As well as their emphasis on comfort in the home, these treaties make clear the presence of strict differentiation of use for particular rooms. For example, while the whole family might gather in the morning-room, in the drawing-room the lady of the house would ‘receive calls throughout the day’, the library was a ‘private room of the gentleman’. Stylistically, each of these rooms were differentiated by their furnishings.
In illustrations and depictions of rooms of the period, spaces intended for retreat, business and learning, such as the library or study, are generally depicted with darker furnishings, and with sofas and chairs more frequently upholstered in leather for its deeper, sombre hues. In contrast, familial rooms and social spaces furnished to receive guests and to relax in comfort appear to have been furnished with fabric-upholstered furniture. These rooms, designed for comfort, bear some striking differences in surface colour and decoration while retaining broadly similar styles as the rooms arranged for study.
In both cases, either in fabric or leather, in the drawing-room or the study, the sofa and the Chesterfield more specifically have equal historical traditions in both materials, leather and fabric. While the context of their upholstery and use might differ from one space to another both have equal presence in the historical tradition of furniture which Chester’s follows.
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