I Built a Lovesac Sactional with My Own Two Hands—Here’s How the Sofa Holds Up After 11 Weeks

The Sactional is Lovesac’s flagship couch, and true to its name, boasts a modular design. Because of this, it’s highly customizable. Choose the number of seats you want, then use the included steel clamps and wooden feet to arrange them as you see fit. Currently, I have three seats configured into an “L” shape, but if I ever had a bigger living room, I might try doing one long couch instead.

There are 150+ fabric seat covers you can choose from, and they’re removable, so it’s easy to change the look of the couch with a simple color switch (and rearrangement of the seats). The covers are also machine-washable, which is great if you have kids, pets or other inhabitants in your home prone to spills and stains. There are various other upgrades you can opt for as you build or expand your Sactional seat, like built-in audio systems, sofa arms that charge your phone, storage bases and reclining seats.

How I Tested the Couch

I’ve had the couch for about 11 weeks now. My flatmate and I built it with our own two—well, four—hands, and then I’ve had family come to stay with me and sleep on the couch. I rated the Sactional on the PureWow100 scale for the following qualities: value for the money, design, ease of assembly, aesthetics and comfort, for a total out of 100 points.

Fast Facts

• Machine washable: yes (fabric covers)
• Fill options: standard foam, Lovesoft (synthetic fiber on a foam top)
• Seat configurations: standard (28.5’’ deep), wedge (29’’ deep), deep (rotated the standard cushion, 35’’ deep)
• Colors: 150+
• Storage: yes (optional)
• Upgrades: reclining seats, StealthTech built-in hidden home audio, charge sides (to charge your phone on the armrest), throw blankets, throw pillows 

Easy and Endless Customization Options

Because of the modular design, 150+ fabric options and myriad upgrades, your options are pretty endless when it comes to creating the perfect sofa for your space and taste. I went with three seats with storage, and the standard arms and back rests with the foam filling. My last couch was beige, so in a bid to brighten things up, I opted for a green chenille, which I love. The storage is 10/10 and really maximizes the volume of each seat. Everything is easy to access, too. The cushion sits atop a frame that acts as a storage cover and attaches by Velcro. We’re constantly opening up the couch to access the storage space with no issues.

Easy Assembly

Yes, there’s a caveat, which I’ll address below. However, I am giving the Sactional points because there was not a toothpick-sized hex wrench in sight. The assembly instructions were straightforward and repetitive, so once I got in the rhythm, everything was pretty intuitive. All it requires is screwing the legs into the base, then dropping them into the feet to create the desired shape. I’ve puzzled longer over assemble-yourself shelves and other furniture, so the fact that there was no panic-calling my mechanical engineer brother was a good indicator of success.

Machine-Washable & Easy to Clean

I don’t have kids or pets, but I ran into a snafu when I accidentally stained the cushion cover. I live in New York, which is the shorthand for saying that I live at the laundromat. However, I didn’t want to run out and pay to wash one cushion cover. I attacked the stain myself with dish soap and a wet rag, and I swear no one (including me) is the wiser that it was ever there.

If you and your household need more heavy duty cleaning, though, you can pop all the covers in the washing machine. Just be sure to air dry to prevent them from shrinking—after all, you will need to wrangle them back onto the cushions.

It’s Guest-Approved

My sister slept on this couch and said she had a great sleep. I’ve been guilty of passing out on many evenings while waiting for my red light therapy mask to do its thing. I also slept on it for several nights for testing purposes. The cushions are super firm, and the fabric that I chose is soft. Just throw a blanket on top of the person lounging and they’ll be out like a light.

Initial Setup Is Involved

My flatmate and I tackled the setup by ourselves, and it took us several hours to haul each individual piece up the narrow staircase to our third-floor apartment and then assemble everything. At the end of the ordeal, we decided we would never do it again. However, we are two girls whose max weight capacity at the gym is ten and 20 pounds, respectively. If you’re stronger than us, you’ll probably struggle less. Needless to say, we’ll be paying someone next time. In particular, the cushion covers were incredibly difficult for us to wrestle on; we had rug burn on our knuckles for a couple days after.

Heavy Seats Require Effort to Move

It’s true that the Sactional is a lot easier to configure than other couches, thanks to the modular design. That does not negate the fact that each piece is heavy. My flatmate and I both groaned when we realized we wanted to put a rug down; it took our third flatmate’s help for us to wrestle everything into place. You can rearrange, but you will need a team. It’s not something I see us doing every quarter, or even every year. The next time we do this will be when we move. I will say that I noticed the cushions themselves feeling a little sinky where people often sit on them; I’ve taken to rotating them across the couch to get even use. 

Big Investment

A Sactional starts at around $2,000 for a basic two-seater, but elaborate setups with premium fabrics and upgrades can run past $10,000. With that in mind, Lovesac does have a lifetime warranty, and the interchangeable cushion covers allow you to more economically change the look of your living room than committing to a whole new couch. There are also frequent sales in the 20 to 30 percent off range.

You probably won’t want this couch if you’re looking for something ready to go right out of the box, or you like swapping sofas every five years. If the idea of longevity appeals to you, though, then this is a great investment. There are so many ways to make it your own, and the endless options for cushion covers mean that the look is never boring. Whether you’re a family with young kids spilling cheerios everywhere or hosting rambunctious friend gatherings, the Sactional is designed to accommodate (and configure with) it all.