Who knew there are many different sofa styles and couches. Learn all about the different sofas you can get including distinguishing design features here. I have a thing for English sofa with their rolled arms. The rolled arms make lying on a 3-seater English sofa super comfy as the arms are gentle on your neck and head. But I deviated. This post isn’t about my love for English sofas; it is about taking you into a world of sofa styles and helping you make that decision during your next purchase. Let’s dive in!

1. Styles of Sofas & Couches Explained with Photos

2. SectionalSofa
• The section sofa is a multi-piece sofa. Common number of pieces are 3
and 5. It can be arranged in a number of configurations. The more pieces,
the more configurations. Ideally, any sectional you purchase will include
fixtures that connect the pieces to keep them from separating.
• Due to the massive and growing popularity of sectionals, there are many,
many styles, designs and materials to choose from. Some are huge and can
span large rooms while others are much smaller.

3. Chesterfield
• The chesterfield sofa is known for its
“quilted” or “tufted” style.
• Some have the tufted design on only
the back and arms (see our illustrated
guide to different sofa arm styles here)
while others include it on the seating
bench section as well.
• It continues to be a popular style with
current sofa trends.

4. Lawson-style Sofa
• This sofa style is designed for
comfort. Its signature design element
is a back comprised of pillows separate
from the frame.
• The reason for this design is to
create a softer, more cushioned
sofa with large cushions that aren’t
taught within the frame of the sofa.
• It continues to be a popular sofa
design today. You can buy a Lawson
style sofa in many sizes, colors and
materials. In addition to being uber
comfortable, you can move the large
pillows around for ultimate comfort.

5. Mid-century-
modern-sofa-
design
• From the 1930’s to the 1970’s mid-century modern
furniture reigned supreme, but don’t count it down
and out yet. It’s making a comeback and looks that it
will stay as it has now passed the test of time.
• This style of sofa is all about minimalist design and
clean lines. There are many varieties of this style of
sofa. It’s designed to look good and be comfortable –
the result is it’s not the most comfortable furniture,
but in coupled with the right home design, it can look
fabulous.

6. Contemporary
Mid-century
Modern Sofa
• Strictly speaking, what’s
commonly referred to as modern
furniture is really a midcentury
modern design.
• Moreover, midcentury modern
should not be confused with
contemporary furniture – it’s
different. Contemporary is a term
used for current furniture… but it’s
always based on a particular design
style such as a contemporary
chesterfield or contemporary
camelback.

7. English Rolled Arm
• The English sofa (a.k.a. English rolled arm) is
known for low arms in relation to a high back.
• Upholstery is tight throughout, yet decently
cushioned all over, including the arms.
• While similar to the Bridgewater, it’s
distinguished by the tightness of the upholstery
and low arms. In fact, some English rolled arm
sofas have arms so low as to appear to be
armless

8. Bridgewater
• Casual and comfortable define a
Bridgewater sofa design. The arms
are slightly rolled to the side and are
lower than the sofa back.
• While the Bridgewater design fits
in most room designs, it’s seldom
going to be the stand-out feature of
the room.
• If you want traditional and
reasonably comfortable in a sofa,
consider the Bridgewater style. It’s
still a staple sofa style today… but
it’s not nearly as popular as it once
was.

9. Camelback
• The camelback sofa’s main design feature is a
higher back in the center which descends in a
continuous line into the arms of the sofa. There are
also designs with two arches on the back.
• This type of sofa is also recognized for exposed
wood legs as well as frequently exposed wood on
top of the back and arms

10. Cabriole
• The cabriole sofa’s trademark design element is continuous, equal-height
back and arms. Often the arms curve inward creating a long line from arm
to arm.
• cabriole sofas are known for an exposed wood trim along the top of the
back and arms. However, you can find contemporary cabriole sofas in the
classic cabriole design without the wood trim.

11. Chaise Lounge
• Some chaise lounges have an
arm while others have no
arms. Also, the chaise lounge is
extremely popular as a patio
furniture item typically found
poolside.
• Modern chaise lounge sofas are
considered more of a decorative
addition than a necessary piece of
furniture in the home and are
usually found in a bedroom or
other room where relaxation
dominates.

12. Sleeper Sofas a. Pull
Out Sofa Bed
• Probably the most popular form of sleeper sofa is
the pull out sofa bed.
• A pull out sofa bed is distinguished from a futon in
that the sofa back remains upright while the sleeping
surface folds under the belly of the sofa from where it
is stored and pulled out.

13. SleeperSofasb.
ConvertibleSofa
• A convertible sofa differs from a pull
out bed in that it doesn’t have a
mattress.
• The bed “mattress” results from the
couch pillows as show in the image on
the left.
• This can be more or less comfortable
than a pull-out bed depending on the
quality of a mattress with the pull-out
bed (the quality range is substantial).

14. Sleeper Sofas c.
Futon
• The futon is a sofa/bed combo. Generally, the
back of the sofa folds or releases downward to
create a large, flat, cushioned sleeping surface.
• Similar to the futon is the convertible sleeper
couch, which is couch made up of pieces that
rearrange into a large flat sleeping surface. The
mattress is comprised of the sofa’s cushions. The
convertible style sleeper is often a feature of
sectional sofas.

15. Sleeper Sofas d. Daybed
• While it wouldn’t be cool to
ask guests to sleep on a daybed,
it can be a great place to kick
your feet up for a nap.
• The daybed looks similar to a
chaise lounge except the daybed
has ends or backs on each side.
• The problem with many
daybeds is they don’t
accommodate tall people very
well unless you don’t mind
resting your legs elevated.

16. Loveseat Sofas
• The loveseat sofa is an umbrella term for a sofa made
for two people. They’re often part of a living room set.
• Like sofas, loveseats come in many styles and designs
such as camelback, cabriole, etc.
• This was one bit of info I wasn’t familiar with, but after
a bit of research discovered there are 4 loveseat
categorizations, each depending on size measured arm-to-
arm. The categories are:
• compact: one person up to 51 inches long,
• small: 52 inches long,
• medium: 58 inches long,
• full: up to 64 inches long, and
• loveseat sofas: up to 71 inches long.

17. Divan
• A divan is a sofa without a
back. Therefore, they require being
placed against a bare wall against which
you can arrange pillows for a cushioned
back.
• While not the most practical because
you’re restricted to where you can place
them, they offer some versatility with
respect to pillow placement. You might
like the look of a backless sofa (i.e.
cushioned bench) against your wall.
• The red sofa featured here isn’t 100%
divan because it has some back support,
but it’s ideally designed for placement
against a wall for proper support.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

18. Recliner Sofa
• The reclining sofa is a fairly new
type of couch, but has grown in
popularity given they’re great for
watching television and reading.
• While not the best pick for a formal
living room, they’re terrific for family
rooms and media rooms. In fact, with
a little carpentry work building a
platform in a TV room and getting two
reclining sofas, you can make a fine
home media room.

19. TuxedoSofa
• A tuxedo sofa has high arms level with the sofa back that cuts straight
across.
• While not the most comfortable due to lack of reclining angle, it’s a classy
looking sofa with the straight lines.
• The tuxedo design is applied to loveseats and chairs as well.

20. Low-Seated Sofas
• Another particular kind of sofa is a low-
seated sofa, which spans multiple styles
and can be used in different rooms such as
a living room, family room, bedroom and
pretty much any type of room for lounging.
• The typical height of a sofa seat is 17″ to
18″. A low-seated sofa is one where the
seat is lower than 17″.

21. Pallet couches
• Pallet furniture is popular. Most people build it
themselves, but you can actually buy pallet
furniture such as pallet sofas.
• A pallet sofa is often built against the wall
where the back is the wall with cushions placed
against. However, you can also create a pallet
couch with its own back so it has a slight recline
to it so that it’s more comfortable than against
the wall.

22. Full sofa lounger
• The full sofa lounger is a sleeper sofa but
while in bed mode you can still sit up. Here’s an
example:

23. Multi-sofalounger The multi lounger is a sofa with more than one lounging
extensions. Here’s an example.

24. Single sofa
lounger
• This is very common and often
referred to as a sectional sofa. In
reality, it’s a sofa with a single chaise
lounge extension