When you’re looking for romance, but also open to going a little rogue, there’s no better piece of furniture suited for that task than a vintage Victorian couch. The epitome of whimsical, but also endlessly sophisticated, a Victorian-style couch is the perfect piece for energizing a wide array of interiors, ranging from French-inspired to bohemian to shabby chic. If that versatility wasn’t enough, Victorian sofa designs can be sourced in a wide range of silhouettes, including settees, divans and more. If you’re considering a Victorian-style couch design, don’t hesitate to kick off your search at Chairish. We carry an expertly-curated edit of Vintage victorian settee and couch designs, making us a one-stop shop for all of your sofa needs. Whether you’re looking for something that falls into the category of affordable and gently-loved design, or you’re looking for a masterpiece-grade Empire-style sofa, you’re sure to find something to bring your vision to life at Chairish.
Shop Victorian Velvet Couch Designs, Peacock Settees and More
Hold onto your corset, because our selection of vintage Victorian sofa designs is popping, to say the least. Discover classic camelbacks as well as dramatic spoon backs and square Eastlake style backs. Browse hard-to-find tete-a-tete designs, as well as regal Empire-style settees with scrolled arms. Prefer something more casual? Shop our edit of wicker or rattan Peacock settees. Also in stock? Iconic fainting couches in a wide range of silhouettes, including divans and recamiers. You can also shop a wide assortment of Victorian settee designs upholstered in luxurious fabrics, including mohair and silk. Need a Victorian velvet couch? We have no shortage of those, either! Shop by color to make finding the perfect shade of velvet even easier.
What is a Victorian Sofa?
During the Victorian era, which spanned from roughly the 1830s until the precipice of the 20th century, no single style of furniture dominated, resulting in designers drawing inspiration from an array of styles like Gothic, Tudor, Rococo, and Neoclassical and fusing them with a modern sense of refinement. For those who owned expansive Victorian homes, the going trend was to cover virtually every surface with a cache of meticulously crafted objects—perhaps most notably of which was the Victorian sofa.
As the Industrial Revolution marched on, furniture—including Victorian sofas—became increasingly mass-produced. As customization plummeted, designers opted to integrate elaborate, small-scale carvings and embellishments to lend a sense of signature artisanship. To the modern-day eye, Victorian couches look relatively custom, with curvaceous silhouettes accented by weighty, dark wood frames, high backs, tufted upholstery, and cabriole legs, but to Victorian-era purveyors, the only details that would have stood out as hand-crafted would have been fanciful ornamentation at the couch’s apex or apron.
While some Victorian sofas look remarkably similar to demure French settees, many others are far less reserved, featuring dramatic, double-arched backs that lend them a tete-a-tete feel. Others showcase elaborate Baroque-inspired woodwork or a common stylistic hallmark of the day; an oval-shaped, wood-bordered, upholstered inset located at the crest of the sofa’s back. The reclaimer, a single-arm sofa that teeters between a settee and a chaise lounge is yet another example of a twist on the Victorian sofa format. Gracefully curved arms and an asymmetrical back make the reclaimer an exuberant piece that will infuse any room with a sense of the unexpected.
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