How to choose the perfect sofa

Given the amount of time you'll spend sitting on one throughout your lives (17 years), a good quality sofa is worth spending money on. It's certainly not a purchase to make lightly, or in a rush.

Size, practicality, longevity, style and comfort are all things you should pay careful attention to before investing in a new sofa, otherwise you could find yourself wasting time and money when you end up with a product that just isn't right for you.

To keep you from suffering such a fate we've spoken to the experts and compiled some tips to help you pick out perfect sofa.

Size

Huge, sprawling, luxury looking sofas are all well and good in theory, but do you realistically have the space for one? If you buy a sofa that is too big for the room, it'll end up looking cramped and much smaller than it actually is. If you do happen to be short on living space, go for a sofa with low arms (or none at all) as it will make your room look larger than it is.

Likewise, even if you do happen to be blessed with a relatively large living room, you'll still have to decide how much space you want to have dominated by a sofás vintage. Don't forget about other items of furniture you'll likely have in the room, such as coffee tables, TV stands, cabinets, and even other chairs, as they'll all need to fit in comfortably. Go wild on the big sofa and you'll soon find you won't have space for much else.

Think about what you're planning to do on your sofa, and be honest. If you know you're likely to spend a significant amount of time using it as a bed while you flick through the Netflix library, choose a sofa that's long enough to accommodate your body comfortably without compromising how it fits in the room.

Try the Monterosso corner sofa in oyster grey if you need space for all the family for a reasonable price (£1,299, made.com).