apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

totally sectional! and maybe during the winter, pulling a chair closer to the radiator for reading all cozy like.

the sectional. absolutely. no contest.

Depends; what window do you open the most? When I had my couch in front of the window, I found it harder to get to the window to open.

Hey! Thanks for your comments! I am so excited to get feedback because I'm at a standstill. The window at the front of the house (right side of the pictures) is actually larger than it looks, and doesn't open at all--so the window shown at the top will be the only one we'll open.

Kate

Are those Room and Board couches comfortable?

the sectional - a single couch isn't enough space for 2 to relax and the 2 sofas somehow doesn't look as nice to me.

The sectional looks perfect in that room.

I like the look of number two because I prefer only one couch/loveseat, especially in a small room, but I have a suggestion: what about moving the two chairs (shown on the right wall) to face the sofa? One on each side, facing the sofa but angled toward the coffee table (similar to the way they are angled as shown in number two), would create a cozy conversational area without blocking the TV.

the sectional looks the best in my opinion.

I like the two couches option.

I find sectionals awkward. I like to lean on the arm while reading a book. With two couches, you can have two people sprawled out reading and a table in the middle for your drinks.

If it were me, it would be important that I could fit with my husband on one couch, for snuggling. But we are both small people, so a small couch is usually fine for us.

i like number three. i like that you want two different (or at least different colored) couches. i am not one for matchy-matchy. two couches will give you more flexibility for rearranging and you could always move one of the couches into a different room (thus alternating to plan two) to change things up for a while.

Sectional! It looks alot more cohesive, and cozy.

Hate sectionals. The corner is totally wasted space. Allow for little flexibility for rearranging or fitting in new spaces.

I vote for the two couch setup. I think sectionals are kind of looking dated and the two couches have the most flexibility now and for the future. Plus, it looks less like a room for TV watching. What are you going to do with the corner near the TV?

I also like the two couches, particularly since the end table opens up another option for sitting down drinks or adding lighting. I also agree that sectional sofas are dated looking.

The other thing is that the sectional's corner seat is pretty much wasted anyway as it's not a comfortable place to sit and two people sitting on the ends of each sectional can't sit right at the ends (their legs will bump).

#2

We don't have any thoughts yet for the corner near the TV--if we mount the TV on the wall and can minimize the extra electronics stuff, there might be room for a small chair.

dtla, I'm going to play around with the idea of the chairs facing the couch. One might fit on the left side of the TV, but the other would be to the right of the doorway.

I vote for two couches - stands out the most, gives the most flexibility and makes the room look least like a vapid tv-watching room!

Two couches. The sectional closes the room up.

There are a lot of good arguments against the sectional (or rather in favor of sofa(s), but I think the main thing is, if you get one big, it's always going to be one big. Yeah, if one part got ruined, you might be able to replace it, but that's not my point. If you decide you don't like it, it's going to have to leave as a unit. I'm not sure what the resale value of a sectional vs. sofa is per "cushion" (I suppose this is our measurement?) but if you had 2 sofas, you might change one. You might change both. If you had chairs and a sofa, you could get rid of a chair or put it on the other side or put it in the corner of your bedroom. You could move them around the room independently. You could give one to a friend or put it in a rec room. I just think one large piece of furniture would limit a lot of options you would have with two or three smaller pieces.

Plus (not knowing what the Ian looks like), it's hard to sit in the corner seat unless your sectional curves there (like the one we got when I was about 7 or 8). Tables at convenient intervals are great without part of the couch flapping up and folding down, as are lamps that aren't those "spider" kind of floor lamps with the five bulbs - they're always really ugly!

Bonus: Look what I found for everyone!
http://thomonthenet.com/ContemporaryGlass/DanDailey_FemaleFigurativeFloorLamp_large.jpg

Two couches, definitely. It'll be much easier to rearrange if you decide you want a change in furniture, and a table lamp on that round table in the corner would make stretching out and reading really nice...

STAY AWAY FROM option 2. My boyfriend and I are in this kind of arrangment, where the sofa is right in front of the TV...and it's ruined all kinds of potential conversations. It's awkward to sit without the tv on, it's the black hole of the living room...thankfully we're moving out in 2 days...but never again, am I doing this kind of arrangement...and I would discourage anyone...unless there is no other way but then I would demand an armoire.

I personally hate sectionals. This is for both practical reasons and aesthetic reasons.

If it were my room, I'd definitely go with two couches.

I love the two sofas, and looking at the Andre vs. the Ian from Room & Board...I would definitely go with Andre. I agree with KTG on sectionals not being that great to reuse. You can put a sofa anywhere but it looks weird to break apart a sectional (especially one that has arms).

I hate sectionals as much as the next person, but it looks geat there, despite the dead space in the corner.
Besides, let's face it: that corner is dead in any arrangement. The table in corner is going to be lost with the two sofas completely blocking all but the top surface of it, and the two chairs isn't conducive to conversation with people on the sofa as the one chair is inevitably going to be pointing away from someone. Plus the two chairs also kill any potential with that corner except for a lamp.

It's a tricky thing but unless the space is REALLY open, and you insist on your seating being against two adjacent walls, I probably would side with a sectional in most cases.

Wow--these are great comments. Thank you all so much. I'm going to tag on an additional question, which goes along with option 3.

A couple friends have voiced (in their kind ways) objections to different colored couches and suggested we get either two different couches altogether (different looks and different colors), or the same couch in the same color. I was thinking two of the same in different colors would still look streamlined, but with an added visual interest... Same color couches, or different?

[Not that I'm sold on option 3 yet].

My vote is for the sectional... but I get the corner spot!

Sectional, but with round coffee table instead. Losing the edges will create better flow. Not knowing the design of the tv stand - could it go on an angle in the corner for visual interest? Also you may want to add another lamp and chair for balance - depends if you will also have overhead lighting. I have a sectional, and my favorite spot is curling up in that corner. Lastly - I love Room & Board and have only had really positive experiences with them.

I guess I'm definitely in the minority here - I like the single long couch with the two chairs (Photo 2). If you're entertaining, I find it somewhat uncomfortable to have conversations in an L shaped seating arrangements. The chairs would allow your guests, if they want, to move their chairs directly across the sofa for face to face conversation. Also, the room in Photo 2 would allow for another smaller accent chair (different from the other two chairs), thereby allowing for seating for at least six persons.

I'm all about versatility.

Sectional, but I would have a thin console table behind the right (our right in the picture) arm of it against the wall.

It's really good to have a place for a lamp and books behind you, especially if sitting in the corner spot. You could place a drink there if need be.

Gives the room more depth too, instead of two arms of seating hugging the walls.

The two couches! I would lean toward them being complementary, but different styles and colors, though am not sold on that completely. And maybe a round coffee table, as one of the posters above mentioned for the sectional?

long couch, sectional and 2 couches are too crowded

Here's another vote for the sectional. Something else to consider is that you'll save a ton of time (and backaches) when you clean, as you won't have to move stuff around or bend over to get the dust bunnies out of a corner.

2 couches(i like the andre, exposed legs will make room appear more spacious).......to visually take up that corner space, choose a large, high square table(i bought mine at R&B) and floor lamp. in my LR, the seats next to the shared corner end table are the most coveted......break up all those straight lines with a glass topped coffee table with interesting base(dwr cross coffee table or similar) or something similar to dwr's noguchi or eames elliptical.........after those are in, you can make chair choices. in my childhood, my tiny behind always fell through the separation on our sectional.

Two couches, same color, I am leaning towards a medium tone. I have seen this and it really makes the room look large. Two different colors in a small room might make it look a little "choppy". Being the same color allows for different accessories for variety.
I would also have a sofa table behind one or both of the couches for table lamps, and a floor lamp by the chair against the wall. I think a round medium to large coffee table on top of an area rug would look good too.
I like the idea of a corner TV armoire/storage unit. Perhaps something a little contemporary to suit your couches. This would open the space up a bit as you walk into your room as this looks like a traffic path.

Question? what type of window treatments have you considered. I can picture woven wood, top down-bottom up for both windows. If you need privacy on your windows this is a perfect way to get the light you want and keep privacy and you can always open them up all the way as well.
Nice room - have fun!

i agree with david. definitely the two chair set-up. provides two distinct sitting areas, makes the room less boxy, and looks more refined. whenever i see one small room with two sofas, i always think they ran out of ideas or had extra furniture leftover from elsewhere. the sectional set-up is too off-centered from the television, and since she mentioned watching movies as the primary use of the room, that seems important as well. plus, having the two chair set up with a side table, and a sofa with a coffee table, you have much more flexibility when the mood strikes you to rearrange the room to provide a different look and feel. with the sectional you're pretty much stuck with one look.

The sectional is my least favourite - it looks a bit staid to me compared to the others, and makes the room seem functionally smaller coz you could only seat people in that one arrangement.

No.2 allows for more flexibility - you'd be able to arrange the room when you get bored... or when guests come over. It gives the room a more open feel and makes it look bigger.

No.3 allows for seating of 7 people (yes?) which if it is important to you could be a great option. I would definitely buy two very different (but complimentary) couches.

No's 2 and 3 look the most inviting to me. I also like the fact that they are not as TV focused. Personally, I would probably go for no.2 coz I like to rearrange a lot.

I love number 3 - I have a similar arrangement in the front room of my old semi (I'm in Australia) and have two different couches and a different armchair, all in slightly different styles and different colours but with a common fabric to tie them together (in this case velvet because I love retro furniture) and makes for a really cosy room which is easy to sit and chat in without feeling imposed on by the TV (which we hardly ever watch) but easy to lounge on when we do.

Probably one of the first things that I ask when talking to a client is "how is the room going to be used?" You mentioned movie watching for you and your husband. Given that, and your openess to design, my vote would be for the sectional. It provides the most space for the two of you to relax and comfortably watch movies. Yes, it is a little predictable, but this is the space where you will spend the most time, so you want it to best fit your lifestyle. The other options are great, maybe you could implement them in another room that you would use more formally, as they are designed better for that use!

DCDesigner brings up a great point. I, and probably others who live in small apartments, will tend to look at the vignettes with an eye for flexibility. You have a room big enough to take a sectional, and said you'll use it for watching movies.

I don't know how many other rooms you have. I think most people's basic assumption on reading "Good Questions" on this site will be that the room you're considering for watching movies on your big tv will need a flexible functional capacity for guests in other purposes, in which case, I would still stay away from the sectional.

If you have another room, intended to host small gatherings and sit for conversations, one that isn't your kitchen, a sectional would probably be ideal in the room shown and asked about, and if not, then, the long sofa and two chairs. If two people can snuggle up when they're alone, and others can sit when there are guests, they might appreciate the sectional when the party is moving into... Oscar night, Super Bowl, whatever movie or weekly TV show viewing you're hosting.

Again, thank you for these great comments. They are very helpful. To answer one question that came up in the last few posts, this is the only "living" room in the house--the only room where we'll have couch(es) and comfy chairs. The comments about the additional flexibility of free-standing couches and chairs have helped me make one decision--we are not going to do the sectional. I am still trying to think through options 2 and 3. I like the idea of two couches, but it may make the room seem very small.

Also, based on some of the comments, I'm thinking more about two different couches altogether. We still like the Andre a lot, but are thinking about something like the Loring as the second couch.

Andre: http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product.do?method=get&id=497045&coll=92329597&cat=91552821
Loring: http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product.do?method=get&id=380161&coll=4197436&cat=91552821

I vote for 2 offhand - provided that you and the huz are comfy snuggling together on the one couch. If you're using the room for occasional hosting, the chairs give you more flexibility. Guests are usually more comfortable in separate seats. You can drag them to the coffee table to face the sofa for a conversational area, or theater-style to face the tube.

We have one long couch and two chairs and it works really really well for us. Our couch is perpendicular to the TV but it is large enough that we can lay on it together and snuggle or read books at opposite ends.

It is a MASSIVE couch and only cost $600. When company comes, four fit on the couch. Go Value City Furniture.

I like your idea of two different sofas, but I would use either one big coffee table (a square or circle) for this. Or you could use two smaller coffee tables and push them together. Ikea lack coffee tables work well for this. As for the sectional solution, I just think it looks too much like a catalogue. You want something w/ character, something original, and I think two different sofas in two different, but complimentary fabrics would be really sharp. Plus you could use throw pillows to pull them together.

i had the same dilemna in my small space and went with a couch and a chair and a half size loveseat and regret it every day. i have no where to sit in my own house once my husband and kid stretch out for naps and tv. if we had a sectional at least i could get a spot in the corner to snuggle into instead of lying on the floor!

Careful with Room & Board. They really screwed me on my last (and final) major purchase there - after buying almost 3 full rooms of furniture from them. They screwed up the credit card transaction and attempted to charge me 18% interest about 15 months later - and they just slapped the charge on the credit card without notifying me.

It was a huge hassle and I've never set foot in there again.

I find the option #1 A sectional couch and a side chair. the best choice. I love a long sofa as the #1.