Up until about a year ago, one of the most embarrassing things about me was how disgusting my couch was. (And, true story, I slipped on a banana peel in my high school caf, so that’s saying something.) My fiancé and I purchased said couch when we moved into our first solo apartment together many years ago, and it was the cheapest futon we could find at the time. After a few rent-renewals' worth of use (including during the pandemic, when it was definitely overused), it had seen better days. Like, this couch was covered in so many stains it was a different color, all of the padding had flattened, chunks of shredded foam frequently fell to the floor, and there was quite literally a pothole on one end from my fiancé's butt. I was mortified whenever someone came over and saw it—never mind sat or slept on it. It was, without a doubt, time for a new one.
This is all to say that when I was offered the chance to try out a couch from Lovesac, the cozy furniture brand you’ve definitely seen your fave influencers rave about, I was chomping at the bit. The brand first blew up for their Sacs (which are massive, insanely comfy beanbags), but are perhaps now best known for their highly customizable Sactionals—which, you guessed it, are their version of a sectional sofa.
After measuring out my living room, I decided to order the 5 Seats + 5 Sides Sactional with a reversible covering (more on that later). Before I knew it—aka two weeks or so later—I found myself opening the door to three very strong men who had brought the couch directly to my front door. After a night of putting her together (more on that later, too), it was love at first sit.
Now that this couch has been a part of my life for a year, I can confidently say that this piece of furniture might very well be the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Not only does it look absolutely gorgeous in my tiny living room, but it’s also comfy as hell and big enough for multiple people to sprawl out on. But it’s also so much more than that, and I want to tell you all about it. Keep reading for my very official, very detailed review so you can decide if you need one, too—just don’t blame me if you’ve taken your credit card out by the end of it.
Pros
You can customize it to your liking
So, Lovesac touts their Sactional as being “The World’s Most Adaptable Couch.” I was definitely like, “Sure, Jan,” the first time I heard that, but I get it now. I really do. Basically, when you buy a Sactional, you can pick how many seats and how many sides you want. The pieces are all standardized, and held together with "shoes" (wood pieces that act as a connecting base) and clamps, so you can create endless arrangements and change the layout however often you want.
As I mentioned, I got the 5 Seats + 5 Sides Sactional, and there are so many different formations I could have gone with. I originally planned to lay it out in a U-shape, but my fiancé and I decided we'd rather have an extra-wide chaise section, so we would both have enough room to lie out when sitting side-by-side. We went with three seats in the back and two side-by-side seats in the front instead, and we love it. Some might call it the perfect cuddle couch. (It's me. I'm some.) And it's nice to know we can change the shape whenever our hearts desire.
It’s super high-quality
Made from durable recycled materials, these babies are designed to go through the wringer. Their motto is "designed for life," and life can be rough, as I'm sure you know. The seats, pillows, covers, and sides are all made with longevity in mind, so you don't have to be afraid of beating them up a bit. In fact, the instructions tell you to literally jump on the seat cushions and punch the pillows to fluff them up after taking them out of the box. I did, dear reader, and it was quite therapeutic.
The coverings are washable and interchangeable
All of Lovesac’s coverings—the zip-on, zip-off fabric pieces covering the couch that look like upholstery—are machine washable. Let me tell you: this is an absolute game changer, especially if you (a) have kids, (b) have pets, or (c) eat and drink on your couch all day long, like I do. Just pop ‘em in your washing machine (reading the care instructions first, of course) and stains be gone.
Because you can easily take the coverings on and off, that means they’re also interchangeable. Picking what fabric type and color you want for your couch can be a daunting task, especially when you want to have it in your life for a long time (that’s why most people end up with a meh beige), but you don’t have to worry about that with Lovesac. They sell more than 250 individual coverings, so if you move, renovate, or just generally get bored with the one you originally chose, you can swap it out and have what looks like a brand-new couch in a snap. That means you can try out fun new colors or trendy fabric types (shoutout to my white sherpa) and not feel stressed about it.
It can grow with you
You can buy individual pieces on the Lovesac website, allowing you to add to your Sactional without buying an entirely new couch. (Three cheers for sustainability!) Whether you move and need a bigger couch, decide to put your lounge set-up in another room, or want to add a chaise, you can. And I love that.
There are lots of fun accessories and upgrades
Take a peek at the website, and you'll see that Lovesac sells a bunch of accessories that fit seamlessly with their Sactionals, like trays, drink holders, side tables, and ottomans. There are also a variety of upgrade options—like storage seats, reclining seats, and embedded speakers and subwoofers—that you can purchase either from the start or to add to a pre-existing Sactional set-up. I splurged on some blonde wood drink holders and a tray, and I'm using both as we speak.
Cons
It’s definitely not cheap
I’m not going to play around with you, Sactionals aren’t super affordable. One seat costs around $450, while one side costs around $225. My couch came out to a grand total of $6,975, $1,500 of which can be attributed to the upgrade I got for the reversible covering. But you get what you pay for, and I honestly don’t think I’ll be buying another couch for literally decades. There’s also almost always a sale going on, so you’ll probably be able to snag a discount if you’re smart about it.
Putting it together is a process
Again, I’m just going to give it to you straight: putting the couch together is no walk in the park—and the brand doesn’t hide it either. They've got full YouTube videos and sections of their website dedicated to the process. It took my fiancé and I a few hours of video watching and trial and error to get things looking the way we wanted them to. Overall, it is totally doable with at least two people—it's just not all that simple.
Of course, if you live alone or just don’t want to deal with the thought of putting it together, you can always hire a TaskRabbit to do it for you!
The bottom line
After owning this couch for over a year now, I'm not sure what I would do without it. It is one of my most prized possessions, and I honestly feel a little proud every time I have a friend come over and sleep on it and hear them tell me how comfortable it was in the morning. I nap on it every weekend, I work from it every WFH day, and it has witnessed many a cuddly movie marathon over the past 12+ months.
It is expensive, yes, but for the quality of the piece and how long I expect it to stay in my life, I would absolutely recommend it to anyone. Turns out some Instagram ads are worth clicking on, after all.
