Stressing about what furniture to get is a common thing that most homeowners go through, especially when it’s for a new home. I have seen so many people with beautiful houses who have ruined the entire decor by choosing a sofa of the wrong size, type, colour, and quality.

 

This article will help you decide the best sofa type for your house depending on where you want to put it. The type and size of the sofa are completely different when you’re finding one for a bedroom and one for your living room. Feel free to check out the conclusion at the end to read the summarized version of this article.

What is a Sectional Sofa & a Regular Sofa

Before we start, let’s understand what sectional sofas and regular sofas are.

Sectional Sofas: These sofas are made up of multiple pieces of furniture that often create an L-shape or a U-like shape. To put it in simple words, they’re like a combination of a regular sofa and a couch.

 

Regular Sofas: These sofas are traditional pieces of furniture with a more linear structure. This makes them easy to fit even in smaller rooms.

Key Takeaways:

  • Sectional sofas are created using multiple independent pieces of furniture. This is how they get their name, “sectional” sofa.
  • The regular sofa is a simpler option for small homes and living rooms.
  • Just because a regular sofa looks too simple doesn’t mean it’s a worse option.

Your Room Size & Layout

No matter how many times interior designers emphasize the room quality and available space, people just don’t seem to get it. So let me say this one more time: You DO NOT need a “luxurious” sofa to make your room aesthetically pleasing. How your home looks has more to do with your room size, lighting, available free space, and total number of items.

 

If you have a smaller room: Don’t even think about getting a sectional sofa. A simple regular sofa should be good enough. You can get a compact 2 -seater sofa if your living room is really small.

Main Points to Note:

  • In most cases, the size of your sofa(sectional or regular) needs to be somewhat proportional to your room.
  • Sectional sofas take a lot of space and hence require a really spacious room.
  • There is no thumb rule for improving the room decor, as it varies case to case.

Don’t Make It CrowdedDon’t Make It Crowded

Note: You have got a problem if placing your sofa is preventing you from opening closets or walking freely around the room.

When to get sectional sofas?: You need a large, spacious room for adding a sectional sofa to make sense. The reason I say large rooms is because the goal isn’t just to fit the sofa, but to do it in a way that leaves plenty of free space around and doesn’t affect the room decor.

 

When to get regular sofas?: As we discussed earlier, if you have a smaller or a medium-sized room, then getting a simple regular sofa is a good idea.

Key Highlights:

  • Avoiding visual clutter should be one of your main goals.
  • No matter what sofa type you choose, the free space around it decides how good your living room looks.
  • Placing sectional sofas at the centre of the room is a good idea due to the L-and U-shapes(this is not a thumb rule). We will look into it in detail in the section below.

Choosing Location For Your SofaChoosing Location For Your Sofa

For a sectional sofa: Unlike regular sofas, these sofas are usually meant to be the spotlight in large rooms instead of blending in. Living rooms and family rooms can be great for sectional sofas, but again, this applies only if you have a spacious room.

 

It is better to add the sectional sofa in your living room, assuming it is bigger than the family room, which is usually the case in some homes.

 

For a regular sofa: Apart from living rooms and family rooms, regular sofas are also a great choice for balconies. The great thing about them on balconies is that you don’t need too much space. I will go even further to say that it is completely okay if the sofa takes up all the space on the balcony.

Main Highlights:

  • Prioritize adding a sectional sofa in your living room rather than in the family room. You can also put it on your balcony if you’ve got enough space.
  • Traditional sofas are suitable for compact living rooms.

Different Costs

At this point, I think it should be obvious to you that sectional sofas cost more than traditional sofas. One of the reasons for this is the higher material costs and complexity.

 

If you want to do a cost comparison between the two, then you need to know these factors: your room size, seats for the total number of people, and budget range.

 

When getting a sectional sofa, it is important that you never go over budget. It is better to settle for a regular sofa if you can’t find a big enough sectional sofa under budget. To maximise your options, it is better not to stay fixated on a particular brand or online marketplace. Make sure to keep an eye out for the latest coupons from discount aggregators like CouponzGuru or brands directly.

Key Highlights:

  • It is better to wait for seasonal sales so that you shop at the lowest price possible.
  • Expect a higher price tag if you’re looking for a sectional sofa. You can get a traditional sofa until you can afford a sectional sofa.

Conclusion

It is better to get a sectional sofa if you have a 12-foot by 16-foot living/family room, provided it’s an L-shaped design. A U-shaped design is also a good idea if it doesn’t make the room feel more cluttered. The room size, location of the sofa, and total number of people are some of the important factors to consider when shopping for a sofa. Getting a traditional sofa makes more sense if you don’t expect visitors often and have a small living room.