It really all depends on you as people. I HATE sectionals. I hate 'sharing' a seat cushion with anyone. When they move you move. You are forever leaning into each other and no one has a place to put a book or a drink. How much cloeseness do you prefer? My son has two sectionals one up and one downstairs. They make an ok emergency bed but other than that I've yet to see an upside. We got rid of our full size sofa for a love seat and two chairs. Each person has their own seat, their own space, their own foot rest. No one I know chooses to sit in the middle on a couch EVER or not for long when forced to. Sectionals were all the rage when I was in high school and left as fast as they appeared for this reason. How and why they are back SHOCKS me--but to each their own. Think about FUNCTION and make your choice. Realize it is a chore to find the proper sized sectional for your space before you make your decision. You may not find one that fits and they don't move like other smaller pieces do.

I do personally love sectionals and we enjoy sitting close together as a family, so that part is not an issue. I definitely appreciate the point of not creating a barrier with a sectional, and that is my main concern as well. I will say, no matter what, we would want a couch facing the tv, as we would never use separate chairs to watch tv.

My problem with 2 sofas ( or 1) perpendicular to TV is that one has to turn neck or sit angled, to see TV.

I think the 2 perpendicular couches make some sense when a room has fireplace on one end & TV on opposite wall and family needs multiple seating, AND room dimensions work for that. A friend has a room like that with 2 somewhat deep sofas and room proportions are good, so it works for 2 focal points.

For any room in which the main “ viewing “ activity is TV, the best/ primary seating should face it, for my idea of comfort, unless room is just not able to support that. Then secondary seating can be at an angle, or swivel.

I think you need more deep- diving on how you sit together, who pits feet up, who needs an “ arm of furniture to feel comfy, who floats, who would sit in the corner piece. Ideally you would visit some showrooms together & try both types of furniture.

Also you need exact measurements of your room so can compare to the dimensions of items you’re considering PLUS room for side or coffee table or ottoman.

Will you have snacks , drinks, pizza night in front of TV? That’s part of the equation for the additional furniture needed to make it work.

We have two sofa arranged perpendicular to each other at a 90 degree angle. I love this arrangement, especially for a living room that still has some formal touches to it as does yours. You benefit from one facing the TV directly. (We still cuddle up on ours to watch TV.) But, when we have guests over, it is so much more sociable to have two separate sofas than a sectional. Having two in an L configuration is like the best of both worlds of a sectional yet separate sofas.

You can use:

• a sectional
• 2 sofas
• or 1 sofa and two lounge chairs

• Turn the rug and center it on the fireplace
• Add a floor or table lamp
• Add drapery panels to the window
• Change the coffee table to wood with kids in the space.

There are 3 of you all can sit on a sofa and watch TV np problem So I would do either 2 sofas or a sofa 2 chairs . Not sure I would go that fabric in a TV room with a child but that is me.

I think that you have to know what works best for you and your family. I love my sectional and it works well for me.

Have you gone to a store and tested the sofa/sectional you are thinking about getting? Do you like to sit, recline or lay on the sofa. Some sofa's are not comfortable to lay across.

I wanted a sofa that fit my space and allowed me the flexibility to sit, lay or recline while watching TV with my two dogs and provided adequate seating for when I do have guests.

Think about how you like to interact and watch TV as a family. Think about how often you have guests and how often they will join you in watching TV. No one will be bothered if the three times a year when they watch a movie at your home they have to sit at an angle.

You don't want to have to be all twisted every night.

Double / Triple check the dimensions of the furniture and the room and make sure you are leaving ample walking space around the sofa/sectional/chairs. Furniture always feels so much smaller in the showroom than in your living room.

For a young family in a room where you watch TV, a sectional --- no question. You can use sofa tables behind, and ottomans with trays in front, to get space to put things down.

For a room where you entertain, two sofas are more comfortable.

Two couches, no question. I will never have a sectional in my main living area as they seem so casual and informal to me. Problematic when you have guests.

I actually chimed in to say I have a crushed chenille couch in a warm offwhite and I LOVE it. Special ordered from Flexsteel. It’s the cuddliest, softest couch ever. HOWEVER, we have a kidfree, petfree home, so there’s that.

Can you add pictures for all the rest we aren't seeing? All that is out of camera view, and stand at the fire wall and show all behind?, Where the foyer is etc?

Can you do a sketch of the room....all windows doors /stair included and not dimensions for all? That's the path to the best advice.

There are so many sectional haters here. I am not one of them. I have a small rental house in STL-MO and I used to live in it. A sectional was really the only way to maximize seating for when I had guests. And when I had small parties or gatherings we just pulled the dining chairs from the adjoining dining room to gather around the nesting coffee table. You aren't limited by space here so that isn't an issue. This space could work with a sectional or could work with one of the great suggestions above.

Thanks for all of this input! To add some more context based on these responses.

• We do have occasional gatherings with friends, but it would not be awkward to have everyone share a sectional. We are a really informal group so that would not be an issue at all.
• When my son is asleep, my husband and I like to lounge on our current couch together facing the tv.
• I am adding some additional pictures of the rest of the living space (please excuse the mess). We have 9ft ceilings and our main floor is very open concept with a very wide foyer.
• I’ve seen some concerns over the fabric voiced here, but it’s actually recommended as being very family friendly and stain resistant, so shouldn’t be an issue.
• my main concern is if we will regret closing off the one corner with a sectional or if it will still feel open enough.

Thanks for all of the great feedback so far!

As in all things decor, there's a trade-off with sectionals versus sofas. Only you can decide what's right for you and your family. Your rooms look quite large and probably could handle a large sectional. My kids both have the type of sectional where one part of the "L" is actually a chaise longue. It's quite comfy to lie there and watch TV. With the type that is two sofas, both with backs and one arm, it's a bit awkward for the person sitting in the "V" section, except for small children whose legs don't hang over the front edge.

It's a new build ? Does it have a floor plan? Feet and inch information is your friend. Buying any furniture without the feet and inches and ESPECIALLY with a sectional, which once purchased has ONE arrangement or be stuck with useless pieces with no arms?

Draw and measure the space? Take a picture of the drawing with the info and upload it as a jpeg.

These folks wanted a sectional. do they have one? No.

These folks don't either. Identical sofas ALLOW the one most used to trade places: ) Gain versatility in arrangements. Never stuck with a useless piece of upholstery.

You really do need to measure the room and all pathways. And make little to- scale furniture cutouts id doing things the old- fashioned way. Plus for a sectional, you’d need to decide what is the configuration, short/ long parts, chaise part, for your room.

Is that your current furniture ? You could re- position it to mimic a sectional , sort of.

The TV looks high- but how far away? That is part of the measurement need, for where you’d ideally place the “ main” sofa/ section. If it is pretty high for viewing, it may lead you to want to lie back/ scrunch down a lot , & really need leg rest options, so that would influence the way the furniture functions, seat depth/ squishy- ness / seat back height.

If you’ve got two sofas facing each other and the person sitting on sofa wants to watch tv, the strain on the neck will be intolerable after a while. You will probably have two people monopolizing the corner seats opposite the tv.

I love the 2 sofas and the 2 chairs that face the fireplace. I would get a sofa with tall arms so whoever is watching TV can lay down on the couch with a pillow and not have to turn their head to see the TV

It's great you have a group of friends who enjoy hanging out casually. To assume that means they wouldn't prefer not being jammed all in a heap, swaying in and out as one after the other someone gets up or sits down is a HUGE ASSUMPTION. Build your space for the long haul. Adults dressed for an evening out would prefer proper seating.

I love my sectional. We are all about comfort. We do not sit and watch tv we sprawl and watch tv. We rarely have guests over and when we do it is usually family. The whole sharing a cushion and leaning into someone is not an issue with my sectional. Each seat is it's own seat. No shared cushions. The seats on each end recline and the one seat next to the end also reclines.

Our vote is for 2 sofas. It allows for a better flow and ease of access.