divan

A divan is a long upholstered seating furniture used for lounging or socializing. In traditional Middle Eastern, North African, and Balkan interiors, it is typically a low, long bench or sofa placed along a wall, often built into a seating platform with cushions. In Western usage, the term has broadened to include a sofa or couch with a low back or no back.

Etymology and history: The word derives from Persian and Ottoman Turkish roots, where divān referred to a council chamber and also to a long bench or couch used in reception rooms. The furniture sense spread through trade and cultural exchange and entered European languages by the 18th century.

Design and construction: A divan usually consists of a wooden frame topped by cushions or a tufted mattress. Cushions may be placed directly on the base, and a divan can function as both seating and sleeping surface. Some versions include a backrest or arms, while others are backless and run along a wall. In many settings, divans feature storage space beneath the seating.

Regional varieties and usage: In Middle Eastern and Balkan interiors, divans are common as daybeds or long settees with abundant cushions for reclining. In Persian, Indian, and other South Asian contexts, a diwan or divan often refers to a low, wall-adjacent seating platform that can also serve as a sleeping surface. Modern interpretations frequently designate a divan bed or sofa bed—a seating unit that converts into a bed.

See also: Sofa, couch, daybed, sofa bed.