What Exactly Is A Chesterfield Sofa?
The Chesterfield sofa is one of the most popular and well-known sofa designs. In fact, in Canada (receiver of many British exports), the term chesterfield came to mean a sofa of any design. But when you’re talking about the original, here’s what that means: Simply put, a Chesterfield sofa is a large couch with rolled arms that are the same height as the back. A quintessential Chesterfield is upholstered in a dark leather, with deep button tufting all over and nailhead trim. More modern takes on the sofa typically lighten up the hefty original with velvet or other cloth upholstery, taller legs, and a slimmer back and arms.
So Where Did The Chesterfield Sofa Come From?
Though it’s not officially documented, furniture lore has it that in the mid-1700s Lord Philip Stanhope, fourth Earl of Chesterfield, commissioned a piece of furniture that became the ancestor of Chesterfields sofa as we know them today. Lord Stanhope was an admired writer and politician, and apparently a known trendsetter of his time. As any proper gentleman would want, he requested a piece of furniture that would allow him to sit upright without wrinkling his suit.
The legend continues that on his deathbed, Lord Stanhope told his butler to “give Mr. Dayrolles a chair,” probably asking him to find a seat for his godson. But the butler wasn’t sure exactly what his deceased boss meant, so he literally gave the prototype to Mr. Dayrolles, who then showed off the design to his many houseguests, thus proliferating the trend.
It’s important to note that this early 18th century Chesterfield sofa was likely very different from the ones we know today. The sofa design became quite popular during Queen Victoria’s reign (she even had her own plaid-covered versions in one of her castle’s drawing rooms), when furniture as a whole began to be made with a priority of comfort over function.
