You don't want to sit bolt upright on a hard chair all the time, you want to relax on a comfy sofa or armchair. But what do you mean by comfortable? To look at, to sit on for 10 minutes, or to sit on for 3 hours. And what do you mean by relax? What looks comfortable to the eye may not be comfortable to the body. And if a sofa puts you in a collapsed position, you will be in a physiologically stressful situation, not a relaxing one.

Furniture follows fashion like everything else. Recent fashion is for very large, very soft sofas. These mould the body into a harmful posture putting strain on the spine, the digestive system, and the breathing. Everyone now knows that sleeping on an unsupportive mattress isn't good for the body and doesn't provide a restful sleep. Spending hours on an unsupportive sofa or chair doesn't provide us with rest or relaxation either, and it may be doing more serious damage long term.

What to look for:

1. Can you get your bum in the back of the seat and your feet on the ground at the same time with nothing digging into the back of your knees? If not, the seat is too deep, or perhaps too high off the ground, but this is less likely.
2. Is the backrest raked so far back that you couldn't eat, drink, read, or do anything else that you do on the sofa without hunching forward? And is the backrest high enough so that you can lean against it without strain in the upper body?
3. Is it too soft without being supportive? This is more difficult. What feels soft and pleasant for a short time can become uncomfortable after longer use. Are there cushions on the sofa and what are they made of? Feathers are too soft for support, and feather cushions need constant plumping to look good and the fabric may wear faster. Foam is the firmest but foam comes in different degrees of firmness and softens after a few months. There are also fibre fillings and combination fillings. The quality of the fabric will also affect the firmness, a more closely woven, strong material will give a firmer quality to the filling or padding. The cushions should not depress more than 10 cm when you sit on them.

These are the most obvious things to look for in a sofa or armchair, but check what to look for in a seat again. Is the seat flat or does it dump you in a hole in the middle or tip you to the centre, especially if someone else is sitting on the sofa with you? Does the backrest have too much lumbar or neck support built in for you.

You can improve an existing sofa by using small cushions behind your back or shoulders. A piece of wood under the seat cushions can make the seat firmer and more level.

Most popular and easily available brands of sofas and armchairs are too soft and often too deep. Some have lumbar and neck support built in in an attempt to be good for the back. Remember that support in the wrong place or too much support can be harmful.

Manufacturers please note! There is a real demand for well designed, attractive, sofas that are not a pain to sit on.

'I think that the Campaign for Better Seating is an excellent idea,... ' Sir Terence Conran