[Karen Bly Posts: 181 Status: Offline]

What do you California folk call that thing in your living room? Couch or sofa? Thanks!

[Betsy Posts: 2,505 Status: Offline PICKY EATERS WWW]

We always said "couch" as I was growing up (in California).  But some of my friends said "sofa."  I'd say both--50/50.

[Lill Posts: 652 Status: Offline]

Does anybody anywhere say davenport?  That's what my mother called it when we were growing up.

[mrh Posts: 4,691 Status: Offline www.marciahoehne.com WWW]

My grandma (in WI) called it the davenport. My mom and dad tended to say sofa, and for me, DH, and kids, it's the couch. But I do think furniture stores tend to say sofa, as in "sofa and loveseat." So it's possible that era and usage might matter, as well as locale.

[literaticat Posts: 463 Status: Offline WWW]

I grew up in california and we say "couch" and "sofa" 50/50.

(I never heard "davenport" or "chesterfield" till I grew up and met a canadian, however.)

[Betsy Posts: 2,505 Status: Offline PICKY EATERS WWW]

I had a friend with upper class ambitions.  Her family said "davenport." (In California.)  With everybody else it was sofa or couch.

[Ravyn2002]

I agree that it's pretty much 50/50. I've lived in California most of my life and have heard both 'couch' and 'sofa'. I mostly use couch myself, unless I happen to be referring to a sofa bed.

[Pons Posts: 3,480 Status: Offline]

I'm a native Californian and my family says couch, although sofa is also common. I think davenport is kind of dated. I did hear it when I was growing up (mostly from older people), but I never hear it now.

Laurel

[AnneB Posts: 3,495 Status: Offline]

It was davenport when I was growing up in Ohio. I think Davenport was a company that made comfortable bench seating and the word came to be used generically. Our family uses couch and sofa interchangeably, except nobody ever refers to a couch bed!

[cindoh Posts: 255 Status: Offline WWW]

Another native Californian here... I'd say couch slightly more than sofa, but either works.
(Davenport, no.)

[Lill Posts: 652 Status: Offline]

Yep. My mother was from Ohio -- I googled and found out what Anne mentioned above. That 'splanes it.

[xiaotien Posts: 443 Status: Offline WWW]

sofa here.

[ButterflyGirl Posts: 511 Status: Offline @kidlitSarah sarahfloydbooks.com]

I grew up in California and we said "couch," but sofa was certainly not uncommon. 

[LeslieG Posts: 220 Status: Offline WWW]

Ditto on slightly favoring "couch," from a former Californian.

[Juliarts2003@yahoo.com Posts: 1,628 Status: Offline Truth, Puffin/Speak, 1/19/2012 WWW]

Well, I am not a Californian... but I remember on the old Dean Martin show (which was probably filmed in CA  ) He'd always say, "I'm gonna go to the couch now..."

[Karen Bly Posts: 181 Status: Offline]

thanks, all! We were about 50/50 couch/sofa in New Jersey, but just wanted to check on the other Coast for my novel.

[olmue Posts: 4,269 Status: Offline WWW]

Here's another vote from the Californian sitting next to me on that piece of furniture for either one.

[ChristinefromCorona Posts: 828 Status: Offline]

Our family always said couch.

[Shari Posts: 249 Status: Offline WWW]

No one says chesterfield?! lol, maybe that's a Canadian word. 

[ruecole Posts: 475 Status: Offline MG Writer WWW]

Pretty sure chesterfield is a Canadian thing.

Rue

[AnneB Posts: 3,495 Status: Offline]

Re couch being a CA thing: it's true. Hollywood doesn't have casting sofas or casting Davenports.

[AdamV]

I never knew what the line "a nice chesterfield or an ottoman" meant in "If I Had a Million Dollars" by the Barenaked Ladies. I can't believe it was a couch this whole time!

[Shari Posts: 249 Status: Offline WWW]

I never knew what the line "a nice chesterfield or an ottoman" meant in "If I Had a Million Dollars" by the Barenaked Ladies. I can't believe it was a couch this whole time!

LOL!

[PJV Posts: 245 Status: Offline]

This cracks me up! We usually said couch, but sofa was a close second, and on occasion my mom (born in the 40's) would slip and say chesterfield. I wonder if this was because my great-grandmother came from Canada? Has it been used as such for a long time? I guess I'm finally understanding why my mom used some of the words she did! 

[Karen Bly Posts: 181 Status: Offline]

All this time I thought a Chesterfield was a car in that song, AdamV! That solves that puzzling lyric.

[Shari Posts: 249 Status: Offline WWW]

I grew up with it being a "chesterfield", but actually usually say "couch" now. Maybe even in Canada it's fading from use? (except for  BNL lyrics, that is!)

[Christine B. Posts: 457 Status: Offline WWW]

I'm Californian (born and still living here), and as others have said, I say both sofa and couch, interchangeably.

Maybe I'm a little more likely to say sofa when referring to a slightly more formal piece of furniture in the living room, and couch when referring to what's in the den. Never heard of a davenport or a chesterfield (but they sound fun!).

Not to add any confusion, but I am from Los Angeles. I don't know what they say in other parts of CA. Where is your character from?

[Karen Bly Posts: 181 Status: Offline]

Christine, MC is from L.A.

I thought BNL were singing, "A nice Chesterfield or an automobile." You know how your brain tries to make sense out of puzzling lyrics and you just sing along?

[ruecole Posts: 475 Status: Offline MG Writer WWW]

And now I've got the Barenaked Ladies stuck in my head.

Shari, yeah, we used to use chesterfield a lot more when I was a kid (along with packsack instead of backpack and thongs to mean flipflops among others.) Now we usually say couch. Rarely sofa, though. Sofa sounds stodgy to me.

Rue

[LindaJoy Posts: 426 Status: Offline Linda Joy Singleton author of SNOW DOG, SAND DOG WWW]

Definitely couch...altho I've heard the other terms, too.