Modular

Choosing a modular lounge

A modular lounge is a sofa built from separate pieces (single seats, armless seats, corner units, chaises and ottomans) that join together into whatever shape your room needs. That is why it has become the default choice for open-plan living in Perth: it can be a long three-seater against the wall today, an L-shape around the television next year, and a U-shaped family suite when the kids bring friends home. The pieces also come through doors and up stairs that a one-piece sofa never would.

Modular sofa, corner modular or family suite

The names describe the layout rather than the construction. A modular sofa is the simplest: two or three seats joined in a straight run, often with a chaise on one end. A corner modular adds a corner unit so the lounge turns ninety degrees and seats people on two sides; see our corner lounges for fixed L-shapes as well. A family suite is the big one, usually a corner plus a chaise, or a U-shape with seating on three sides, for households that all sit down together. Most of our modular ranges let you start with a few pieces and add more later in the same fabric, so you can grow the lounge as the room or the family grows.

Leather or fabric modular lounge

A leather modular lounge is the choice for a room that gets daily use: it wipes clean, resists pet hair and develops a patina rather than wearing out, and in a corner or family suite it still looks tidy after years. Fabric modulars give you the widest choice of colour and texture, from soft linen-look weaves and boucle to tightly woven family fabrics with stain-resistant finishes, and feather-wrapped cushions that give the deep, slouchy look that curved and low modulars are known for. Both are built on solid timber frames; the difference is how they feel and how they age.

Planning the layout

Tape the footprint on the floor before you choose the pieces. Decide which way people face (the television, the garden, each other), where the walkways run, and whether the lounge needs to divide the kitchen from the living area in an open-plan room. Allow at least 90 cm for any walkway and 35 to 45 cm between the seat edge and a coffee table. A chaise or corner on the side nearer the kitchen keeps the path to the room clear. Measure the sizes of the individual pieces, not just the total, so each fits its spot and through the doorway.

Seat depth, height and comfort

Low, deep modulars are made for lying down and are the shape most people picture; firmer, higher seats are easier to get out of and better for sitting upright with a laptop or a book. Sit on the pieces in a showroom, then lie down the way you do at home. Check that the backs are tall enough to rest your head if that matters to you, and that recliner modules, where fitted, have room to open behind them.

Finishing the room

A large rug that sits under the front legs of every piece ties a modular together so it reads as one lounge rather than several. Add an ottoman from the same range as a footrest, extra seat or coffee table, side tables at arm height, and an armchair in a contrasting fabric so the room does not become a sea of one colour.

See them in a Perth showroom

The Furniture Gallery is WA owned and family run, with showrooms across Perth and regional WA. Most modular ranges are on the floor so you can test pieces and sketch a layout with an interior stylist. When you have chosen, add the pieces to your cart and enter your postcode for a delivery price; our white-glove delivery team will unpack, assemble and position the lounge and take the packaging away.