Chesterfield sofa

The oldest shape here, and the one many later entries react against. What makes a Chesterfield is simple: arms the same height as the back, wrapped in deep buttoning. Where the name comes from is genuinely unclear; the link to an 18th-century Earl of Chesterfield is repeated everywhere and documented nowhere. The classic version sits upright and firm, built for sitting properly rather than sprawling, and the high arms make lying down awkward. Leather ones shrug off spills and age well, which suits a busy family room, and secondhand examples turn up at every price. Check for a solid hardwood frame before paying a premium.