Sofa listings use a lot of trade words. This glossary explains the ones you are most likely to meet, in plain English, starting with the most searched.
What does upholstered mean?
Upholstered means covered with padding and fabric or leather. An upholstered sofa has a frame that is padded with foam, fiber or feathers and then covered in fabric or leather. Upholstery is the covering and padding itself, and also the craft of fitting it.
What is an ottoman?
An ottoman is a padded, upholstered seat or footstool with no back or arms. It can be a footrest, an extra seat or, with a tray on top, a coffee table; a storage ottoman has a lid and space inside. See sofas with an ottoman.
What is a chaise?
A chaise (short for chaise longue, French for “long chair”) is a seat long enough to stretch your legs out on. On a sofa or sectional, the chaise is the extended seat at one end. See sofas with a chaise.
Shapes and types
- Sectional
- A sofa made of two or more pieces that join into an L or U shape.
- Modular sofa
- A sofa built from separate seats and corners that can be rearranged.
- Loveseat
- A small sofa for two people.
- Settee
- A small, upright two-seat sofa, often with exposed legs.
- Sleeper sofa (sofa bed)
- A sofa that converts into a bed, by pulling out a mattress or folding flat.
- Futon
- A frame with a thick mattress that folds between a seat and a bed.
- Daybed
- A bed-depth seat, usually with a back and sides, used as a sofa by day.
- Cloud couch
- A deep, low, overstuffed sofa made for sinking into.
- Boneless (frameless) couch
- A sofa made of foam blocks with no rigid frame, usually shipped compressed.
- Chesterfield
- A sofa with deep button tufting and rolled arms the same height as the back.
- Mid-century modern
- A 1950s-60s style: clean lines, slim arms and tapered wooden legs.
Sides and layouts
- LAF and RAF (left-arm facing, right-arm facing)
- Which side the arm or chaise is on as you face the sofa. A left-facing chaise is on your left when you stand in front of it.
- Reversible chaise
- A chaise that can be set up on either side.
- Corner (wedge)
- The piece that joins the two sides of a sectional.
- Armless chair
- A sectional seat with no arms, used in the middle of a run.
Arms, backs and details
- Track arm
- A straight, square arm; a modern look.
- Rolled arm
- An arm that curves outward; a traditional look.
- Tight back
- A back upholstered directly onto the frame, with no loose cushions.
- Pillow back
- A back made of loose or semi-attached cushions.
- Bench seat
- One long seat cushion instead of two or three.
- Tufting
- Buttons or stitches pulled through the padding to make a dimpled pattern.
- Welt (piping)
- A fabric-covered cord sewn along seams for definition.
- Nailhead trim
- A row of decorative metal studs along an edge.
- Slipcover
- A removable fabric cover fitted over a sofa, often washable. See slipcovered sofas.
Frames, springs and cushions
- Kiln-dried hardwood
- Wood dried in a kiln to remove moisture, so the frame is less likely to warp or crack.
- Sinuous (zig-zag) springs
- S-shaped steel springs running front to back under the seat.
- Eight-way hand-tied
- Coil springs tied to each other by hand in eight directions; a traditional, costly suspension.
- Pocket coils
- Individually wrapped springs inside a seat cushion.
- High-density foam
- Foam that weighs more per cubic foot and keeps its shape longer. Density is not the same as firmness.
- Down-wrapped (feather-wrapped)
- A foam core wrapped in a feather or down layer for a softer surface.
- Seat depth
- The distance from the front edge of the seat to the back cushion.
More in cushion firmness and fill.
Fabrics and leather
- Performance fabric
- Fabric made to resist stains, spills and wear.
- Chenille
- A soft fabric woven from fuzzy, caterpillar-like yarn.
- Bouclé
- A fabric made from looped yarn with a nubby, curly texture.
- Corduroy
- A fabric with raised parallel ribs, called wales.
- Velvet
- A fabric with a short, dense pile and a soft sheen.
- Microfiber
- A fabric woven from very fine synthetic fibers; faux suede is one kind.
- Full-grain leather
- Leather that keeps the hide’s complete natural surface; the most durable.
- Top-grain leather
- Leather whose surface has been lightly sanded and finished for a more even look.
- Aniline leather
- Leather dyed through with no heavy surface coating; soft and natural, but it marks more easily.
- Faux leather (PU, vegan leather)
- A fabric coated with polyurethane or PVC to look like leather.
- Bonded leather
- Leather scraps bonded with polyurethane onto a backing.
- Cleaning code
- The letter on a sofa’s tag (W, S, W/S or X) that says which cleaners are safe. See upholstery cleaning codes.
- Double rubs (Martindale)
- Abrasion test results; a higher number means a harder-wearing fabric.
- Pilling
- Small balls of fiber that form where fabric rubs. See couch pilling.
Ready to choose? Start with how to choose a sofa or types of couches.. For older words such as davenport, settee and divan, see other names for a sofa; for fabrics, see PU and vegan leather and performance fabric.