Last time I bought a sofa, the process was infuriating. A trudge around the shops revealed that everything I loved was astonishingly pricey. And, even once I’d settled for second best, I discovered that I’d have a three-month wait before my purchase would arrive.

When the prodigal sofa appeared, it didn’t fit through the front door, so the delivery men cheerfully removed a window and posted it through.

This autumn, however, as we prepare for the protracted lolling and concerted lounging the season calls for, the shops are full of covetable couches. Many firms have sharpened up delivery times (but do check), and lots of designs break down into parts for easy delivery. So, plump your cushions, put your feet up and plan your purchases.

Orla Kiely’s Cork Easy Chair, upholstered in the designer’s trademark prints and brightly coloured fabrics, is this season’s best-looking new arrival (from £995, from Heal’s; 0870 024 0780, www.heals.co.uk ). The rest of the range is also well worth a look.

A recent trend in sofa design has been modular seating systems, which allow you to jigsaw together the various elements to suit your needs. They are great for open-plan living – and those with narrow doorways. Ligne Roset’s new offering is Patchwork (see main picture), a low-slung modular system in blues and greens. Geoffrey Drayton has the spectacular burnt-orange Bora Bora system, from MDF Italia.

Contemporary designer seating can cost eyewatering amounts, but there are plenty of traditional sofas to be had for less than £1,000. High-street brands have long produced solid, stylish settees: M&S’s range starts at £299 for the Verona two-seater (0845 609 0200, www.marksandspencer.com ); Next has the Berlin sofa, from £299 (0844 844 8333, www.next.co.uk); and the Pad-stow, from Laura Ashley, starts at £525 (0871 983 5999, www.lauraashley.com ).

Which brings us to the subject of finding the ideal sofa – the holy grail of soft furnishings. The trade’s geeks have been pondering the issue of what makes for sofa perfection for years, and spring systems are hotly debated. Hugh Garforth-Bles, the managing director of Dudgeon (www.dudgeonsofas.com), which makes sofas for the super-yachting community, swears by double-cone hourglass coil springs in the seat and a sprung edge for optimal behind-the-knee comfort.

For aficionados, however, no subject occupies more bandwidth than cushion filling. Foam keeps its shape better, but feathers are softer, with more satisfying bottom-sink. Rohan Blacker, of Sofa.com, admits: “I spent three years agonising over cushions. I was fairly antifoam at the start, but I know people don’t want to be constantly plumping. Now we find really good feathers, then put a block of foam in the middle, for minimum plumping but maximum comfort.” Blacker’s firm is an internet-based operation that combines quality with value. “We’re aiming to be 50% cheaper than our high-street equivalent,” he says. What we’re selling for £1,000, you’d expect to find for £1,500-£2,000 from the competition.” His sofas have solid beech frames and are covered in a palette of neutral and berry-coloured linens and sumptuous velvets sourced from textile mills in Belgium and Italy. Better still, the company delivers half of its sofas within two weeks.

Day beds and chaises longues, made for a single reclining occupant, are making a welcome comeback. The prime example is the HM61F, a curvaceous day bed in yellow velvet upholstery from Conran (£1,475; 0844 848 4000, www.conranshop.co.uk ). Next’s Ander-son is an elegant and inexpensive chaise longue (from £399; 0844 844 8333 www.next.co.uk).

The whole subject of soft furnishings can feel distinctly oestrogen-charged. For a virile alternative, try Nick Loxton’s Leather Chairs of Bath (01225 447920, www.leatherchairs.co.uk), which does a roaring trade in man furniture. Traditional easy chairs and sofas, with solid beech frames a n d h a n d -nailed British hide, start at £1,100, but the bestsellers are the wing chairs, which can be tailored to client requests. Loxton says: “I’ve just made one for a man and his dog to watch television together.”

Other macho seating options include the three-seater leather Thackery (£1,995, from Conran, as before) and Andrew Martin’s new Rocket design, in distressed leather. The Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair (Battersea Park, London SW11, September 30-October 5; www.decorativefair.com) will have an oversized semicircular Chesterfield on offer for £4,500.

King of the corner from £2,181

The burnt-orange Bora Bora seating system, designed by P Cazzaniga and A Munteanu for MDF Italia, is stocked in the UK by Geoffrey Drayton, a wonderful store to browse if you love a combination of colourful fabrics and clean lines. Drayton set up shop in 1962 – a few years before Terence Conran started Habitat – with the mission of bringing a collection of the most stylish continental brands to Britain. 020 7387 5840, www.geoffrey-drayton.co.uk

Recline and fallfrom £95

The designer Orla Kiely has created a capsule collection of instant classics with her new range of furniture for Heal’s. The Lusk sofa, inspired by British postwar design, comes in delicious autumnal hues, including pumpkin (left, £1,395). The hardwood frame is upholstered in woven wool-mix from Bute Fabrics. The range also includes this pouffe in Kiely’s trademark Multi Stem fabric (left; £95). 0870 024 0780, www.heals.co.uk

Oh, my darlingfrom £2,320

Miss Clementine is a stylish three-seater from Sofa Workshop. This example is upholstered in Verbena Dijon, but the firm offers 2,200 fabric options. Miss Clementine has feather seat and back cushions; her hardwood legs end in shiny brass casters. 0844 249 9161, www.sofaworkshop.com

Laid-back loungerfrom £1,582

This gaudy lounger-style chaise, upholstered in sunshine-orange felt, is called Landscape. Designed by Jeffrey Bernett for B&B Italia, it has a slimline padded seat on tubular metal supports and an adjustable headrest, held in place magnetically. Also available in leather or pony skin. From Geoffrey Drayton; 020 7387 5840, www.geoffreydrayton.com

Classic comfort £1,350

The Rutherford three-seater, new from Andrew Martin, has a solid hardwood frame. The cushion filling is feather, but customers can request a foam core and feather wrap for a firmer seat. The legs here are finished in wenge stain – options include dark mahogany, maple, beech and cherry. 020 7225 5100, www.andrewmartin.co.uk

Bargain bucket £995

The Rocket, new from Andrew Martin, is a comfy single-seater tub chair, based on an art-deco original. The luxurious upholstery, in distressed leather, has an appealing vintage look, while the feet, in chrome, add a touch of glamour. 020 7225 5100, www.andrewmartin.co.uk

The big blue from £780

Bluebell is a popular three-seater from Sofa.com. This model, upholstered in duck-egg Belgian linen, costs £1,140 and boasts all the workmanship of more expensive competitors: a beech frame with hand-turned hardwood legs, brass casters and a comfy zigzag spring system. After browsing swatches on the website, check out the clip of the company’s customised and motorised couch, complete with standard lamp and aspidistra, setting a Guinness world record for fastest furniture in 2007, zipping around Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome at 92mph. 0845 400 2222, www.sofa.com

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