January 6

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Learn The Difference Between A Divan, Chase, And Settee

By Robin Hatch

January 6, 2022


As one of the essential spaces in our homes, the backbone of every living room is comfortable and elegant seating. And the sofa, without doubt, remains the center of attraction.   

While a standard sofa may be many people’s first pick, it’s worth noting that there are different options available to create a more fascinating yet comfortable living space. If you’re looking for an elegant, versatile piece of furniture that can seat one or two people? You might need a chaise, a settee, a divan, or a daybed. 

But which among these is the perfect piece of furniture for your home? Read on to learn more. In this write-up, we’ll break down the distinctions between these everyday furniture items, as well as other terminologies you might come across on your furniture hunt.

What Is a Chaise?

chaise

A chaise, derived from the French term “chaise lounge,” which means “long chair,” is an upholstered seat for one person designed for reclining. You may think of it as a chair and a footstool combined. The back of a chaise is always there, and the arms may be one, two, or none. 

Some chaises are contoured, making it even more appealing to lie down and unwind. Others feature a more modern upright style that can seat two people side by side or one person reclining.

A fainting couch is a chaise with a back and a single-arm, often slanted. This design arose during the Victorian era when ladies wearing constricting corsets often needed to sit and catch their breath.

While the need for this particular piece of furniture has mercifully passed, it adds beauty and charm to the room.

What Is a Divan?

divan

With a history that dates back to the father of modern psychology, a divan could be just the thing to add an intellectually sophisticated touch to your home decor.

A divan is a tufted mattress-like seat directly on the ground or a low wooden frame. It’s frequently placed against a wall, where pillows can be piled to create a daytime seat that can be taken off and utilized as a bed at night. 

Most divans lack a back and arms. If there is an arm at all, it is usually quite short. The sitter is encouraged to recline lengthwise as a result of this. Consider the divan to be the older, more lounge-worthy sibling of the daybed.

Although the names “divan” and “daybed” are sometimes interchanged, “daybeds” have backs (unlike divans) and thus can be placed anywhere in the room, not only against the wall.

Also, sometimes what you call a piece of furniture depends on how you use it. 

What Is a Daybed?

daybed

A standard twin-size mattress, a low back, and two elevated ends are standard features of daybeds.  

Daybeds have been increasingly popular recently, with variants available everywhere from West Elm to high-end boutiques. When the extra pillows are removed, the furniture can be used as a sofa during the day and as a bed at night. 

What Is a Settee?

settee

A settee is a small sofa with two armrests and a back. It seats two people and is more upright and slim than a standard sofa. Because of its exquisite dimensions and upright stance, a settee may easily seem home in a foyer, a bedroom, or even brought up to the dining table, unlike most sofas.

Check out this article as a complete guide to decorating your bedroom.

Difference Between Chaise & Divan

The chair’s back is the key distinction between a living room chaise and a classic Divan. Like a regular chair, chaises feature a back with a constant height located along the shorter side of the seat.

On the other hand, a Divan usually has a back that goes along the seat’s long side.

Now that we’ve established the critical distinction between a chaise and a divan, let’s look at which of these should be the ideal choice for your home. 

Why You Should Consider a Chaise

Chaise is quite versatile: Finding living room furniture that fits can be a puzzle if you’ve got a space with an unorthodox shape. Living room chaises are a way to solve this puzzle while still retaining some serious style effortlessly. 

A chaise can make a small space appear larger: A backless chaise longue can make the space appear larger if you have a small living space. A chaise lounge in the center of the room has less visual impact and appears more graceful than a large sofa.

Increase your seating capacity by doubling up: Two chaise loungers in the middle of the room will create a cozy, symmetrical spot for two individuals to relax in luxury or for groups to gather in front of the television. 

A chaise will not obstruct your view: Most chaise couches are very close to the ground. This means they won’t block your view and may be placed in front of prominent areas like windows, fireplaces, or archways without detracting from the room’s other elements.

Sculptural elements of interest: A chaise could be ideal for breaking up the monotony of all those right-angles if your living room is staid, dull, and made out of rectangles and straight lines. With a trendy chaise lounge, you can add some curves to the mix and create a unique talking point for your guests while also providing a functional place to rest, relax, and decompress.

Why You Should Consider A Divan

More Comfort: All divan sofas and beds are constructed so that the person’s weight is distributed equally throughout the unit’s foundation, resulting in quality and comfortable seating and sleeping space.

An Idea to Save Space: If you have a small area and need to store many objects, a divan with storage is the ideal option. They usually come with drawers built into the base, providing plenty of storage space.  

Furthermore, while other furniture frames typically take up more room than the mattress, divans are only as long and wide as the mattress. Because there is more space surrounding the furniture, they are suitable for tiny bedrooms.

Multiple Functions are supported: What could be better than furniture that can serve as your bed and your sofa simultaneously? This is the allure of a divan, as it can be both at the same time.

In the living room, the couch furniture can accommodate many people simultaneously. On the other hand, you may make a bed for the night by simply removing the cushions and replacing them with pillows.

Set up a coffee table that can also be used as a side table at night. This single piece of furniture can function as a living room and a bedroom.

Many Cushions on a Couch: The divan sofa is a favorite piece of furniture for those who have a large collection of teddy bears and cushions in their room. This furniture unit is large enough to display all of the plushy decorations in one place.

On the other hand, the flat space can be the recipient of cushions and throws all at once. Your divan cover also serves as a starting point for cushion covers that can be used to contrast the look of the furniture. You can look for these online to find eye-catching contrasts for the entire room.

Convenient for Frequent Shifting: A sofa can be heavier when made of solid wood. When a mattress is placed directly on top of a bed, it adds weight. However, a divan bed can be the best piece of furniture because it is lighter than both but serves the same purpose.

This feature makes it portable enough to be moved from pole to pole as needed. When you want to enjoy some fresh air, simply move a diwan bed closer to the window, or divide it according to the number of guests expected.

Unfailing Decor: Divan beds are the epitome of simplicity and majesty in living room furnishings. Among all the other living room furniture, this finely constructed furniture will live up to the ethnicity. Many internet furniture retailers provide divans with elaborate patterns that are exceedingly well-detailed.

Conclusion

To decide which you should go for, you must consider their drawbacks and the purpose for which you need this furniture.  

The main drawback of the chaise is its size, making it unsuitable for all rooms. If you want to enjoy a true chaise longue sofa, you must have a very large living room to place this magnificent piece of furniture. Another disadvantage to consider is that it will be much more difficult to fit into your new home than a traditional sofa when it comes to moving.

On the other hand, divans can make cleaning more of a challenge. As you can’t get underneath easily, you may need to move the bed for vacuum cleaning. Also, they tend to ship as two large parts. This can make the bed tough to get into your home or through small doorways.

Therefore deciding which you should have in your home is an element of personal preference. Be sure to look through each option and weigh out the style and the colors of each item.

Robin Hatch

About the author

For over a decade, Robin has been a real estate agent, interior design specialist, and mother. Through her trials and tribulations, she wanted to create the perfect website to help you save money and make your home look beautiful.

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