The Evolution Of The Couch In 9 Surprising Lessons
couch intro
How has our homes’ most comfortable and central piece of furniture evolved over the centuries, and what does it reveal about ourselves and society? We investigate.
By Bertie Alexander
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The Evolution Of The Couch In 9 Surprising Lessons.
Ancient Greece:
Ancient Greece: Couches can be traced back to the 7th century BCE. The Greeks called it a ‘kline’, and took the form of a rectangular block supported by 4 legs – occasionally animal legs. Although images of ivory Ariadnes draping themselves on these klines come easily to mind, they were more commonly used by several people at one time.
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The Evolution Of The Couch In 9 Surprising Lessons.
The Roman Empire:
The Roman Empire: The Romans took over the practice, though in a less democratic fashion; there was a certain amount of elitism to their revelry. Each had their own couch, but the one in the middle, the lectus medius, was reserved for him of most importance.
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The Evolution Of The Couch In 9 Surprising Lessons.
16th-Century Paris:
16th-Century Paris: The Middle Ages suffered an uncomfortable lack of couches, however the French court was said to have seats akin to the Greek kline – “couch”, after all, derives from the French verb se coucher, meaning “to lie down”. Germans visiting the court were shocked, reporting that “it no longer looked like a court” due to the people “stretched out full-length” on sofas.
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The Evolution Of The Couch In 9 Surprising Lessons.
The Regency:
The Regency: A craze for Greek-style klismos chairs and Grecian ‘sofas’ soon emerged across the Channel. These couches of the decadent Regency period (1811-1820) were distributed around a room with little regard to symmetry. Strict social formality was fast losing hold.
The Evolution Of The Couch In 9 Surprising Lessons.
Colonial America:
Colonial America: A book by London furniture maker Thomas Chippendale led Americans to commence creating couches of their own. This lead to the majority of households having their own couch, not just the wealthy.
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The Evolution Of The Couch In 9 Surprising Lessons.
Early 20th Century:
Early 20th Century: Back in the Old World, chaise lounge designs (think Freud’s couch) became hugely popular everywhere from Zurich to Swiss Cottage in the early 20th century. The imaginative and ungenerous among us may believe this was the subliminal cry for help of a continent coming to terms with its diminished role in the world.
The Evolution Of The Couch In 9 Surprising Lessons.
Post-World War II:
Post-World War II: The 1960s revolutionised the couch, and the likes of Chippendale got no more of a say than those of the ancient world. Clean lines, neon and perspex was rife. The couch was now a means of self expression.
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The Evolution Of The Couch In 9 Surprising Lessons.
Late 20th Century:
Late 20th Century: Calling us back to the shocked Teutons at the Parisian court, with the rise of ‘Cool Britannia’ and Tony Blair’s so called ‘sofa style’ of government, boys of the old guard in Britain regarded with horror the sofa taking the place of not just the seat, but also the table and the desk.
The Evolution Of The Couch In 9 Surprising Lessons.
Today:
Today: Designers continue to have more fun bending the rules of what defines a couch. The Feel Seating System designed by Animi Causa, for instance, is made of 120 balls covered with elastic fabric.
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The Evolution Of The Couch In 9 Surprising Lessons.
couch end slide
Considering the word ‘sofa’ comes from the ancient Arabic word for ‘cushion’, perhaps the couch hasn’t evolved that far at all, but simply come full circle. What certainly hasn’t changed is that the couch must be both comfortable and stylish. All else is superfluous.
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Living
The Evolution Of The Couch In 9 Surprising Lessons.
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