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Sectionals are more than just a piece of furniture, they're a gathering place — a place for enjoying family movie nights, snuggling up with a great book, or catching up with friends. And if you enjoy any of these things, you'll definitely understand the appeal of a sectional sofa.
"All the rage for many reasons, sectional sofas are large modular sofa pieces that connect together for maximum seating and ultimate comfort," says interior designer Courtney Robinson. "These pieces are great staples for people who have large families, entertain often, or love to lounge."
And if you're looking for a new sectional, you've landed in the right place.
In this guide, we'll give you the inside scoop on what makes sectionals so great, what to look out for, and some top picks to buy, and the best sofa brands to buy from.
What is a sectional sofa?
Over recent years, sectionals have become one of the more popular types of sofas. A sectional is made up of at least two modular pieces (or sections) that usually combine to create L or U-shaped seating area.
"They are extremely popular right now mostly because of their versatility and configuration options," says Allison Thibault, principal designer at Kaleidoscope Design Studio. "They also come in a wide variety of upholstery and price ranges, making them appealing to most buyers."
The versatility of sectional sofas means they can work no matter how much space you're working with. "The great thing about sectionals is they can truly be configured to work within nearly any kind of space limitation," adds Thibault.
"The great thing about sectionals is they can truly be configured to work within nearly any kind of space limitation."
Sectionals work great for creating a space to relax and unwind at home. "I love to use them in home designs because they really set the tone for a room. You know right away that this is a room meant to feel welcoming and comfortable," says designer Jennifer Burt.
And if you love nothing more than snuggling up with the latest Netflix release, "there is no better spot to binge a series at than on a sectional," adds Burt.
So where is the best place to buy a sectional couch? Below we've listed 15 brands to check out.
The 14 Best Places to Buy a Sectional Sofa in 2021 (Plus Our Best Sectional Sofa Picks)
1. Albany Park
Brand: Comfortable, life-friendly, and stylish furniture.
Price: Starting from $1,895 (regular sofas from $895).
Shipping: Shipping is always free and Albany Park delivers its sofas in easy-to-move boxes.
Offer: Use code COZY10 for 10% off at checkout.
Albany Park is radically changing the way people shop for sofas with only three models that satisfy everyone’s needs, free delivery via UPS, and packaging that’s apartment-friendly and space conscious.
The brand was founded by former NFL linebacker Darryl Sharpton and his wife, Jessica, after shopping in an over-priced "designer" showroom and being overwhelmed with hundreds of sofa options and a poor buying experience, the couple decided to disrupt the industry.
This hip-chic sofa brand features contemporary, high-quality sofas, sectionals, loveseats, armchairs, and ottomans at an affordable price. Its pieces are easy to move and perfect for maneuvering around smaller spaces or apartments.
The Albany Sectional features Mid-Century Modern solid wood tapered legs and a durable solid kiln-dried hardwood frame and fits perfectly with almost any decor style. The back and seat cushions are also reversible and fully upholstered in plush fabric.
The Park Sectional features modern design elements alongside its timeless style and sophistication. It's available in a range of colors and fabrics (including velvets and vegan leather) and comes with the option of either a left or right-facing chaise.
Don't forget to use code COZY10 for 10% off at checkout.
2. Burrow
Brand: Burrow makes simple, adaptable furniture for modern life at home.
Price: Sectionals starting from $1,790
Shipping: Shipping is always free and Burrow delivers its sofas in easy-to-move boxes.
Offer: Save up to $700 during our Memorial Day Sale until June 6, 2021.
Launched in 2016, Burrow has a wide range of Mid-Century Modern inspired couches at a competitive price.
Burrow’s sofas are handcrafted from sturdy, sustainably sourced hardwood and scratch- and stain-resistant, non-toxic fabrics. Each sofa is also modular by design with plenty of configuration options and opportunities to expand with extra seats, added tables, and more. "[Burrow focuses on] modularity not just because of the ease of assembly, but because of the opportunities it unlocks for expansion, customization, and moving," a company spokesperson told Living Cozy.
It also has some neat additions you can make to your sofa like a USB adapter for charging devices and a sleep kit to convert your sofa into a sleeper sectional.
The brand takes a direct-to-consumer approach, and by rethinking supply chains it is able to remove all retail markups and over 70% of standard shipping costs by delivering sofas in easy-to-move boxes.
Its unique, simple design blends the age-old classic aesthetics of Mid-Century Modern like clean lines and tapered legs with modern manufacturing, materials, and features. "We were our original customers, and we wanted a quality couch that we could buy online, get delivered free, and build without an engineering degree," a Burrow spokesperson told Living Cozy.
Burrow has a wide range of sectionals available in various fabrics, including velvet, and leather sofa options.
3. Maiden Home
Brand: Handcrafted luxury for the modern home.
Price: Starting from $2,950.
Shipping: Shipping is always free and comes with complimentary white glove delivery.
Maiden home offers a range of handcrafted, made-to-order sectionals that are designed for unparalleled comfort and longevity. Every piece ships free with easy returns and a lifetime warranty.
Every Maiden Home piece is made by some of the world's premier furniture craftsmen in North Carolina using techniques that have been passed down through generations. "Our mission is to offer design-forward, comfort-driven pieces custom made to last—pairing the heritage craftsmanship of our artisan partners with our distinctive designs for the modern home," Maiden Home founder Nidhi Kapur told Living Cozy.
Because each sofa is made-to-order, Maiden Home can offer a range of customizations to each order. For example, The Crosby (pictured above) features a classic shape with a clean, tailored look and track arms and is available in 19 different configurations — from a left arm facing or right arm facing chaise to U-shaped. The Crosby also has over 55 fabric or leather upholstery options. Many of its sofas also have super cozy, deep seats (the Crosby has a seat depth of 37 inches), perfect for snuggled-up move nights with family.
Maiden Home never offers any type of sale or seasonal promotion, so you can be sure that you are getting the best price year-round.
4. BenchMade Modern
Brand: Custom furniture handcrafted in the USA.
Price: From around $5,000.
Shipping: $99 delivery fee.
BenchMade Modern is a high-end furniture company that offers a wide choice of sectionals in many configurations to fit any floor plan.
The brand was founded by Edgar Blazona who believes that luxury hand-crafted furniture should be designed to fit into your life, not the other way around.
"We want to provide a great quality product at a good price that is custom fit to your room,” Blazona told us. To ensure your BenchMade Modern sofa fits perfectly in your space, you can customize measurements in 5 inch increments so you don’t have to worry if it’ll fit where you want it. You can also choose the style, configuration, custom size, fabric, and leg color. With some styles, you also have the option to select the seat depth.
BenchMade Modern's 7-ply wood frames come with a lifetime warranty and your choice of fabric or leather upholstery.
Shop now at benchmademodern.com.
5. Floyd
Brand: Furniture made for keeping.
Price: From $1,540.
Shipping: $149 flat rate for orders over $149.
Known for its modular furniture, Floyd designed its sectional sofa to provide a larger, more customizable seating option to its customers, and The Sectional can be rearranged into an infinite number of configurations to suit the way you live.
Available in a wide range of configurations starting out from two-seaters all the way up to five-seaters, and beyond, you can add new pieces to your sectional anytime with Floyd's range of corner, armless, end pieces, and chaises.
The Floyd' Sectional's deep seats allow plenty of seating space and its low profile and clean lines give it a Mid-Century feel. Each piece is upholstered in a textured, tightly-woven, stain-resistant fabric and heavy-duty alligator clips underneath each piece keep your seats together but make it easy to rearrange when you need to.
6. Allform
Brand: Premium sofas built to fit your home.
Price: Starting from $2,245 (regular sofas from $895).
Shipping: Shipping is always free and Allform delivers its sofas in easy-to-move boxes.
Allform makes high-quality modular sectional sofas that are designed for real life. And whatever you're looking for, it'll likely have sectional perfect for your needs — with a wide range of configurations available from 4-seat corner sectionals all the way up to 8-set U-shaped sectionals.
Each Allform sofa features a sleek modern aesthetic and is designed to be comfy and with high durability. Its sofas are made using high-quality materials — including a kiln-dried and laminated hardwood frame and heavy-duty scratch, pill, and stain-resistant fabrics.
Allform makes its sofas in a multi-generation family-owned facility in North Carolina with decades of experience building premium furniture and each sofa is 100% made in the USA.
You have a wide range of customization options available with Allform, including a choice of nine performance fabrics or leather, three leg finishes, and additional throw pillows and cushions. Allform sectionals come in 16 configurations so you can create the perfect seating arrangement for your living room.
7.Cozey
Brand: Canada's first sofa-in-a-box brand.
Price: Starting from c$1,690.
Shipping: Free and quick shipping in all 10 Canadian provinces.
Cozey is a Canadian direct-to-consumer sofa brand that was founded to make sofa shopping as easy as binge-watching.
Cozey customers can add corner and lounging chaise modules to their collection of customizable sofa modules. This allows customers to personalize large sectional and L-shaped sofas.
The Cozey sectional will ship quickly to you, fit through any door or stairway, requires tool-free assembly, and can be expanded and adapted when you move or renovate. "Plus, it’s marvelously comfortable and is perfect for afternoon naps with the entire family or late-night binge-watching,” says Cozey founder Frédéric Aubé.
8. Sabai
Brand: Sustainable sofas that are cozy and convenient.
Price: Starting from $1,395.
Shipping: Free of charge to the continental United States. and shipping is also plastic-free. Orders usually arrive within 2 weeks of confirmation.
Sabai is on a mission to make beautifully designed, affordable furniture, using sustainable materials and ethical manufacturing.
Everything Sabai produces is made-to-order from recycled, natural, and FSC-certified materials, to reduce waste and avoid overproduction. And each piece of its sofas is replaceable so if something breaks, it can be replaced instead of thrown away.
The Essential Sectional features a reversible chaise extension that can be set up on either side and wide arms that invite lounging and perching. It's available with a choice of fabric options including upcycled poly and velvet.
9. Allmodern
Brand: Modern furniture, priced for real-life (part of Wayfair).
Price: From $820.
Shipping: Thousands of items arrive within just 2 days and delivery is free when you spend over $35.
Encompassing a variety of styles, from Scandinavian to farmhouse, AllModern knows that great home decor and furnishings shouldn’t come at high prices. With a huge range of sofa styles and affordable options, AllModern is one of the most popular online retailers.
Allmodern has one of the widest selections of sectionals online, including chaises, modern and contemporary designed sofas, and sleeper sofas in a range of upholstery finishes.
The Vincent 119" Sectional (pictured above), is an L-shaped couch made with a solid wood frame with extra-deep seats (over 35 inches) perfect for an evening or weekend Netflix binge. Its removable cushions and covers make cleaning and maintenance super easy.
10. The Inside
Brand: Custom furniture for every style and budget.
Price: $2,799.
Shipping: $249 for premium white glove delivery.
Offering a range of custom sofas, The Inside aims to be ‘your shortcut to a chic home— for every style and budget.’
And everything it sells is customizable, with most pieces offering over 120 fabric styles to choose from (with fabric swatches available for $1 so you can see your favorite upholstery color in person before hitting purchase).
The Modern Sectional is available in both left and right orientation with a lovely deep (48 inch) chaise and comes with your choice of chrome, brass, or bronze legs. Its foam cushions are designed to maintain their form for years. The Inside also has a range of plush cushions to complement your sofa.
Each custom piece is handmade by experienced sewers, upholsterers, and woodworkers across North America and made-on-demand process which bypasses traditional inventory waste.
11. Arhaus
Brand: Heirloom-quality pieces that can be passed down for generations.
Price: From $2,000.
Shipping: From $199, standard shipping in 3-7 business days.
Founded in 1986 on environmentally conscious beliefs, Arhaus is committed to creating heirloom-quality pieces that can be passed down for generations. In a world prone to disposal, Arhaus is focused on making durable products that are great for customers and the environment.
Arhaus creates unique, yet functional furniture from recycled natural resources — and it's committed to never using wood from endangered rain forests.
"I personally have the Landsbury sectional in my own home," says interior designer Brenda Anderson. "It's deep and the back cushions have the 'sink in' feeling."
The Landsbury sectional is available in a range of configurations and features plush, padded cushions, rolled arms, and designer-inspired fabric.
Arhaus cushion cores are made with dense, eco-friendly foam made partly from sustainable, plant-based material and its frames are handmade in North Carolina and constructed with sustainably sourced hardwoods.
12. Lovesac
About: Home of Sactionals, the most adaptable couch in the entire world.
Cost: A 2-seat Sactional starts at $2,850.
Shipping: 100% free shipping on all orders within the contiguous United States.
Lovesac is the maker of the Sactional, the most adaptable couch in the entire world.
Starting with one or two pieces, Sactionals can be customized to meet your exact needs and evolve with you as you need more seating space. Each seat and side connects through its tool-free interlocking system and whenever you'd like to add to your sofa, you simply connect a new armless or corner section.
Sactionals are also built to withstand everyday life at home. Its seats, cushions, and sides all have removable, machine-washable slipcovers that keep your couch always looking like new.
And as your home decor changes, you move home, or you just fancy a new seasonal color, Lovesac has 250+ cover options that allow you to reinvent the look of your couch over and over again. The Lovesac's versatility also means you could easily use it as a sofa bed if friends and family are in town.
13. Inside Weather
About: California-crafted, customizable furniture.
Cost: From $1,949.
Shipping: Shipping is free anywhere within the contiguous United States.
Inside Weather believes that shopping for furniture should be modern, personal, and accessible.
Its couches are manufactured in the United States and made from sustainably sourced materials. It has a wide selection of couches in a variety of styles and sizes at budget-friendly prices.
Inside Weather has eight sectional styles to choose from, each with a huge number of customizable features, including arm style, upholstery, configuration, pillow and cushion shape, and pillow detail (buttonless or tufted accents).
Inside Weather pieces are reversible sectionals too, so you can redesign your piece at any time by switching the chaise to either left-facing or right-facing depending on the configuration that works for you in the moment.
Shop now at insideweather.com.
14. West Elm
About: Designer furniture that's good for people and the planet
Cost: Sectionals from around $1,300
Shipping: Flat rate shipping of $149 or $249 depending on location. Some items ship in 2-3 weeks, custom pieces in 8-10 weeks.
The popular home and furniture brand, West Elm, has a range of sectionals in all shapes and sizes — including recliner options.
At West Elm, 95% of its products are designed in-house and the brand aims to help you create a space that reflects you and what you love. That means forward-thinking, problem-solving design that unites value, quality, and responsible manufacturing.
One of the standout sectionals within the West Elm range is the versatile Enzo Sectional. The Enzo comes in a range of sizes from three-piece to five-piece and has a bunch of neat options features including storage space in the chaise to hide away in living room clutter and option storage in the armrests. Its modular design means that it can be arranged with the chaise on the left or right
Why trust Living Cozy?
At Living Cozy, we work closely with furniture brands and industry professionals to create comprehensive guides to help you find the perfect pieces for your home. To write this article, we spoke with a number of interior design and sectional sofa experts including:
- Allison Thibault, a 5x best of Houzz award-winning designer and the principal designer at Kaleidoscope Design Studio.
- Courtney Robinson, star of HGTV's newest series, Sister Fixers, and Principal designer at Materials + Methods Design.
- Jennifer Burt, founder of home staging and interior design business Mississippi Maximalism.
- Brenda Anderson, an award-winning interior designer a Certified Living In Place Professional (CLIPP), and founder of Interior Elements and Design.
Living Cozy also connects with brands to understand what makes their sofas unique. This guide features original content and comments from Burrow, Maiden Home, BenchMade Modern, and Cozey.
How to Find the Perfect Sectional for Your Home: Four Things to Consider
1. Living Space and Seating Needs
"The great thing about sectionals is they can truly be configured to work within nearly any kind of space limitation," says Thibault, a 5x best of Houzz award-winning designer.
And though sectionals can work almost anywhere, it's important to consider your unique living room furniture needs in order to find that perfect new sofa.
If your sofa is just for you and your family to catch up on your favorite shows, then a smaller three-seater or chaise lounge could work wonderfully. But if you like to entertain and often have larger groups you might want to think bigger and look at a U-shaped or longer L-shaped sectional (if space permits, of course).
2. Sectional Placement
Robinson, who is 1/2 of the dynamic duo in HGTV's newest series, Sister Fixers, advises:
"Always measure your room before buying furniture to make sure you are considering scale and proportion." She also shared three questions to ask yourself whenever you place a sofa:
- Is it obstructing a walkway?
- Can I comfortably watch tv or hold conversations with this placement?
- Does this piece add function to my space or clutter?
You can also use a sectional to "define" a space, as Burt explains: "One of my favorite design tricks is to define a space with a sectional. We place it floating in the room to create traffic
pathways."
And if space is a premium in your home, you can also use the space around your sofa wisely. "Sectionals surprisingly can work perfectly in a small space," says Burt. "The L-shape creates the perfect nook for a coffee table, so side tables aren't necessary"
3. Upholstery
Do you want a leather sectional or would you prefer performance fabric... or even velvet? The upholstery you choose can have a big impact on how easy your new sofa is to maintain as well as how it fits in your living room. Always think carefully about the materials before you hit purchase.
"The best part about a sectional is, they will never go out of style when upholstered in neutral, stain-resistant fabric,' says Robinson.
4. Modular and Reversible Sectionals
Some sectionals are fixed in place. So if you buy a sofa with a right-sided chaise, it'll have to stay in that configuration. Whereas others, like the Burrow and Inside Weather examples above, are modular, reversible sectionals so you can alter your layout at any time.
A new sofa is a big investment — especially when you're buying a sectional — so think carefully about your existing floor plans and any future plans you might have because the last thing you want is a sofa that doesn't work with your living space in 12 months time.
If you're fairly settled and know exactly what you want, a fixed position section will be perfect. But if you like to shuffle your rooms around a little or might even be moving house in a year or two, look for a sectional that offers a little more long-term flexibility.
Sectional Sofa FAQs
How should you measure a sectional sofa?
"As far as measuring, you'll need to know the width and length. Mark out with painter's tape on the floor your ideal sofa location to get a ballpark idea of your measurements," says Burt. "Another issue you'll need to be aware of is the sectional fitting through doorways and elevators," she adds.
"When measuring the space you’ll need to add 24-30” for end tables and also travel space, that’s where it gets tricky, says Anderson. "We always drop a sectional and components in a scaled floor plan to make sure we’ve allowed enough travel space in the furniture layout. Then, it’s a fun puzzle to take available sizes of the modular pieces to fit available space."
Should you place a rug under a sectional?
"A rug elevates a sectional. It helps create a cozy, specific area. With a rug, bigger is better," says Burt. "If you can, have all the feet of the sectional on the area rug and include all feet of the other furniture (chairs, end tables, etc.). At the least, keep the front feet of furniture on the rug."
As sectionals take up a large amount of space, Anderson recommends that a "rug should be large enough to put the front legs plus a 1/3 of the depth of the front of the sectional on it at a minimum. Go larger if possible."
What shape coffee table goes with a sectional?
"Since sectionals have such straight lines, balancing this with a circular coffee table works best. Plus, in a tight space, nobody will accidentally hit their knees on the edges of the coffee table. If you have space, a rectangular padded ottoman can be used," says Burt.
"The shape of a coffee table/ottoman will be dependent on the layout of the sectional, says Anderson who recommends different style coffee tables depending on your sectional layout.
- Corner sectional: Round or square works. "However if the inside corner is 90 degrees, a square works best," says Anderson.
- L-shaped sectional: Should have a rectangle table or three ottoman cubes.
- Sectional with a chaise: The type of table "depends on the open area if it’s square or rectangle," says Anderson.
You should also focus as much on the scale as the shape of your table recommends Anderson. "The goal for a coffee table or ottoman should 16” from the front edge of the sectional," she says. "The biggest mistake we see are too small coffee tables or ottomans. Everyone should be able to reach their drink or put their tootsies on the ottoman."
How do you arrange a sectional in your living room?
"Don't be afraid of floating the sectional in the center of the room,' says Burt. "The long lines are great at guiding traffic patterns, so think of how you'd like traffic to flow and arrange accordingly."
"There are only a few situations where it should be the only seating in a room," says Anderson. "If you are doing a sectional, it’s a very large element. You’ll need to keep the scale large on other chairs, end tables, lamps, rugs, etc otherwise, you’ll end up half the room looking miniaturized."
Anderson also shares a warning: "Double measure the room and your selections before ordering. Measure the doorways and tight transition hallways before ordering to prevent the dreaded 'it won’t fit,'" she adds.
How do sectional sofas connect?
Sectionals tend to come as individual pieces or sections that are usually connected by hooks or clips that hold each piece together.
