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Last time we chatted about our family room, I told you guys that we’re on the hunt for a new couch. Well the hunt is still ongoing, but I’ve done more research and made some decisions on what exactly we want for the space.
You can read more about my review of our current couch right here. But in short, it’s a wonderful couch that we’ve owned for 5 years now, but we’re ready for a change!
Since moving in over a year ago, we’ve always had our “L” shaped sectional facing the built-ins and our front windows.
It’s worked out fine for us, but I’ve always wanted the couch to open up to the entire room. Kinda like this inspiration picture…
That way there would be better flow from the family room, to the dining room, to the kitchen. Making it much easier to entertain!
However, since we have a chaise on our couch, that part would block a large chunk of the built-ins if we moved the “L” the other way.
But in order to get a feel for what the space would look like with a new couch that opened up to the room, I decided to move the couch. I did this on a random day when Finn wasn’t around and man you should have seen me moving all of these pieces all by myself. It was comical, and I was a sweaty mess by the end of it. But I was able to successfully get the couch positioned the way I envisioned it in my head. 
Here it is opened up to the rest of the room.
The chaise does block the built-ins and TV a bit, but again, this was just an exercise so we could get a feel for what a new couch would be like in this space. A new couch that ideally wouldn’t have a chaise portion.
After living with it like this for about a week Finn & I agreed….this positioning is the way to go when we get a new couch in this space! The room just feels so much bigger and more open.
So with newfound motivation, we decided to make our list of must-haves for a new couch.
Our Couch Must-Haves
- Must be an L-shaped sectional
- No chaise
- Must be roomy (we’re both pretty tall and want to be able to spread out on it)
- The seats should be pretty deep
- We prefer a light gray color
- Should have an easy to clean fabric
- Not too boxy
- A classic shape that we’ll (hopefully!) still love in 5+ years
Sectional Options
With our list of must-haves, I started browsing. My first thought? Why the heck are couches so darn expensive? Man oh man, some of the ones I found were so pricey!
My second thought? If at all possible, I want to be able to sit on the couch before buying it. I know there are a lot of amazing online retailers who sell sectionals…but in a perfect world I’d love to sit before I buy. So I visited a few stores here in Chicago, checked out some of my favorite retailers in-person, and also did a bit of online shopping where places had amazing return policies.
Here’s what I found…
Affiliate Links Used* 1. Interior Define – Sloan // 2. Interior Define – Caitlin
3. Crate & Barrel – Lounge // 4. West Elm – Andes
5. West Elm – Henry // 6. Pottery Barn
I know which one I’m leaning towards, but would love to hear your thoughts! Next month when we chat about this space, I’m hoping I’ll have our new couch in place, photographed, and ready for action #wishfulthinking
Casey
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