Furniture is something that has undergone a great deal of changes since the dawn of civilisation; many new pieces have been added, defunct models discarded and the lasting pieces such as chairs, tables and beds have been subjected to innumerable design updates. In the latter half of the 20th century, furniture underwent its most recent and poignant design change with the onslaught of contemporary designers. These contemporary designers tried to shift the focus of furniture design from purely functional and traditional in aspect to encompass a smoother, utilitarian and yet more aesthetically pleasing creation.



As these furniture designers took all manner of furniture to new levels using new materials, new designs and creative innovations, sofas in particular were the feature of the new sitting room. Sofas have, traditionally speaking and in modern times, been the feature furniture of most sets of furniture in the sitting room, and because of this the new contemporary designs have been the central factor in design changes throughout the entire home. The sofa is and always has been the main attraction of any sitting room; guests are put at ease, homeowners can sit down and relax, and virtually any human or pet can become very comfortable all in one long seating area.

Contemporary sofas are sleeker and more focused on the aspect of comfort and innovation than their traditional predecessors. This has benefitted homeowners not only because of a newfound design appreciation and freedom, but because these contemporary sofas are often multifunctional or more able to fit any given space. The traditional woman, in relation to this furniture evolution, was a housewife in charge of maintaining the home, looking after the children and general running of household staff or individual house cleaning. She would have been responsible for a great deal of tasks throughout the day, and her relationship with the home's main sofas would have been to keep them spotless and guest-ready at every moment; her own seat may have been a chair in a different corner of the room.

As sofas were modernised, the role of the woman shifted a great deal as society itself changed and moved forward toward a less male-oriented workplace. Women are still responsible for the home in most households; however the expectations of them are less strict and less focused on being respectable and wealthy in the neighbourhood or city. The modern home features contemporary sofas that reflect this shifted expectation and instead focus more on the close maternal care of children and family; sofas are more comfortable, more accommodating and more flexible; for example the sofa-bed allows women to deal with space problems while still providing plenty of seating space.

Women's roles in the home have indeed closely followed the evolution of the modern sofa.