What Are the Basic Sofa Styles?

English or Club

• With its simple, classic design, the English or club sofa style is a staple of the sofa manufacturing industry. This type of sofa features low, rounded arm rests that are set back from the seat of the sofa. The seat is usually tight and rolled back slightly. The English or club sofa generally does not have a skirt at the bottom and stands on low, curved legs on castors. The back of the sofa is usually a straight line as opposed to the humped back you find in camelback sofas, for example.

Camelback

• Originally designed by Thomas Chippendale in the 18th century, the camelback sofa has become a classic sofa style distinguished by the shape of its backrest. The tight backrest is low on the sides but has a curved, elevated "hump" in the middle. High rolled arms, a tight seat and exposed stretches and legs are other common characteristics of the camelback.

Sectional

• Sectional sofas can look like any traditional sofa but they usually come in three or more separate pieces that can be arranged to fit the sofa into the corner of a room. With all the parts together, the sectional sofa is usually larger than most traditional sofas, which tend to fit just two or three people. A large, family-room style sectional sofa can often fit six or seven people at any given time.

Cabriole

• This sofa dates back to the 18th century around the time of Louis XV. What distinguishes this sofa from others is the shape of its backrest, which curves around in a continuous line such that the backrest and arms are one structural piece. The cabriole usually has carved, wooden legs that are often curved. Classic cabriole usually have arms that curve down, but modern cabrioles may have straighter arms at the same level as the backrest.

Chesterfield

• The chesterfield is a classic sofa design often associated with men's clubs and English-style libraries. Like the cabriole, the chesterfield's backrest and arms are one continuous structure. But what distinguishes the chesterfield from the cabriole and other sofas is its tufted backrest and arms that fold backwards. The cushions are sometimes tufted as well. Most chesterfields are upholstered in leather.