Why Do People Buy Sectional Sofas? Here’s Why!

Sectional sofas have been around for decades and, as some would say, a few hundred years. They can easily fill a room’s seating needs with a few sofa pieces. Since sectionals have been on the market, they have adapted and also been able to fit the needs of people who buy them, extending the needs past just comfortable seating.

People buy sectional sofas because they are comfortable and inviting. Sectionals can save time and stress by not having to match several pieces of furniture. People also buy sectional sofas for the extra features they can bring. Sectionals may have some complications but can provide functional comfort for your home.

Even though people are still buying sectional sofas, some are against them for varying reasons. If you’re thinking of buying a sectional sofa, read through and try to find the pros and cons of one to see if one is right for your home, whether it’s in a living room, den, or man cave.

Benefits of Having a Sectional Sofa

A sectional sofa can probably be one of the best purchases you make for your house, depending on why you bought it. If you are looking to buy a new sofa and are thinking of a sectional, here are some of the many benefits of owning a sectional sofa:

• All the furniture you need is in one piece. If you have a sectional sofa, you don’t have to play with rearranging the entire room to get the furniture to fit perfectly.
• More seating for less space and furniture. A great benefit of buying a sectional is that you can comfortably sit, lay, or lounge in many different positions without adjusting the furniture, like kicking up a recliner or dragging up an ottoman.
• You can go in any sized or designed room. Sectionals can function and look well in a large or small room. They also can function well in an open floor plan room to break up the room and distinguish different areas of your home or apartment.
• Extra functions without the extra work. If you have a sectional sofa, you can get extra features, such as one with a pull-out mattress or a sleeper sectional, so your guests will always have a comfortable place to stay.
• Perfect place for coffee tables and ottomans. Due to their design and shape, sectional sofas are meant to have a coffee table or ottoman at the center to bring the pieces together and make it feel like a complete unit.

Related Article: Choosing a Sectional Sofa That is Right For Your Home

Things to Consider Before Buying a Sectional Sofa

If it’s time to buy a new sofa, or any furniture for that matter, there are some things you must consider before committing to your purchase. These things are:

• The space in your room. You should measure where you want your sectional sofa before shopping, so you know how much space you must dedicate to such a big piece of furniture.
• The floorplan in your room. Before buying a sectional sofa, you must know how you want to arrange it in the room it will be in. In addition, make sure that if it’s going into a corner, your corners are straight, or else the sectional can make the room look uneven. A great way to do this is to use painter’s tape to plan the possible layout.
• The sectional’s purpose. Think of why you are buying the sectional. Are you looking to have a place for people to relax in your home while watching the game? Or are you looking for a sofa where you can comfortably lay in different positions and have a charger easily available to you?
• The sectional’s shape: Most sectionals follow a linear design with right angles, but others are curved. Curved sectionals won’t fit perfectly into a corner and must be removed from the wall to be comfortably and aesthetically placed in a room.
• The sectional’s form: Do you want one or two extensions for your sectional? If you have only one extension for your sectional, consider the side you want the extension to be on, the right or the left.
• If you’re planning on moving: Most sectionals are easy to assemble and disassemble, but many times, people say that once the sectional is in, that’s it, and they won’t be moving it.

Related Article: 14 Reasons Why People Get Sectional Sofas

Different Sectional Sofa Shapes

If you’ve decided to buy a sectional sofa or are interested in looking more into the designs sectional sofas come in, consider that there are several shapes that they are commonly sold in. The shape of the sectional sofa will affect how well it works with a room, environment, and lifestyle.

The most common shapes that sectional sofas come in are:

• Chaise sectional: One of the most popular shapes for many homes is the chaise sectional. It is a couch and a chaise lounge in one piece of furniture. Place it against a wall and use extra throw pillows to convert the chaise sectional into an “L” shaped sectional if you need more seating with back support when you have guests.
• L-shaped sectional: The other most popular sectional shape, an L-shaped sectional, is similar to a chaise sectional, but instead of having the chaise lounge attached, it’s like there’s another sofa or loveseat attached. 
• Sleeper sectional: Sleeper sectionals are great options if you regularly have people over or kids who have sleepovers. They come in different styles with a collapsible mattress or one that pulls out so the sectional can become a full or queen-sized bed.
• U-shaped sectional: A U-shaped or horseshoe sectional is a great option if you love hosting many guests with great conversation and game nights. Think of it as a sofa with a loveseat attached on both sides, so you’ll always have plenty of opportunities for bonding and conversation with your family and guests.
• Curved sectional: Similar to a U-shaped or horseshoe sectional, the curved sectional sofa is great if you normally have many guests. Curved sectional sofas also offer a different aesthetic than the linear look that all other sectionals give.
• Modular sectional: A modular sectional is the most versatile sectional sofa. They are a fantastic option if you enjoy rearranging the furniture in your room seasonally or for different occasions.

Finally, consider buying a sectional for your outdoor patio after these different shapes. Outdoor sectional sofas are great for relaxing outside and sharing with your guests. Just remember to buy waterproof cushions and have a plan for the colder months to maintain their condition.

Common Sectional Sofa Features

After going through your list of pros and cons and thinking that buying a sectional sofa is right for you, consider the other qualities that sectional sofas offer. Some sectional sofas have excellent additions that can make any household more functional.

Besides comfort and how easy the material is to clean, some of the most popular features that sectional sofas have and are major contributors to why people purchase them are:

• Built-in mattress.
• Chargers
• Storage and cup holders
• Accessories such as ottomans and throw pillows

When is the Best Time to Buy a Sectional Sofa?

You can buy a sectional sofa any time of the year, but if you’re looking for the best price or to have one of the newest designs, you have to shop during a certain time of the year. 

The best times of the year to buy a sectional sofa are January, February, August, and September. This is when many stores have sales to clear out old furniture to bring in the new models. You should watch the prices before purchasing to get the best deal possible.

One other thing to consider is if you’re buying an indoor or outdoor piece. If you’re buying an outdoor sectional, it’s probably a better idea to buy it and set it up as the weather is getting warmer so you can enjoy our outdoor sectional before it gets covered in snow.

Most Common Mistake People Make When Buying a Sectional

Buying a sectional sofa can be a bigger commitment than buying a sofa, loveseat, or recliner. Sectional sofas are bigger and require a larger amount of space. They also have less maneuverability unless you buy a modular sectional sofa. The most common mistake people make when they purchase a sectional sofa is that they don’t measure properly.

If you don’t measure properly, it will affect many aspects of the whole sectional process, from getting it into your home to enjoying it. Some of the most important things you need to measure before buying a sectional are:

1. The door frame and entryway for each room the sectional has to go through. You should also measure how much space the sectional can be moved through the door frame if you need to change the angle.
2. The room dimensions. If you buy a sectional, you must know how big your room is and how much space you will dedicate to the sectional sofa.
3. The corner angles. Most rooms are built with ninety-degree angles, but some may be slightly off. If you don’t have an exact ninety-degree corner, it will disrupt how your sectional is placed in the room. You may have to pull it away from the wall a bit to get it to fit in nicely.
4. The amount of space for foot traffic. Depending on if your sectional is aligned with the wall or sticks out into the middle of the room, where you walk and how you get around the room might change. Having a sectional that sticks out in the room could be inconvenient.

Do Designers Hate Sectional Sofas?

Designers have a lot of say in what goes in someone’s home, even if they aren’t directly working with that client. If many designers hate how something looks or functions in a home, it can affect purchasing them. 

Sectional sofas can be big, bulky, and sometimes an eyesore, so some designers don’t like using sectionals on their projects. However, sectionals can bring a lot of functionality, purpose, and style to a room, so some designers will lean toward using a sectional sofa on one of their projects.

Disadvantages of Having a Sectional Sofa

Even though having a sectional sofa can have many advantages, many disadvantages can come with a sectional sofa. Some of the most common disadvantages of owning a sectional sofa are:

• Separation when you get on and off the sectional. Not all sectionals have a latching system to keep them securely together. Modular sectionals are known to be like this.
• Space Eater: sectionals are big and bulky and can take up a lot of space in a room. Sometimes it can take up more than half a room, making it a couch room with a wall-mounted TV or a bookshelf.
• Lack of Mobility: If you have a regular sofa or a love seat, you have more opportunities to rearrange the furniture in your room than if you have a sectional.
• Shape: Some sectionals will naturally fit in with a room because of their linear shape; however, curved sectionals won’t fit into a corner as other sectionals would. Curved sectionals go great in larger spaces.
• The corner. Depending on how you sit on the sectional and your comfort, the corner seating spot can be the most comfortable or uncomfortable on the sofa because there’s so much extra space.
• Matching furniture in the room: If you have a sectional, it tends to become the focal point since it’s so big. Because it’s the focal point, finding matching furniture, such as an ottoman or extra seating, can be a hassle if they aren’t purchased as a set. Even with that, you’ll need a big enough space for all the furniture.
• Matching and sizing accessories: certain things to buy for your sectional can be easy, such as decorative pillows and throw blankets, but other room accents, such as area rugs and curtains, won’t be as easy. Area rugs tend to be the most difficult because you have to find one that will fit perfectly with the sectional sofa or is bigger than it.
• Change in movement: if you have a sectional that isn’t in line with the wall, such as one that is placed further out, a U-shaped sectional, or is using a sectional to break up an open floor plan, you’re going to have to change the foot traffic a bit to accommodate the new furniture.

Non-Sectional Sofas and Seating to Buy

If you decide that a sectional sofa isn’t for you, don’t worry. You can purchase many other options to complete the comfortable seating needs in any room in your home. An additional benefit is that many places offer matching sets, so if you love the sofa and want the chaise lounge that goes with it, you won’t have to go far to find one that matches.

Sofa

Sofas are a common, traditional feature in any living room. They’re excellent because they are comfortable and usually fit one person to sleep on at night. Many sofas also come with some of the features mentioned above that a sectional sofa can have, such as:

• Built-in mattress
• Cup and remote holders
• Storage
• Recliners

Loveseat

Loveseats are smaller than sofas but are still just as comfortable. They are often sold as a set with a sofa, but you can still purchase a loveseat separately. Loveseats aren’t known to come with many additional features, but some loveseats can come with the following:

• Cup and remote holders
• Recliners

Chaise Lounge

The separate chaise lounge is a wonderful luxury to have in your home. Many sectional sofas come with a chaise extension because they’re great for putting your feet up and relaxing. Chaise lounges often come in sets with sofas and loveseats, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have one separately.

Futon

While not always the most comfortable, futons are an excellent option if you don’t want to buy a sectional sofa. They are a couch and a bed, all in one! Comfort heavily depends on the frame and the cushion you choose to use.

Futons are also great because they’re easily adaptable to any look in your room. All you have to do is put a different sheet over the cushion, and your futon can go from boring to exciting within minutes.

Recliners and Lazy-Boy Chairs

Some other pieces of furniture you can buy that aren’t sectionals but can be parts of sectionals are recliners and lazy-boy chairs. There’s nothing like getting home and sitting back with your feet in a comfy recliner that does or doesn’t rock or swivel.

Conclusion

Sectional sofas have been in style and used for many years in homes, offices, and almost anywhere you go. They offer style and functionality and are accommodating without stress about finding multiple matching pieces of furniture. Before committing to a sectional, there are many things to consider, usually more than if you’re buying the pieces separately.