I love a good sectional. We had one for 20 years, reupholstered at 10 years. Unfortunately it just did not work with the layout in our new home. We replaced it with two sofas and two chairs, miss the sectional. A friend of mine liked my sectional so much that she has it now, it will soon be reupholstered a second time.

Also sectional fan. This is our space. We adore it. Family of five, who pre covid entertained often with friends. We now have a puzzle table in the back corner and extra seating but this is an older pic

I too love a good sectional. They don't have to be too large and bulky, yet can provide lots of seating and lounge space. I've never understood the idea that people are crowded or that the people in the middle don't have an arm. The same is true of a sofa. No one wants the middle seat. And no one wants to sit next to anyone they aren't close to in a loveseat. They are awkward except for couples or family members.

Someone always posts that on sectionals you're all lined up like soldiers. That is no different than a sofa, but with a sectional, you can actually sit across from someone and converse. Not as easy on a sofa. Some people like the angle corner; I do not. I like sectionals that have a gentle curve, so you can sit there comfortably and the corner is not so deep.

I would not get an attached chaise, as they are awkward to sit on when you have guests and no one is lounging.

Some nice sectionals that aren't too bulky - there are many more:

With this size sectional, you could easily still fit 2 arm chairs in the room for more seating for guests, while affording yourselves lots of lounge space.

Sectionals take up a lot of floor space. As a minimum, make a scale drawing of your space to determine best size. From your photos it appears there is main entry (double doors) and walk through space needed too. That must be accounted for in your space planning. You need at least 3’ as walk through space. How many people do you want to seat in this room every day? Is there formal living room in room on other side of the wall with opening?

Furniture has to work for how you entertain and use your space. I have a sectional and love it, It works well for they way life is lived in my home. My one sister has a 3 seat sofa + Chaise and 3 recliners - it works well for her and her family. My oldest sister has a 3 seat sofa, 1 chair and 2 recliners.

It seems as though both recliners and sectional sofas are frowned upon, but not everyone does formal entertaining where a conversation pit centered on the fireplace is best.

Think about how often you entertain and the makeup of the gatherings. Determine for yourself if they would be comfortable sitting on a sectional. Determine how you and your family uses the space. Once you know how you need the room to function it is easier to determine what will best serve your individual needs.

I’m also a fan of sectionals. I don’t furnish my home with the thoughts of, “what would guests like”. I furnish based on what I like, what is comfortable for me and my family.

I hate sectionals they are IMO the most expesive way to but the least number of comfy seats. Comfort comes from having an armrest that is why people never choose the middle seat in a sofa. Now with sectional you have many middle seats and everyone is lined up so conversation sucks , no sectional do a sofa and 2 chairs if you insist on recliners then do the chairs as those making sure when they recline you can still have pepole sit on the sofa, IMO a nice sofa 2 chairs and a large ottoman for feet with a try for drinks and end table for drinks and lamps is still the best seating arrangement.Please lowee that TV the center of the screen should be at eye level when you are seated. You have a big space get a bigger rug then all the furniture does not need to be squished on that too small rug

If the tv was too high for their comfort, they’d move it. Quit treat people as if they’re too stupid to realize that it’s uncomfortable or not.

I realize you believe you are so much higher class than the rest of us, but the majority of people lay on their couches to watch tv. They don’t need the tv to be directly at “eye level”.

So glad I don't live in Pleasantville!

If you can sit in a part of the couch with no arms, OK, but I need at least one arm to lean on. Just my opinion.

"everyone is lined up so conversation sucks"

How is it different on a sofa? Everyone is all lined up.

Update: It’s just for me and my husband to have a nice comfy lounging area to watch tv. We don’t entertain :) We have a max of 2 other people in the house.

Jennifer, sorry I don’t understand, what does that mean?

Tell us what you don't like about your sofa that you are thinking that a sectional would be better?

Family of 5 with 2 teenaged boys here, and we *LOVE* our sectional (it has a chaise on the short end). Everyone, including my 6' husband, fights over who gets the corner seat. So... (Pic is from the VRBO listing... made days before COVID struck in we moved our family into the house instead. Now picture this room with 100% more books stacked everyone, one kid's distance-learning 'office' where that orange beanbag is, 5 instruments + music stands, shoes and flipflops and charging cables and masks and coffee cups and sunglasses cases and birthday cards... AUGH!!!! -- but I still maintain the sectional was a great purchase. ;)

Ashley- if it’s just the two of you, here’s an idea. Turn your rug so it extend across the room. Move your sofa to the side wall and use opening like a sofa table. Then move recliner to where the sofa is and get an additional recliner so you both have great seating for your lifestyle. A couple nice tables for drinks or books. And a couple reading lights along with chandelier if possible and this becomes an inviting room with total comfort. Get pillows to tie leather sofa and recliners together. I can see this working really well with much less cost. I will do a quick layout for you. Bbl

There are a couple challenges here...first...no foyer area at the front door...second the big space is meant to be a living room...not a tv room...both of these can be remedied with a small sectional...if you place the back of the sectional to the front doors with a console behind it...this creates a foyer...and brings the seating closer to the tv for a more cozy tv area for two.... you can keep the recliner in this scenario..pictures of the wall across from the tv may offer even more ideas

ALSO...people who attack other posters for any reason ...are not adding anything worthwhile to these discussions..could they remember the old adage...” if you cant say anything nice...say nothing at all”...

Here is the other side of the recliner (which we no longer have)

Another pic showing what’s behind the couch

Flo, wow! Thank you so much! That is really helpful!!

We have tried 2 recliners from PB and both were uncomfortable and we ended up both wanting to lay on the couch rather than use the recliner. The current couch doesn’t offer space for us to both lay down. And a particular design flaw with this couch is that it leans back in an odd way that kinda hurts your back.

Ashley - do you have "sliders" for moving furniture. I'm sure that sofa is really heavy. But these little devices are "pads" that you put under the feet of furniture and you can slide really easily to move pieces around. Lowe's and Home Depot and Amazon carry them in packages for both hard floors and rugs/carpeting. Different for the two types flooring. They are fantastic if you haven't already discovered them. I agree you don't have a "foyer", but you do have the small "entry" table to act as a "drop" station and possibly a closet? Since it is just the two of you, and I'm guessing that doorway is not used often? then I would only concern myself with comfort for the two of you and yet still have a stylish room. :)

The really comfortable couches and sectionals are expensive. But sometimes you can get them at an upscale consignment store for much less when someone redecorates. If there is a “Home Consignment center” (that’s the store name) that happens be be near you, might be worth goi g for a look see and try sitting on the couches and sectionals.

With the right recliners, you should both be very comfortable. You just are choosing pieces that don't work well. So if you are going to do a sectional you have to do a detailed scale sketch of the room to make sure it will fit properly. I can't tell you how many people have not done this "homework" and end up spending a lot of money and can't return and have to live with the piece. I would never have let you buy that sofa, for example, for the reasons you stated. I am trying to help you use what you have but make it so it is more comfortable for less $$$$ IMO you would have more useful pieces if you did two 76" long sofas if you want "laydown" comfort in this room. Also, firmer cushions are better for the back along with a seat height that is 18-20" high. Lots of things to consider when buying furniture as you have found out. Sales people in huge showrooms push their products and most of it is too big for most homes. Sad but true. Your original question was "Should I get a sectional" and you have two camps of responses. I don't believe your room is "large" enough for a good size sectional but you can do the scale drawing and see if the "actual" dimensions are different than my "guestimates".

Ashley- post room measurements if you aren't able to do a scale drawing yourself. It will help you have a clearer picture of what will actually work and furniture sizes to look for when you start to shop. This is really the 1st step in planning a room that functions well. If you need a visual, take Flo's advise and get those "sliders' and move your furniture around to get a feel as to what may or may not work for you.

I am having trouble posting from my iPhone, but I have two more "options". Both with "sectionals". I have the feeling this is the thing you want, so let's at least do that well.

Thanks Flo!! I very much appreciate your feedback.

The room is 163” along the back of the couch from wall to wall.

185” from wall to wall behind the recliner, though I probably wouldn’t want anything blocking the window so it goes down to 130”.

Trying again. I can't emphasize enough that you need very accurate measurements of this room, the locations and widths of doorways, openings, windows etc. So, Here are two options with sectionals that are fairly correct for the "space" as I have defined it. Verify ALL measurements. If you do a sketch and clearly mark each wall length, opening, door width, hallway widths etc., I can do the scale drawing for you, but the measurements are key. Start from that double door and work your way around from left all the way around the room measuring each wall length, closet width, windows, openings to other rooms, etc.

When measuring, you document all the outer edges of the space. The layout will avoid other issues, but you need the precise footprint right. When you say 185" along the wall with the window and opening and entry to kitchen? we need to have that, and the other measurements. Wall to side of window, window width, wall to left of opening, opening length, wall to right of opening, arch width, wall to right of archway to that corner.

layouts · More Info

layouts · More Info

Determine which way you most often come into this space. Is it from the double doors? or from the rooms behind this room? (is that kitchen and sitting area?) I believe for everyday, it is from the rooms to the back. If that is true, then Option 3 is your best bet for a sectional. The reason is, you can access the space easily and you can create a bit of an "entry" with that table or a similar one, behind the sectional on the door side. Kind of a faux drop zone. Here's the key thing. The length of each side of any sectional and the width of the "seats" in the sectional. I have had the best luck with the designs that Ethan Allan offers for sectionals because they have a variety of widths of pieces so you can configure them perfectly to your space. Watch for their "sales" for best pricing. Here is a sectional I put in a house last year. We designed it for their "next house" too so it actually fit perfectly in their new home.

As you consider Flo's sectional layouts, imagine how you and your husband would lay on the sectional to watch TV. Looks like one of you would be turning your head to do so and the other one would have the other one's feet near their head if your goal is for both of you to lay down on it.

I may be putting the cart before the horse here as I know Flo is focusing on sectional right now but wondering is there a possibility of 2 sofa's facing each other?

I don’t have measurements but guessed at room size. Each square=1 sq ft. The dotted line represents your rug turned lengthwise. I put smaller scale recliner near sofa for better flow. I added small swivel chair as guest chair. And a “wedge” table for between recliners. I moved your torchiere floor lamp to window corner. I added tables to each end of sofa. Sizes to be determined. I think this would feel and function really well for you.

Sorry but Houzz is suffering from too much Turkey I guess. Posts are scrambled up. You could do two sofas (possibly) facing each other and each of you get a sofa to stretch out on to watch TV? Maybe one guest chair on end facing TV with your trunk in middle. Easier to stretch out on 2 cushion sofa than multi cushion sectional? (Hint hint!). 😀

I need to revise drawing to get more accurate but two sofas would work well if meets your desires.

Ignore the flying saucers. Just lights reflecting on my design board.

Thank you so much Flo! These drawings are so helpful in visualizing the room options. Im

going to play around with my current furnishings to see if I can get a feel for what layout we’d enjoy most. Thanks again!

I like Flo’s 2 and 4.

Ashley- a good idea to play with what you have. I think based on the two dimensions you posted, the drawing is off on the room width but hard to tell without more detail. I am quite sure you will find an arrangement you like. Turn the rug too since you need that change as well. Get big furniture off rug first, then turn the rug. The front legs of main furniture should be on the rug. Looking forward to seeing different set ups. Please take photos stand as far back as you can so we can see as much perspective as possible. See ya tomorrow!

@Ashley Marie - I assume you didn't understand my "Pleasantville" remark. I was referring to the 1998 movie where 2 teenage siblings travel through their TV to the black and white world of "Pleasantville". The town is described as the perfect place, "It never rains, the highs and lows rest at 72 degrees, the fire department exists only to rescue treed cats, and the basketball team never misses the hoop."

The moral of the story is that there is no true utopia, that when everyone agrees with everything and everything is perfect and there is no discord or differing opinions there is also the loss of free thought and individualism.

So I am free to love my sectional and Patricia is free to hate sectionals, and both of us are right. Those are our own individual feelings, and neither opinion makes the decision to get a sectional or a sofa and two chairs right for you.

@Ashley Marie - Like you I don't entertain large crowds - usually a max of 4 or 5 total people including myself. Most evenings it is just me + 1 + my dog. The sectional gives us lots of options. My mood varies and sometimes I want to lay down, sometimes I want to sit and sometimes I want to recline. I can do all of this easily. Prior to this I played with the furniture from my last house and none of the options worked as well (Had a chaise, 2 recliners and a sofa).

I also chose to have my TV on the wall that is perpendicular to the fireplace and didn't use the fireplace as the focal point of the room. We watch TV and I don't have any strong desire to watch the fire.

Off topic, but question for @Flo Mangan - did you hand make your little furniture-arranging cutouts? Or did you buy them somewhere? Thanks!

Sarah. I bought this board and all the furniture items they had. Sadly, they have gone out of business. I find it so easy to use and there is something about the hand eye connection that helps me visualize spaces in 3D. The board has a metal core and the pieces are magnetic. I have several computer based programs and apps but this is still my go to tool.

@Flo Mangan Thanks for the reply. That's amazing! Can you tell me the name of the company or the product? Maybe I could track one down on eBay.

Thanks again for your help @Flo Mangan! I got the sectional. :) We have had it setup like this for a couple weeks and plan to try the option 3 layout soon as we do like the idea of that walk way being open.

That’s beautiful! But big!!

Sarah. I found this on Amazon. Similar to what I have. It doesn’t say what the scale is. I want 1/4” = 1’

Having trouble posting. Let’s see if this works.

I found one similar to what I have.

Ashley - thanks for letting Sarah and I communicate on this board. Sorry for taking up space. I can delete these if you wish. I just want to give Sarah a chance to get screen shots first so she can explore options. That sectional is really spectacular. I hope you really enjoy it.!