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What is the difference between a left hand facing sectional and a right hand facing sectional?

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There is a lot of terminology when it comes it comes to sofas. Are you confused by the difference between a left and right hand facing sectional sofa? Don’t worry, in this article, I’ll break it down in simple terms so you’re up to speed.

What is the Difference Between a Left Hand Facing Sectional and a Right Hand Facing Sectional?

sectional in living room

First of all, a sectional sofa is a sofa made of between 3 and 5 parts. You assemble these sofas at home at home and make them into any shape you want. The bindings between sofas ensure you can clip the sofa into a shape that suits you.

One of the most common parts of a sectional sofa is the extended part. You call this part the chaise. This will move out from the sofa, often offering enough room on which you could lie down. This is about double the sitting space of a normal sofa.

The difference between a left hand facing section and a right hand section is the side this extension is on. In a left hand facing sectional sofa, the extended side is on the left. By that, I mean when looking at the sofa directly from the front, it is on the left.

The extended chaise part of the sectional sofa can also be on the right hand side. This is a right hand facing sectional sofa.

What Does RAF and LAF Mean?

right facing sectional

Now you know what a left and right hand facing sectional sofa are, let’s break down RAF and LAF.

A RAF is a right arm facing sectional sofa. On this sofa, the longer extended part (chaise) is on the right of the sofa.

A LAF is a left arm facing sectional sofa. This sofa will have an extended part on the left of the sofa.

Remember to position yourself as looking directly at your sofa when judging.

Which Way Should My Sectional Face?

The way you should face your sectional sofa depends on the space you’re using. These shapes help with two main things.

First of all, to create an open plan lounge. Or, to close off a section. If you’re looking to open out your floor space, put the extended chaise towards the corner of the room. If you enter the room, the chaise should be on the other side of the room. This doesn’t block any vision, meaning the room seems bigger.

Alternatively, you can use a section to close off a room. This is great for dividing up spaces in an open floor plan. You’ll want to place the section as blocking off a part of the room. This compartmentalizes your room and helps in creating zones of furniture.

You can decorate zones of furniture with different aesthetics. This variation will bring some excitement to your living room.

What Does Reversible Sectional Mean?

reversible sectional

A reversible section is a part of a sectional sofa that can be moved around. These are normally ‘one unit’ of sofa, meaning you can move them to different locations in the sofa. If you want to change the shape of your sofa, having lots of reversible sections can be useful.

A section that is not reversible is often a larger unit. These may have two or three units in one joined part. These are not reversible as the binding clips that connect it to other pieces are often only on one side. The outside will not have any sites of binding, instead having an arm.

If your piece has an arm, it will likely not be reversible. That’s because an arm signals the end of the sofa, and can’t be in the middle of a sofa.

If you want to mix and match, stick to reversible sections. These will frequently be units of one or two, so keep your eyes peeled.

You can double-check by looking for binding sites between the base on either side of the unit. If there is a binding site on either side, you can reverse these and change them around. If not, they are not reversible.

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