This article was written by Ryan Podnar, furniture expert at La-Z-Boy South Texas
A new sectional can satisfy an entire family. Whether it’s a family of 5 or a family of 3, there’s a wide variety of sectional sofas on the furniture market to suit your needs.
While it is supposed to be a fun process, sometimes trying to find the right sectional sofa can be a bit overwhelming. From type of sectional to cost, there are several factors that you need to consider.
To help assist you in the process, this article will serve as a complete guide to buying a sectional sofa.
Coming Up...
- Types of Sectional Sofas
- Key Factors to Consider When Buying a Sectional
- How Will You Customize Your Sectional Sofa?
- Differences Between a Leather Sectional & a Fabric Sectional
- Cost of a Sectional Sofa
- Sectional Sofa Shopping Tips
- Ready to Find the Best Sectional Sofa For You?
Key Takeaways
- There are 3 different types of sectionals: stationary, reclining & sleeper
- Factors such as your body type, what design you like, and how many members are in your family are important to consider
- Generally speaking, reclining sectionals are the most expensive type of sectional
Types of Sectional Sofas
The first step to finding the right sectional for you is to learn all about the different types of sectionals available on the market. Let’s take a look at the different types of sectionals.
Stationary Sectionals
Stationary sectional sofas do not include any movable or adjustable features like recliners or sleeper mechanisms. These sofas are fixed in their design and structure, providing a stable and sturdy seating arrangement.
They also come in various shapes, such as the classic l shaped sectional, u shaped sectional, or even a curved sectional, and can be configured to fit different room layouts.
Reclining Sectionals
Reclining sectional sofas combine the spacious seating arrangement of a sectional with the comfort and functionality of recliners. Reclining sectionals feature one or more sections with built-in reclining mechanisms that allow users to adjust the backrest and footrest to their desired positions.
A reclining sectional is ideal for those seeking enhanced relaxation and ergonomic support.
Sleeper Sectionals
Sleeper sectional sofas, also known as sofa beds, combine the functionality of a sectional sofa with the convenience of a pull-out bed. These sleeper sectionals feature a hidden mattress that can be easily unfolded to create a sleeping area, making them an ideal choice for homes that frequently host guests or need multifunctional furniture for smaller spaces.
Key Factors to Consider When Buying a Sectional
Size of Your Space
Before you decide between a recliner sectional or a sectional sleeper, we at La-Z-Boy South Texas encourage you to measure the size of your room first.
Knowing the exact size and dimensions of your space is very important to finding the right sofa for you. Do you have a bigger space? If so, you’d be able to get a 12 piece sectional. If you have a smaller space, you’d need to keep it smaller and look along the lines of a 4 piece sectional.
While measuring the size of your room is important, understanding the size of your room isn’t just about taking measurements. You also need to take into account existing furniture, windows, and walkways to get an accurate review.
Some good measurement tools to use would be tape measure and a laser measuring device. A good tape measure can be found at your local department store, and laser measuring devices can also be found on Amazon.
Once you have the measurements of your room noted, we at La-Z-Boy South Texas also recommend that you take pictures of your room and every angle of it. This will help make the job easier for an interior designer if you intend to work with one.
Your Body Type
Before deciding on a deep sectional sofa and a huge sectional couch, it’s important to understand your own body type. If you’re 5’11” sitting on a blue sectional sofa meant for somebody who’s 5’4”, it won’t fit you very well.
Don’t worry though: whether you are 5'3" or 6'3", the furniture market has options to fit you. Seat depth, width, and height are major contributing factors in determining what size group a sectional is designed for.
While it is important to know our height guidelines, it's also important to note that height guidelines are not set in stone. Different furniture fits everybody differently, which is why it's ultimately important to sit on the sectional yourself.
Amount of People In Your Home
Another key factor to consider is how many people you regularly have in your home. This will play a major role in determining whether a 5 piece sectional or a 10 piece sectional is best for your home.
Do you have a family of 5? A big sectional sofa will fit your home better. What about a family of 3? You can get away with a compact sectional couch, unless you prefer a bigger one.
The size of your sofa will be influenced by how many people regularly are in your home. Luckily, at La-Z-Boy South Texas, you can work with an in-store designer to determine how many pieces you need for your sectional.
Design & Functionality
Knowing the design and style of the space you want is also important to picking the right sofa. This is an effective way to narrow down your search since there are so many styles to choose from.
If you already have existing furniture in your living room, such as a brown leather recliner chair or a hardwood coffee table, you may already know what style sectional you’re looking for. For example, if you have a brown leather recliner in a casual living room, a casual sectional like the James Sectional at La-Z-Boy South Texas would be a great fit.
However, if you don’t know what style you’d like and don’t know where to start, you can schedule a meeting with an interior designer at La-Z-Boy South Texas.
Functionality is also an important factor to consider when choosing a sectional. A stationary sectional with wood legs is great for those who want a traditional sectional to fit in a formal living room. Sleeper sectionals are great for guests, and reclining sofas take your comfort to the next level.
All of these factors will help you make a decision. However, maybe you don’t really know what type of sectional you like the most and need a little help. If you’re in this position, the best thing for you to do is to get fitted for your La-Z-Boy furniture in your local store.
How Will You Customize Your Sectional Sofa?
Are you looking to add pieces to your sectional? How about going from fabric to a leather sectional recliner, or even customizing the cushions? All of these upgrades and customizations will enhance the look and feel of your sectional.
While these particular upgrades are not available at every furniture store in your area, they are available at La-Z-Boy South Texas! If you’d like any of these upgrades, you’ll be best served to communicate with one of our in-store designers about which models offer these upgrades.
Differences Between a Leather Sectional & a Fabric Sectional
There are advantages and disadvantages between the two types of materials, so the decision you make should be based on personal preference. To learn more about both, this article walks you through fabric furniture vs. leather furniture.
Leather furniture will present both elegant and classic appeal and is more durable than fabric. It is also hypoallergenic material, which makes a leather sectional perfect for someone with allergies.
The downside of leather furniture is that it is generally more expensive than fabric furniture. It also can crack and become discolored over time if left near a heat source, such as a window or a furnace.
To see the issues leather furniture could present, this article walks you through 6 common problems with leather furniture.
The advantage of fabric furniture is it can create a warm and inviting feel to your living room, and it’s also generally more cost-effective than leather. However, it is not as durable and typically does not last as long because of fabric pilling and other issues.
Cost of a Sectional Sofa
Before you decide to go with that beautiful double chaise sectional, it’s also very important to know the cost of a sectional, and what affects the cost.
To better understand the cost of a sectional, we’ve broken down the cost range according to the type of sectional.
- Stationary sectionals: $895-$6,595
- Reclining sectionals: $1,000-$10,000
- Sleeper sectionals: $695-$6,500
It’s important to know what factors affect the cost of a sectional as well.
- Material quality
- Size/amount of pieces to a sectional
- Upgrades/customization
For customers who are looking for the most affordable options, you will typically be best served looking in the direction of stationary fabric sectionals or sleeper sectionals as opposed to reclining leather sectionals.
Sectional Sofa Shopping Tips
Online Vs. In-Store Shopping
Since we all have technology immediately at our fingertips, it’s become increasingly popular to do shopping online.
By shopping for furniture online, you can find a great dual power reclining sectional from your home and set up a delivery as soon as possible. You can also filter your search to make the process more efficient.
While those are certainly enticing advantages, there are some problems that could arise from a computer system, and you’ll miss out on key elements of in-store shopping. You will be working with a computerized system rather than an in-store expert, which widens the margin for error.
Most importantly, you will not be able to sit on the sectional to see how it feels before you buy it! There are many accounts of online shopping customers who are unhappy with their selection because they were not able to sit in it first.
In-store furniture shopping will always have that advantage over online shopping, as well as the ability to work with design experts and even experience exclusive in-store furniture sales.
Try Before You Buy!
The single most important factor to finding the right sectional for you is to sit on it before you make a decision. Since furniture sometimes looks better than it fits you, sitting on the leather sectional couch will eliminate all doubts as to whether it’s the right couch for you.
It’s also very important to note that different furniture fits everybody differently. You need to keep in mind what kind of body type you have, which is why you can’t simply just take a recommendation from a friend and buy it before you sit on it yourself.
Ready to Find the Best Sectional Sofa For You?
There are many factors to consider when buying a sectional sofa. From the type of sectional to the cost, it can become a bit overwhelming trying to figure out which sectional is best for you?
After reading through this article, you may feel that you are able to organize the steps you need to take before buying and during the buying process. When you are prepared to start looking, it is important to ask yourself these questions:
- Do you prefer comfort over style?
- How big is your space?
- How big is your family?
- What is my budget?
When you have those questions answered, the final step is to go sit in a sectional to see what fits you best. If you’re ready for this step, come into your nearest La-Z-Boy South Texas store to sit in our sectional sofas!
