You want to get close to the other person--who may possibly be of the opposite sex--in order to a have a intimate conversation. But you don't want to get too intimate--so much so that people ask questions about the boundaries of your relationship.
The answer to this problem developed two hundred years ago by European furniture designers was the conversation chair. Messy Nessy Chic describes its long history, which continues to this day:
Conceived in 19th century France, the basic setup consists of two seats conjoined in a serpentine shape, allowing the sitters to discreetly have a conversation. Without a table creating distance between them, they’re able to speak more intimately and quietly, while also preventing too much physical contact by virtue of a shared armrest cleverly doubling as an elegant barrier of sorts.
This suited Victorians very well. Budding courtships of the era often unfolded with the close supervision of parents or chaperones and so the conversation chair effectively became a popular feature of the household for pushing a matched couple in the right direction, while still keeping it all very PG-13.
I don't think that I have ever seen a conversation chair in person, but it may have inspired this 1991 satirical commercial on Saturday Night Live.
Image: 1st Dibs
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Definitely an idea that was permanently destroyed by television. Every parlor now has a focus point, which every chair must face.
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