloth cover is most often used for couches located in medical institutions, massage rooms and beauty salons. They are practical, pleasant to the touch, available in pleasant colors, durable and affordable. They give the furniture a beautiful decorative look. They are usually issued with an elastic band to quickly and effectively "change" a furniture chair or sofa, if necessary.

Decorative pillows are mainly used for home furnishings. This is one of the most popular and original decor items. Pillows can have different shapes (square, cylinder, circle, rectangle), sewn in the form of funny animals, cartoon characters, flowers, letters and other objects. Decorated with embroidery, applique, braid, ribbon, rhinestones, bugles or a beautiful print.

Depending on the functional purpose, the couch can decorate different rooms:

• It can be put into the hallway or corridor (in the corner or along the wall) and the problem of lack of seats will be solved;
• The leather couch will elegantly decorate and study. Several of these models can easily replace a sofa or armchairs;
• The couch can be placed to the balconyto equip a small seating area there. Nearby, you can place a small table and get a cozy place for breakfast in the fresh air, for example;
• For the living room usually they use more interesting and dimensional models, which may well replace a full-fledged sofa or a couple of armchairs. They can be fold-out or roll-out to provide a sleeping place for household members or guests of the house. Furniture can be placed along a wall, in a corner, or even in the center of a room. Especially if the couch is a luxurious, beautiful, dimensional model.

When choosing a home couch, you must adhere to the following expert recommendations:

1. Upholstery material. If you plan to use the couch constantly, then the upholstery fabric should be strong enough, strong, durable and easy to clean (leather, flock). If the product is a purely decorative element of the interior, then thinner and more beautiful materials (velvet, satin, velor) can be used for its decoration.
2. The color of the couch should either match the color of the rest of the furniture or be repeated 1-2 times in the interior, for example, in curtains, flooring or accessories. Models of dark, deep colors are best suited for spacious rooms. For small rooms, lighter and dimmer shades are suitable.
3. Transformation mechanism... If the couch is planned to be used as a permanent bed, then the mechanism must be very reliable and strong. It can be a roll-out or sliding model.
4. Functionality. If there is not enough free space in the apartment, it is best to pay attention to the corner, roll-out models equipped with drawers for linen, clothes or other things.

Consider interesting options for placing couches in the interior:

• The sleek wooden couch is ideal for classic, modern or oriental interiors. It goes well with the rest of the furniture in the room. A bright, rich color interior and original decorative ornaments perfectly complement the strict lines and laconic design of the couch;
• A cute couch can easily replace a bed or sofa in a teenage girl's room. Roomy, spacious drawers will cope with the placement and storage of a lot of useful things. Pillows are used as a decorative addition;
• One of the most original and unusual ways to use this kind of furniture is a couch-window sill. Such a model is placed close to the window opening, replacing the traditional window sill. Now, while relaxing on such a sofa, you can enjoy the magnificent view from the window. This option looks best, of course, in private buildings. An additional plus is good natural light on the sofa. This point is especially important when reading books, for example.

Often, buyers have problems assembling and disassembling couches at home. The videos below tell you in detail how to do this correctly.