Fainting Couch Styles

Description

• A fainting couch, as compared with other similar types of couches or sofas, has no backrest or just a partial one. Fainting couches are usually also raised for reclining at one end. They can have one armrest or two.

History

• The reference or name of a fainting couch dates back to the 19th century during the Victorian period. Women needed larger than average chairs to accommodate their fashionable hooped skirts, according to Jamie Gibbs, a New York designer and instructor at Parsons the New School for Design. Ladies of this time also wore very tight corsets to get a tiny waistline. A lady would retire to her room when feeling faint from the discomfort. Of course, she needed a suitable chair to collapse upon.

Synonyms

• We now refer to fainting couches as a chaise lounge. Some would say daybeds are the same. However, daybeds feature a full backrest and cannot be considered a proper fainting couch. They have also been referred to as Grecian couches. The Victorians used this design for their ornamental parlor furniture. A famous portrait of a popular socialite Madame Récamier by French artist Jacques-Louis David in the early 1800s made the fainting couch all the rage. It became known as the Récamier couch. To be considered a true Récamier, technically, it must have two armrests, one at each end.

Victorian Style

• The Victorian period couches tend to be large and bulky, usually made with an ornate, curvy wooden frame of mahogany, maple or walnut. Much of the wood carvings could be elaborate. During this period the most popular fabrics included silk, satin, brocade and velvet. Many times they had one arm and an asymmetrical back, which was usually upholstered, sort of like an unfinished couch of today. Because of the popularity of19th century fainting couches, finding an original in antique stores and even on eBay may not be all that difficult.

Later Styles

• In the late 1800s, Freud's couch was considered a style of fainting couch and was used in psychoanalysts' offices for years. In the early 1900s through the '40s and '60s, many reproductions of the classic Victorian period styles of fainting couches existed. And with the decor style of art deco, a new twist arrived. Fainting couches went to a new level becoming styled in nontraditional curves, shapes and materials such as metal, wicker or rattan. Today you can find fainting couch styles in a mixture of all these models from conventional to very unconventional.