Or not.^ I have a sectional in my family room that gets lots of use. The continuity of seating surfaces makes it easy for people to sit, stretch out, cuddle, keep to their own space and generally have plenty of room to watch TV, sleep, sleep and watch TV, stare at the fireplace. And when toys get lost under the furniture, it's easy enough to move a section to find those missing pieces.

I'm with Sophie on sectionals, but then we're both old ladies.

You should pick furniture that fits your lifestyle. We have a really deep sectional in our family room and it is perfect for our family because we like to stretch out, lounge and snuggle together when watching TV. The area inside the L is great for playing board games. It works great too when my daughters' friends come over. However, it does constrain pathways into the room and out, and it is not meant for polite company as people's legs will be hanging out if they want their back against the sofa back. And while the corner is the most coveted spot for family members, I can see how guests would want not want to sit there.

I'm middle aged. What I dislike about sectionals is the way that they limit your furniture arrangement. You can have the same seating with a sofa, two comfy chairs and an ottoman and you have the ability to optimize your furniture arrangement. In average size rooms, sectionals can only go in one or two spots.

Agree with Anglophilia and Sophie. You have more choices in the room for furniture arrangement if you go with a sofa and chairs rather than a sectional.

Just noticed that d_gw posted at the same time...same comment. Sectionals limit your choices.

We love our sectional. It was the answer to our needs in our space. A sofa and a couple chairs would probably look more designed, but our sectional fits what we need and how we live. To each their own.

Sorry, I can't help with brands as mine isn't "modern"...

I think sectionals are in general very limiting. I wouldn't buy one.

Room and Board has modern style furniture and a number of sectionals to choose from. I think sectionals are great if you have children - the whole family can cuddle up. I bought one years ago when the kids were young. We've since moved and found that the separate pieces worked well since we could rearrange them to fit the new space. The microfiber fabric has held up remarkably well.

We had a sectional. Loved it, except...we had it located in a corner(in front of 2 windows) it was very heavy and hard to move out to clean. Replaced it with a sofa and 2 chairs. Much easier to clean. But both DH and I miss that we could both take a nap at the same time. Now it is a toss up as to who gets to the sofa first!

We have two sectionals; one in the LR and one in the FR. Love both.

But are your rooms less than 12 ft wide? That is the issue.

I struggled with my family room for years then we decided on a sectional. I too was never a fan before because I always thought they looked boring. Turns out, it’s perfect for our particular room. I did not put it up against the wall. We love it. It’s very big, seats 8-9 and has clean lines and is lovely. We ordered it from Pier One Imports.

As founder of the Just Say No to Sectionals Society, I will simply say this: if you decide to get one, tape it out on the floor to make sure it fits. OK, I'll say one more thing: in a room under 12' wide, a sectional is probably not your best choice. It will be very limiting, especially if you entertain in this room, and you will likely never be able to rearrange it.

We have a huge sectional in our family room. We're a family of five, and like other posters above, we all love to be able stretch out and/or snuggle to watch tv together. My daughter's teenage friends love to come over and lay around on it, hanging out and watching movies. If you want something casual and comfy for your family, then go for the sectional. If not, then I would go with a couch and two chairs or two couches.

We had a sectional when our kids were in middle and high school. It worked well then. When the kids grew up we got rid of it immediately. I would never get one again.

Nix the sectional.

I don't like sectionals for the same reasons Ms Sophie states, they are unwieldy, no one wants to be wedged in the corner, and they are not versatile. Even if you happen to get a sectional to work in one room, it will never work correctly anywhere else. This is one of the corollaries of Murphy's Law.

This was one of the pearls my mother passed on to me, and we all know that the older we get, the smarter our parents become! I am new to this site, but I am finding myself in agreement with Ms Wheeler and Ms Anglophile pretty much all the time, often laughing while doing so. A lot!

I have 2 three seat sofas in my family room. DH and I can both nap there at the same time. I rarely sit on his sofa and he rarely sits on mine,

I love my Joybird Eliot L-shaped sectional. LOVE. It's very streamlined and not clunky or fluffy. We also have 2 chairs that don't get sat in unless we have visitors. My 6'5" husband can lay flat on one half of the sectional without having to curl up. We debated whether to get 2 smaller sofas or a sofa and 2 chairs, etc, but a sectional was the right choice for us. No regrets at all.

Lisa, your Joybird Eliot L-shaped sectional is 133.5 inches wide by 101 inches deep, it wouldn't even fit in the room that the OP describes. The room is 11.7 ft wide which is 140 inches. That is why we are saying that a sectional is not for this room.

Sectionals can work...

But only in the right room.

I also have a long and narrow room. With far too many entrances. Can we see a pic of yours?

I have no qualms with how sectionals look. However, I am a person who needs space and does not like anyone touching me. As a result, I dread sitting on them when I go to other people’s house because everyone is wedged on to the stupid sectional.

Old fogey rant:

I want to know when it became acceptable to passively lay around watching the idiot tube instead of sitting upright and holding conversations? And to expect your guests to fit themselves between supine droolers with their attentions split between phones and big screens? If I’m invited to wedge myself in next to the slack jawed teen and slack jawed St Bernard, I’ll pick the St Bernard. He might at least assist me up and down from the virtual beanbag lumps that these things have become. They are thinly disguised beds, not seating.

I lament the disappearance of formal living rooms and a semblance of manners that forced ones offspring to attempt to be polite and conduct themselves as miniature adults sitting upright and saying Excuse Me when they sneeze with covered nose and mouth. Most sectional inhabitants seem to disdain human interaction and actually prefer to remain in their own beds with their own little screens.

Thank you everyone for your comments. I'm hearing very mixed reviews on the sectional option which does not surprise me, since I'm equally unsure. I think in the end I will have to go with my gut on what I like PLUS what truly works best in this odd space I'm working with. This space we use as a family room was once a screened porch that was enclosed, so with it I have these load bearing columns that are ill placed and cause issues with traffic flow into the space. I decided to attach some photos and sketches so that you can get a better idea of what I'm working with. Would love to hear your ideas after you look at the space. I am desperate for new furniture (sooo old and rickety) and being done with this process. I want to create a fun, comfortable space that my family and friends can enjoy. Please keep mindful of the way we enter the space (traffic flow from kitchen and entry are the main ways to enter). Also, I want to get rid of the huge entertainment center (so dated). Behind it is two (35" double hung windows). I'm considering either enclosing the windows (which would be just a plain wall), hanging curtains with media unit and tv in front, or maybe putting plantation shutters on the windows. I need there to be no glare because of the tv. Thank you for all the ideas you can send! Hoping I can wrap this project up soon with your help! Love ideas on type of furniture, color scheme (paint), etc...

Thanks for the pictures. You have great taste and I don't think you'll have any trouble creating the space that you want.

Your love seat looks a bit oversized, I feel like you can fit two matching sofas at a 90 degree angle in that space. You'll still have room for a chair on the open side and an ottoman/coffee table. Then you'll have lots of lounging room without having to climb around a sectional.

I forgot to attach a couple of sketches I created on Room Sketcher. Hope this helps!

Well back in the day, people had formal living rooms where they entertained guests but were rarely used on a daily basis. Growing up, the kids were not even allowed in the living room. We hung out as a family in what was called the den where the tv was. Now a days, many opt for an open living space that is more casual and includes a family room and a big screen tv. Things change. So sectionals are a great option if they work in your space. For many, almost home theatre style with recliners provide a number of lounging options or can be left upright for snuggling with the kiddos. Flexsteel and Palliser have some really nice ones available in a huge range of fabrics or leather.

Pretty room! I like the set-up now. I just think the furniture needs to be scaled back... nothing overstuffed, no big arms.

Just don't know if I want to repeat the sofa/loveseat this time

Thanks for pointing that out suzy. I never really thought about how ridiculous our housing set up was in my childhood home. At least 3/4 of our main living area was designated "formal entertaining space" and used at the most once every couple of months while we "lived" in the remaining small space. Seems kind of silly now, but was just the way things were then.

We have a sectional at our lake house and it is perfect for the space and our lifestyle there (and, oddly, our kids still have manners even when we are in residence there :) I agree with the comment above about choosing furniture based on the life you actually lead and the space you actually have. It sounds like you are thinking along those lines. It looks like the way you have your sofa and loveseat set up now, you are already blocking pathways the same way a sectional would. Does this work for you the way it is now? A streamlined sectional would actually take up less space than what you have now (if the photo views are accurate - kind of hard to tell how much walkway space you have).

We have a long narrow living space and went with a sectional, but one custom made to fit the space just right. I'm only 5'0 and didn't want a big bulky one that would swallow me up or make my legs dangle when sitting upright on it, so the seating is deliberately designed to be low and not too wide. As someone with short legs and stature, I am never all that comfortable even in most chairs due to dangly leg issues and distance from back of my knee to rear, which is shorter than most chairs these days. I'm more comfortable when I can pull my feet up under me, and that tends to work better on a sofa.

So custom made was the way for us to go, as-- for once in my life-- I wanted furniture that was comfortable for me to sit in!!

Our kids are grown and gone though they do visit. And we entertain a lot. No t.v. in our house. When it's just us, we do spread out and lounge on it/ take naps in front of the fireplace. When we have company, there's plenty of space to sit upright and converse without it being awkward. As you can see, we also have a pair of chairs, and an ottoman that can be used for additional seating.

Not shown is the kitchen -- sorry the lighting isn't that great in this photo -- you can just barely see in the foreground one of the four chairs at the kitchen island. These are counter height and provide additional seating. Because of the position of the island we thought this arrangement flowed a lot better than having a sofa acting as a barrier between kitchen and LR, which is what we had before (sofa and loveseat -- brought from our previous home).

Also not shown is that the living space extends beyond the pair of chairs. That's where my home office is, so there's an additional two chairs there as well. If we want to watch a movie, we use my computer monitor to stream netflix, hubby turns around one of the chocolate brown chairs to face the screen, and I sit in my comfy office chair (a DWR recliner).

When entertaining there's tons of separate conversational areas, even though the space is not enormous. People on the far sectional end / people perched on the near end conversing with those in the chairs / ottoman can be moved around closer to the sectional / people on the island stools, which can be optionally turned around towards the LR and the view / people in the office / people in the DR which has a table and 6 DR chairs / people out on the deck. Lots of flexibility.

We figured someday when we sell future owners will probably want a flat screen t.v., so we did wire for that in multiple places. Future owner could put the t.v. above the fireplace, or on the back wall near the sliders where we have the art now. I could see a future owner flip-flopping this arrangement with a t.v. and console on that far wall. For us that was less than ideal as the best views are from the sectional, and we'd rather have the views than a t.v.

And even though you consider the entertainment unit old-fashioned, its very nice looking and fits your space and tv perfectly. If you get rid of it, you'll need a new console and will need to decorate that whole wall. Would you l like it better in a lighter color?

This is the path most used .... from kitchen. You see how those columns cause issues ... and the sofa size...

I can't speak for ordering a sectional without trying first...I had to kiss a lot of toads before I found what I liked. I love our sectional...the corner space is our most fought for spot...go figure. You have a very nice space, I could see a sectional or 2 pieces like you currently have.

ETA: the only reason I am considering a sofa and a chair next time I buy furniture is so that I can get a reclining chair :-)

Rina, your space is beautiful and I think you can comfortably fit a streamlined sectional if you really want to. When I was trying to decide on furniture, I taped out different sectional sizes on the floor and scooted our existing furniture to where the sectional arms would be so I could gauge how much space we had to walk around, etc. I'm not sure what your budget is, but take a look at www.benchmademodern.com and browse their sofas and sectionals...it looks like they have at least a couple of styles that would suit your traditional space, and you can customize the length of the sofas & sectionals in 1-inch increments to fit your space perfectly. You can also order a FULL SIZE blueprint of the furniture piece you like with your specified measurements for free, to lay out on the floor and see what it will really look like. They were one of our top contenders when we bought our furniture. We also like Joybird (which we chose), and Article (which we bought a dining table from).

One thing I want to mention also is that you currently have your sofa and loveseat in an L shape, correct? How does that arrangement work for you currently? Measure your current furniture as if it were a sectional (the empty gap between the two would be a seat) and determine if you wish you had a larger walkway where the pillar is, etc. I found that a sectional takes up less room than 2 sofas in our space due to the way they have to be offset.

Sectionals limit options, but rooms limit options too. I have twice furnished out FR and twice exhausted all options -- and twice decided on a sectional. It is less space than 2 sofas or even a sofa and loveseat in out case, but we can still seat 4 or 5 easily, 6 is possible. And we got recliners. My other option, dealing with a pool outside, lots of windows (6), a TV inside, built-ins, FP and a narrow room, was a sofa and one chair or possibly 2 loveseats -- Seating 2-4 people max. Sometimes they solve problems and I needed that far more than I needed to rearrange furniture -- especially in a room that didn't allow many options in the first place.