The Best Sectional Sofas (for Netflix, Naps, and Hard Chilling)

We don’t spend a lot of time indoors when there are waves to catch, Ren faires to hit up, and music festivals to sneak booze and pot into during the summer. But when we do, it’s usually to eat, sleep, recalibrate, or engage in some combo of the three from the comfort of our own couch. And if that couch sucks, so, too, will its ability to boost our vibe. It’s basic transitive stoner physics.  

That’s why we’re no longer wasting our energy on mid sofas. Going forward, we’re a strictly sectional and L-shaped sofa family, because why on Earth would we invest in anything less? If we can’t sit spread eagle on a deep-seated sectional, what has it all been for? The couch is the heart of the home, so if you’re going to throw down thousands of clams on any one piece of furniture, it might as well be the one that bears witness to your best (and worst) dates, hangs, naps, and Netflix binges. Whether you have a budget into the thousands of dollars or one under $700, there’s a sectional here with your name on it that doesn’t compromise on style, comfort, and sick hydraulics (meaning, even recliners look cool now).   

Amazon is filled with plenty of affordable L-shaped sofas and sectionals, but this high-rated, tufted black beauty from Belffin is one of the most popular on the site, and has sold over 50,000 models to formerly sectional-deprived customers. Reviewers like how easily it fits into smaller spaces at 106 inches in length, and add that the removable cotton covers are both durable and stain-resistant. Plus, you can’t beat the price at just under $700.

This deep-set, corduroy couch from Article would be just as at home in a 1970s conversation pit as it would a contemporary, minimalist Scandinavian design-centric living room. The cushions pack a depth of just over 70 inches, and are made out of a plush blend of high resiliency foam and polyester. The best part? Assembly (according to the Article folks) should take no more than 15 minutes. 

Floyd is home to one of the slickest, most coveted Japandi bed frames out there, so it’s no surprise that the brand’s 3-seater sectional is also a hard swipe right. The deep-set Form Sectional is engineered with double-layer foam cushions that come in a high-performance polyester fabric, and it’s 30% off right now.

A matte aubergine-meets-dark-chocolate sectional? How Frasurbane of you. This handsome cloud from AllModern rivals many of the luxury couches we drool over at 1stDibs, and its L-shaped seat packs the width we crave and deserve at 70 inches. Pair it with this honey knot pillow from JIU JIE to contrast with the both the stark colorway and plush form. 

Listen, we’re more than happy to be dommed by our pets, but we would also love to have a couch that doesn’t look like it has lived through several lifetimes in a DIY punk showspace. Burrow makes some of the best scratch- and cat-proof sofas out there thanks to its customizable, high-performance fabrics, and it is also home to every level of sectional you could aspire to; there’s a beauty of an 8-seater for you and the whole commune, as well as a comfortable 3-seat performance leather sectional that is around $600 off right now. As one reviewer writes about the sectional, “We love that we can add more pieces as our family grows. [I] also love the leather, because we have two large dogs and kids.”

Interior Define is also made the shortlist for the best scratch-proof sofa brands, because its durable, comfy couches come in colorways you just can’t find anywhere else; the Skylar sectional, for example, comes in the kind of high-performance, mossy crushed velvet fabric we would normally have to fight a bog witch for. Not that it wouldn’t be worth it (we heard Emily Ratajkowski is a fan of green velvet sofas). 

Once upon a 2003, reclining sofas looked like they belonged in a sad showroom at a tired outlet mall by a Souplantation. Now, reclining sectional sofas are sexy, as evidenced by West Elm’s stunning Leo model; This baby comes as both a 5-piece leather recliner and a 3-piece reversible chaise sectional that is so plush, it deserves to be in the middle of a S’more.   

Amazon also has a Memphis Design-adjacent, postmodern 5-seater recliner with the kind of slightly curved silhouette that would fit right in on the Beetlejuice set, or in the home of anyone who owns a Patrick Nagel print. Bonus points for the fact that not one, but two of the seats recline.  

Don’t sleep on sites such as Kaiyo, which is one of our favorite places to shop for epic used and vintage furniture online. Not only is there a great selection of one-of-a-kind couches and a reliable white glove delivery option, but you can find comfy sectionals from brands such as Anthropologie and Interior Define for a fraction of the price, and often for under $1,000. 

Maybe you already own a sectional, and now you’re in the market for a clout couch that says, “I own many TASCHEN art books, and I once made Michel Houellebecq cry at a dinner party.” If that’s the case, you deserve 1) a medal and 2) this chenille sectional from Ebern Designs that looks like a postmodern candy bar. 

Enjoy your throne. 

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.