Pronounced: /sɛˈtiː/. Also called: love seat (sometimes), two-seater, hall bench. A settee is an upholstered seat designed for two people, typically with a back, sometimes with arms, and usually narrower than a full sofa. It sits between a bench (no back, no arms) and a sofa (full-size seating). In contemporary practice, a settee is the piece you reach for when a room needs seating but not a sofa's worth. ## Origin & history The settee emerged in seventeenth century England as a refined alternative to the long wooden bench. Early settees had wooden frames with shallow upholstered seats and high carved backs; by the eighteenth century, with fashionable French and English furniture-making, settees had become fully upholstered and increasingly elegant. Sheraton and Hepplewhite designed signature settees that defined the late Georgian period. The Victorian era introduced the causeuse and the tête-à-tête, both two-seater forms that descended directly from the earlier settee. The Smithsonian collections include excellent examples of period settees. Mid-century modern designers reinvented the form for the twentieth century. Hans Wegner, Finn Juhl, and Edward Wormley all designed settees that pared back the upholstery and let the frame become a sculptural element. The current organic modern revival picks up directly from that mid-century line. ## How it's used today The settee earns its keep in transitional spaces. An entryway needs a place to sit while putting on or taking off shoes, but a sofa is wrong for the space; a settee is exactly right. A primary bedroom needs a piece at the foot of the bed for laying out clothes, sitting to read, or balancing on while putting on socks; a settee fills the role beautifully. A dining room with a bench-style settee along one side feels collected and slightly European. In an organic modern home, a settee usually pairs with the rest of the linen-and-warm-wood vocabulary. A linen-upholstered settee at the foot of an oak bed, with a bouclé throw across the back, anchors a primary bedroom without taking up the floor space a bench plus chair would require. A settee in an entryway with a small travertine plinth as a side table, a vintage mirror above, and a hook rail beside it is a complete entryway in three moves. The form also works in odd spaces. A long settee under a stair landing. A small one in a powder-room antechamber. A curved one in a window bay. The narrower footprint compared to a sofa lets the settee fit places no sofa would. House Beautiful has good archives on settee placement in awkward rooms. A practical note. A settee is more comfortable for sitting upright than reclining. It's the piece for putting on shoes and reading the newspaper, not for falling asleep on. For a piece you'll use for long stretches, a sofa or daybed is the better choice. ## How to style it - Use linen or wool upholstery. The settee should fit the rest of the room's textile vocabulary. - Add one throw and one pillow. More than that crowds the form. - Pair with a small side table. A travertine or oak surface for a lamp, a candle, and a book. - Skip the matching set. A settee and matching chairs read showroom; a settee with one different chair reads collected. - Choose a slim profile. Settees should read narrow and tailored, not bulky. - Use it in transitional spaces. Entryways, bedroom feet, dining banquette walls. - Vintage is often best. A 1960s or 1970s settee carries more character than a new one. ## Common variations ## FAQ What's the difference between a settee and a love seat? Where should I put a settee? How long is a typical settee? Are settees comfortable for reading? Can I use a settee instead of a sofa?