What is a Davenport Sofa? How This Historic Seating Style Actually Differs From a Typical Sofa

If you’ve heard anyone call something a “Davenport sofa” before, you might have asked yourself whether they just mean a regular sofa, or if they're referring to a type of seating with a specific design.

In short, the answer is that both "Davenport sofa" or simply "Davenport", as many people like to say, can refer to a specific type of sofa available as the term is used today — or it can simply be a synonym for sofas in general. Confusing, right?

Interestingly, the term "Davenport" actually carries significance and means something in the history of furniture in general. To cut through the confusion, and to determine why you should even care, we asked the experts to explain what a Davenport sofa is — and was — and how it might actually be distinct from any old sofa.

So, what is a Davenport?

Well, before we get to the question of Davenport sofas, specifically, we need to acknowledge one complication: if you ask the question 'what is a Davenport' without mentioning the word sofa, it can actually refer to three different things.

The first: a Davenport as a type of small desk. Secondly, a Davenport as a sofa made by the A H Davenport Company. And thirdly, the word Davenport as a synonym for sofa.

Confused? Don’t be. We’ll talk desks briefly and then get into the details of sofas.

Davenport Desk

When some people say Davenport, they’re actually talking about an antique style of desk. The Davenport desk was invented by British firm Gillows of Lancaster, supposedly for a Captain Davenport, according to the British Antique Dealers’ Association.

A small portable writing desk, it was first made at the end of the 18th century, and was popular through the 19th and early 20th centuries. Antique examples are widely available today from sellers in Britain but also those in the US.

Davenport Sofa

Want to know a reason why people talk about Davenport sofas, or just Davenports? The name likely (as we’ll see below) refers to a maker — in this case the A H Davenport Company.

As for the type of sofa? “The classic Davenport is actually something more than a couch,” explains Bradley Montanez, CEO of furniture experts TableUps. “It very often comes with innovations such as storage and even the ability to make into a bed, hence becoming an all-purpose furniture piece.”

We’ll get into the history, but the takeaway is that the name of the brand is echoed in the name of a piece of furniture and was used for sofas of a similar style as well.

"Davenport"

For some people the word Davenport can simply mean sofa or couch (although it's important to note that there is technically a difference between a sofa vs couch, too).

“Today, the term ‘Davenport’ has largely fallen out of common use,” points out Elissa Hall, lead designer at Awning and founder of EDH Interiors. “But it generally refers to what most people now call a sofa or couch, especially in the Midwestern United States.”

And Bradley Montanez notes that use of the word can be an indicator of both the speaker’s location and age group. “While Davenport was first and foremost a brand, the term often commonly refers to this sofa, especially when regional dialect is used, by older generations,” he says. (Perhaps that answers why your grandma called her couch a Davenport.)

But Olivia Bufalini, the principal interior designer at Collaborative Design Group, says that there are other people you might find using the word Davenport. “While the term has become somewhat outdated, it’s used by interior designers and antique enthusiasts,” she adds.

What is the history of the Davenport?

As we noted above, the name Davenport likely comes from the company that manufactured it, the A H Davenport Company. The company was founded in 1880 by Allen Davenport in Massachusetts, according to Nancy Carlisle.

The company was recognised as one of the top makers of Gilded Age furniture in the US and, in partnership with renowned architects, furnished mansions, banks, clubs, and libraries, as well as making furniture for the 1902 restoration of the White House, Carlisle explains.

And the reason why we’re using the word ‘likely’ about the sofa name? Carlisle notes that there isn’t proof that Davenports were named after the company. However, she explains that the first use of the term “Davenport sofas” is in newspaper ads of the 1890s as the company thrived, implying a link.

But it wasn’t just A H Davenport’s sofas that acquired the name. “Over time, the term became synonymous with any large sofa, regardless of the specific manufacturer,” says Elissa Hall.

What is the difference between a sofa and a Davenport?

While some people might use the terms interchangeably, there are differences between a sofa and a Davenport.

“The key difference between a ‘Davenport‘ and a generic ‘sofa’ today is primarily historical and regional,” says Elissa Hall. “Where a ‘sofa’ is an umbrella term for upholstered seating, ‘Davenport’ has that distinct tie to its origins as a branded product.”

And while the term is still used by some people, it can be more than a synonym. “When someone uses the term ‘Davenport’, it often connotes a certain sturdiness, traditionalism, and perhaps a multifunctional aspect, which you may not necessarily associate with a contemporary sofa,” says Elissa.

Are Davenport couches still made?

The A H Davenport Company merged with Irving and Casson in 1914, following Allen Davenport’s death in 1906, with the new company, Irving and Casson–A H Davenport, continuing to manufacture high quality furniture, according to Carlisle. But the market for their upscale furniture shrank and the company closed in 1974.

The sofa is not forgotten. “The essence of the Davenport sofa — large, upholstered seating with a possible sleeper function — lives on in modern designs,” says Elissa Hall.

“Today’s equivalents would be sleeper sofas or convertible couches, which are widely available and popular in both minimalist and maximalist design schemes.

“You can still find designs that pay homage to the original Davenport, particularly in vintage or reproduction furniture markets, where classic styles are continuously reimagined for modern tastes,” she adds.

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