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Are sectional sofas out of style? An interesting historical debate.

If you want to decorate your living room, your mind must have many ideas about deciding the right paint, furniture, finishes, and fixtures. Of these numerous ideas, one thought must be about your furniture, like what kind of furniture is the best for your living room. The decision-making struggle is not over because, in the next step, you decide whether to go with a stylish Sectional sofa or cozy couches for your living room. If you decide on a stylish and comfortable sectional for your living room, you may face this question, “Are sectional sofas out of style or not?” I think before getting an answer to this question, you must understand that both sectional and sofa are the same furniture items or they are different from each other.

Difference between sectional and sofa

The difference not only makes it easier for you to find whether sectional sofas are out of style or not, but also guides you to determine is it better to have a sectional or couch?

What is Sofa?

It is a one-piece furniture item with comfortable and upholstered seats, back, and arms. A sofa might be a single seater, two seater, or three seater; So, sofa selection depends upon your living space and which option is better for you. Adding single sofa chairs alongside sectional sofas for additional seating arrangement is also a trend, especially in a large family.

What is sectional?

You don’t need to consult an interior designer to know what sectional is; I will explain it in easy wording. Sectional is generally considered a type of sofa, but it is a combination of two or three pieces of furniture items displayed in the form of one piece. A sectional is a combination of two to three different pieces therefore it will be available in many shapes. These shapes are well known as L-shaped, U-shaped, sectional chaise, modular, and sleeper sectional sofas. You can clearly see the difference between a sofa and sectional in the following picture.

Difference between sectioal and sofa out of style
Image credit : Pexels

The Historical origin of the sectional sofas

This historical origin helps your mind to build a graph of transitional demand and supply of the sectional. This graph will ultimately help you to evaluate, whether sectional sofas are out of style or they are still in style. The concept of the sectional sofa was derived in the 19th century from the Victorian era when it was under the military influence in Virginia. The military camps mostly struggled with limited space; therefore portable furniture items are highly demanding in these camps. These military demands compelled regional manufacturers to create a portable design, and they eventually produced sectional sofas for their camps. In the beginning, the sectional sofa was just like a curved wooden item with rough fabric on it, but with the rapid growth in the economies of England, the sectional sofa design was improved at the same pace.

To some extent, World War 1 influenced the designers to take aggressive steps to improve the designs of sectional sofas. In the mid 20thcenturyCharles and Eames, the furniture designers introduced the latest design in making sectional sofas. Various updates were introduced in sectional sofas at the end of the 20th century.

Factors influencing the evolutionary trends in sectional sofas

By exploring these following factors you must be able to understand whether sectional sofas are out of style or they are still in style.

1. Technical functionality and flexibility

At the age of discovery, sectional sofa looks very simple in terms of design and functionality. But during the 21st century furniture designers have revolutionized the functionality of the sectional sofas. These are tones of sizes, styles, designs, and features introduced to satisfy the wide range of customer desires related to sectional sofas. The following four factors briefly explain the technical functionality of sectional sofas.

Recliner sectional sofa

Introducing a recliner within the seats of a sectional sofa improves the comfort level for the consumer. These sectional sofas are very well designed with the recliner considering its functionality.

Sectional sofas as a sleeper bed

The function of a sleeper bed allows the consumer to entertain their guests with more comfort and ease through more relaxed environment.

Sectional sofas with USB and charging ports

Introducing USB ports and charging stations helps consumers stay connected with the world.

Sectional sofas with built-in storage

The built-in storage option took the sectional sofa to another level of functional comfort and flexibility. These sectional sofas are the best options for consumers with small living rooms because they can easily enjoy the latest sittings within their limited apartment spaces.

2. Discovering the fabric choices in the sectional sofa

Once you as a consumer deep dive into the types of fabric of sectional sofa you will be amazed. The fabric of the sectional sofa plays a vital role in its visual expression. So, it is hard for designers to be competitive by ignoring the fabric choice for the sectional sofa. There are multiple fabrics for the sectional sofas with specific qualities that help the manufacturers attract their customers. These sectional sofa fabrics are well-known like cotton, linen, velvet, synthetic, polyester, and leather. The cotton and linen sofa fabrics are available with easy-to-dye quality but are less stain-resistant. On the other hand, leather and polyester fabrics are more stain-resistant but hard to dye again.

These sectional sofa fabrics are also available in different colors for consumers, so they can easily select the colors that elevate their lifestyle with stylish living room layouts. The manufacturers of sectional sofas also introduce the care and cleaning guide of the fabrics with the sectional. Back in history when the sectional sofa was just designed and introduced, it just fulfilled the demands of portable sittings. With the change in the needs of the consumers, the manufacturer introduced trendy designs in the sectional sofas. This change will help you to determine whether sectional sofas are out of style or not.

White fabric sectional sofa not out of style
Image credit : Pexels

3. Impact on living space interior design

There are typically two concepts of living spaces in the architecture diagrams of the houses. One is a specific indoor living room and the second is an open space. The sectional sofas are considered a suitable option for both ideas, because of the availability of portable sitting. The idea of an open-space living room is adaptable and in demand with the change in time, and the sectional sofa is a great choice for creating a cozy look for the open-space living room.  Similarly on the other hand sectional sofas are also favorable for the consumers of the small living spaces. Due to portability, sectional sofas are at the top of the choice list of interior designers designing both living spaces. It is truly a misconception that sectionals make a room look smaller. You can clearly judge the impact of grey sectional on the off-white interior design of a living room. You can clearly judge the impact of grey sectional on the off-white interior design of a living room.

Are sectional sofas out of style
Image credit : Pexels

Final Words

Sectional sofas are not out of style, undoubtedly they have become more compatible and demanding when compared with other sitting options like smart sofa couches and modular sofas, etc. Now it’s up to you to make a smart choice about sectional sofas while considering the sitting area of your living room.    

 

 

 

 

 

  

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