What Is a Davenport? Learn the Origins of This Furniture Term

A sofa. A couch. A sectional. The comfy piece of furniture that occupies a primary piece of real estate in your living room can go by many names, and the history of living room sofas contains multitudes. But have you ever heard it called a davenport or a davenport sofa? If so, it’s probably because you were talking to someone born before 1960.

“Growing up, my grandmother would say, ‘Get your feet off the davenport!’” recalls Greg Kowles, a furniture and decorative arts specialist at New Orleans Auction Galleries, speaking to the nostalgic term that was used for sofas and couches widely up until the middle of the 20th century.

How did this vintage term come about? And why did it fall out of favor? I asked two experts — an antiques dealer and an interior designer — to get to the bottom of the davenport sofa mystery to find out if a davenport by any other name would still sit as comfortably. 

When the word davenport first entered the cultural lexicon, the term was inspired by a specific product and maker out of the Northeast. The A.H. Davenport Company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was a major seating and furniture manufacturer in the late 19th century, and their products were ubiquitous across the country, particularly in high-end spaces. 

“They became quite well known, making custom-designed furniture for architects and supplying banks, libraries, and private residence commissions,” Kowles explains. “Most importantly, they provided an extensive amount of furniture for the restoration of the White House in 1902.”

During this period, The A.H. Davenport Company designed the first sofa that would spark the name “davenport” (you can read more about this time period in Apartment Therapy’s brief history of living room sofas). This fully upholstered, boxy silhouette was the first of its kind to hit the market, and it quickly caught on during the early 1910s, thanks to both its form and its utilitarian comfort (see a version of one recently sold in auction at Bonhams Skinner above).

“These large sofas, which were large enough to sleep on, became widely popular, and consequently, the term ‘davenport’ soon became synonymous with the style,” Kowles says. 

As the sofas became literal household names, the term “davenport” expanded to mean both sofa and couch, rather than simply a way to describe a sofa that is built for lounging, relaxing, and sleeping. And, while the A.H. Davenport Company closed its doors in the 1970s, the term “davenport” lives on as a relic of a former era. In both the Midwest and the Northeast, you will still hear older generations refer to their cozy living room furniture as a davenport, and by that, they mean, a sofa. 

When referring to a davenport sofa, rather than davenport as a larger category, generally you’d be talking about a big, loungy sofa. “These are often characterized by being oversized, sometimes of box-form and, most importantly, large enough to sleep on,” Kowles says. A sleeper sofa, a futon, and a chesterfield are all examples of sofas that might be considered davenports.

However, you could be a stickler and say that a true davenport is one that was manufactured by the A.H.. Davenport Company, but Kowles explains that those might be hard to track down today. “It would be very challenging to identify a Davenport Company sofa since most do not carry a manufacturer’s label.” Plus, you have the clock ticking against you: Many of these original upholstered pieces are no longer around (it has been 50 years since any new ones were made!).

Thanks to its oversized silhouette, a davenport is perfect for pulling out a pillow and a blanket, and settling in for a nap — or a night. “Where I can see using a davenport sofa would be in a study or office, which is more private with a door that shuts. That would make sense for an overflow guest room,” says Andrea Sinkin Jaffe, owner of Andrea Sinkin Design.