Settee Styles

Chaise Lounge

• A chaise lounge is one style of settee. It is a long version that has an angled back for comfortable reclining. It was created in the 1700s and shared a similar resemblance to the original style of daybeds from the 1600s; however, the chaise lounge's seat expands beyond the front of the arms. Sometimes, chaise lounges are made as a set and have two or three coordinating segments that appear as though they originally were one piece. The segments form a stool and chair, along with an occasional footrest.

Chesterfield

• Another settee style is the Chesterfield. This formal piece is characterized with deep buttons, a double buttoned front border, and usually has a low back. Its arms tend to have scrolls and rows of stud nails. This style originated in the 1700s when Philip Dormer Stanhope, the 4th Earl of Chesterfield, commissioned a famous cabinetmaker to design him a seat that enabled a gentleman to sit with good posture, yet comfortably. This style had its first era of popularity during the Victorian period.

Daybed

• The daybed is a very popular contemporary piece of furniture, which originated in the 1600s by the French. Original designs had a long seat with one inclined side and were offered in varied leg styles, French decorative designs and fabrics. Over time, daybed designs have been made to place against the wall, lengthwise, instead of having a headboard positioned on the wall at the short end of the daybed to make it resemble the look of a standard bed.