Canapé à confidante

An indiscret[1] (also known[2][3] as a canapé à joue, a canapé à confidants, or a canapé à confidante) is a type of sofa, originally characterized by a triangular seat at each end, so that people could sit at either end of the sofa and be close to the person(s) sitting in the middle.[4] The ends were sometimes detachable, and could be removed and used on their own as Burjair chairs.[5][6] The name Confidante was coined by cabinetmaker George Hepplewhite,[7] who described it in his Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Guide as being "of French origin, and is in pretty general request for large and spacious suits of apartments. An elegant drawing-room, with modern furniture, is scarce complete without a Confidante, […]".[8]

This article is about an item of furniture. For the type of person (in the feminine), see confidant.

References
  1. Dictionary of Furniture 2014
  2. DeJean 2009, pp. 123–125.
  3. Banham & Shrimpton 1997, pp. 1194.
  4. Zoglin & Shouse 1999.
  5. Clouston 1975, pp. 161–162.
  6. Burton 1967, pp. 141.
  7. Yaxley 2003, pp. 50.
  8. Singleton 1970, pp. 642.

Reference bibliography
  • Banham, Joanna; Shrimpton, Leanda, eds. (1997). "Sofas and Settees". Encyclopedia of interior design: M–Z. Vol. 2. Fitzroy Dearborn. ISBN 978-1-884964-19-0.
  • Burton, Elizabeth (1967). The Georgians at home: 1714–1830. Longmans.
  • Clouston, K. Warren (1975). The Chippendale period in English furniture. EP Publishing.
  • DeJean, Joan E. (2009). The age of comfort: when Paris discovered casual—and the modern home began. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-59691-405-6.
  • Singleton, Esther (1970). The furniture of our forefathers. Illustrated by Russell Sturgis. B. Blom.
  • Yaxley, David (2003). "confidante". A researcher's glossary of words found in historical documents of East Anglia. Larks Press. ISBN 978-1-904006-13-8.
  • Zoglin, Ron; Shouse, Deborah (1999). Shouse, Deborah (ed.). Antiquing for Dummies. For Dummies. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-0-7645-5108-6.

Further reading
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Indiscrets.

See also
  • Loveseat, a piece of furniture combining two seats in the shape of the letter S


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