Seating
Seating is a broad term used to describe furniture designed to allow people to sit or recline.
Most types of seating include a horizontal seat (or seat pan), a form of upright back support and legs or some other support device attached to the underside of the seat pan. There are forms of seating that have armrests as well as footrests (which may be retractable), although this is not always the case. Seating may be backless as well.
There are certain forms of seating that are simply made from wood, stone, plastic or other materials. There are also some types that incorporate a frame (made from sturdy materials), padding (made from soft materials), springs and a covering (made from natural or synthetic materials). The covering may be permanently fixed (or upholstered) or it may be loosely covered with fabric fastened with zips or some other method.
An item of furniture that provides seating for one person is usually defined as a chair. For more information, see Chair
Seating that is intended for more than one person comes in numerous forms and may be referred to by several names, including:
- Couch.
- Sofa.
- Love seat.
- Settee.
- Chaise longue (or chaise lounge).
- Divan.
- Gang seating.
- Sofa bed.
- Futon.
- Bench.
- Window seat.
- Pew.
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