What Is a Chesterfield Sofa? (+ Why You Need One, Pronto )
History of Chesterfield Sofas
Chesterfield sofas are thought to have originated back in the 18th century, when Lord Phillip Stanhope presided as Earl of Chesterfield. As the story goes, the Earl commissioned the first-ever sofa design resembling what we would now call a “Chesterfield” today.
What accounts, then for the widespread demand that would soon follow?
The simple answer – again, according to the story – is that the Earl had at that time already established himself as a trendsetter. In particular, he was well-admired and sought-after for his writings on manners and society, Letters to His Son.
After an instance in which the Earl gifted the sofa to his godson, word traveled, hype grew and a rising demand for what would one day become a classic furniture piece was born.