U-Shaped SofasU-Shaped Sofas

Choosing a U-shaped sofa

A U-shape is a long back with a return at each end, so it seats more people than a corner sofa of the same back length and it faces inward rather than along a wall. That second part is the reason to buy one: a U-shape makes the seating the room instead of lining the edge of it, which works in an open-plan space where there is no wall to push furniture against.

It is also the shape that needs the most measuring, because it is three runs rather than two - the back and both returns - and the returns are what decide whether a doorway or a coffee table still works once it is in. Tape the whole footprint out on the floor before you order, and put the longest single piece through the calculator on the size guide; a U-shape arrives in sections, but no section gets shorter than the back.

Two versions, and the difference matters more than it looks. An armed U-shape has a full arm at each end, which gives you something to lean against and closes the shape off. An armless one leaves both returns open, so each end works as a chaise you can stretch out along and the whole thing reads lower and longer. Neither is better; they suit different rooms, and the product photographs show which is which.

Fabric U-shapes are made to order, so the size follows your room rather than the other way round, and the colour comes from the 70-fabric library - chenille, plush velvet, crushed velvet, naple, marble and PVC leather. Delivery is free to most of the UK, brought to the ground floor or a ground-floor room of your choice, and paid in cash or by bank transfer on the doorstep. Most of the UK gets delivery in 2–4 days, and Devon, Cornwall, the Aberdeen area and the north of Scotland in 5–7 days. We deliver Tuesday to Sunday, not on Mondays. A 1-year guarantee covers the frame and springs.