V and A Images Settee, England, 1690-1700. This may be the earliest surviving sofa: it was made in England in the 1690s in a style that would long remain popular there, referred to as “double Windsor chairs without a division.”

What is the difference between a couch a sofa and a settee?

A traditional couch is how we would now describe a 'psychiatrist's couch' or a leather couch in a hotel lobby, a bar or a waiting room. A settee is more commonly known as being similar to a sofa, as it has a back, but the settee definitely evolved separately to a sofa, even though today they both mean the same thing.

What did people use before sofas?

Chairs, tables, and various types of cupboards were also frequently draped with bright fabrics, while chairs, settles, and other seat furniture were provided with cushions. The chest was the basic type of medieval furniture, serving as cupboard, trunk, seat, and, if necessary, as a simple form of table and desk.