Divan Beds
The Origin of Divans
A divan is a sort of couch like sitting furniture. It is fairly popular piece of furniture in the Middle East Asia and the Europe and slowly gaining recognition throughout the world. It can be kept anywhere from the bedroom to the drawing room. It comes in various shapes and sizes, from a king sized one to a single divan and are priced accordingly.
Much modern technologies have been used to make it meet all sort of a demand of an individual. Some companies even boast of manufacturing special divans for asthma patients.
The divans are said to be originating from the Orient, especially the Ottoman Empire. In its original avatar a divan was a long seat formed of mattress which was laid against upon the floor, or upon a raised structure or frame against the side of the room. It also had cushions on it to lean on. Thus, in the olden days itself, a divan was a sign of royalty.
Divans were so named in the Middle East countries. They got this name because they were usually found along the walls in Middle Eastern chambers of a bureau called .divan. or .diwan. which meant a government council or office from the huge bundle of papers that they processed, and then next their council chambers. The English were inspired to use these divans as sofas or couches and took it to their native place, England in 1702.
From there the divans took over whole of Europe. This new incarnation of divan attracted a lot of attention in the Europe in the middle of the 18th century. Divans became a fashionable and sought after item and appeared in quite a few prominent homes of England and other European countries.
It reached its peak in popularity from 1820 to 1850, wherever the Romantic Movement in literature penetrated. Thus, the divans are mainly associated with the Romantic Movement in Europe. The divans garnished all the boudoirs of that generation. The divans even stepped out of the houses of respectable people and reached the coffee houses. These divans were sometimes identified as divans or Turkish divans, and a cigar divan is a familiar expression even today.
Divans come in various types. They are King sized divan, Super king sized divan, Queen sized divan, double bed divan, single bed divan, etc. Its modern version offers several new divans from memory foam divan to latex divan. The traditional divan is a pocket sprung divan. The divans are typically made of metal or wood to give them strength and durability. Divans also contain storage places in the form of inbuilt chest of drawers.
One usually keeps bed furnishings, linens and pillows in these cupboards. Divans come in traditional variety, in an adjustable style and even hypo-allergenic. Due to its various sizes and types, a divan can range in a broad range of price. It comes in highly affordable packages to high costing type. The divans from the Romantic Movement are classic pieces and generally fetch very high price.