They say the kitchen is the center of the home, but vying for second place is, we think, the living room—and more specifically, the couch. Therefore, choosing the perfect sofa for your home is important. After all, you’ll use for everything from lounging and watching TV to family game nights and naps. One contender might be the Mercury Row Loukianos Sectional, an L-shaped sectional sofa. We traded out our smaller (and cheaper) couch and put the Loukianos Sectional in our living room to test whether it should earn a permanent spot in our home.
Setup: Less than 30 minutes
We purchased our couch through Wayfair, which provides free delivery. We chose a four-hour delivery window and were happy when it arrived within that time frame. Delivery even provided a courtesy call 20 minutes prior letting us know it was arriving soon. The deliverers were professional and quick, and we were happy that there were no issues fitting the couches through the front door. The couch arrives in two pieces, each wrapped in thick plastic. One piece is 33 x 75 x 37 inches, and the other is 33 x 40.5 x 87 inches. The 33-inch size should fit through most doors, but be aware that the 87-inch (over 7-foot!) piece did not fit inside the elevator. Now the fun part: assembly. Unlike the IKEA couches we’re accustomed to, the Mercury Row couch came more or less already assembled. We only needed to install the couch legs and connect the couch’s two pieces, which takes less than a slow-paced 30 minutes. The sofa comes with eight legs total, each of which is installed with two screws (screws are provided). Be sure you have a drill with a fairly skinny bit extender so you can fully drill the screws into the couch. We found that it helps to have assistance when flipping over the couch and putting it into place. However, without the cushions, the couch is relatively light, so some people may be able to do it themselves. Once you have the couch pieces positioned, you’ll connect them with a small metal latch that is already installed on the inside piece of each side. It’s as easy as picking up the couch edge and sliding it on, and in our experience, it kept the couch pieces from sliding apart. While the couches are delivered with the cushions already in place, we removed them to make the couch lighter while we put the couch pieces into place. The back cushions are reversible, which we like because it’s nice to be able to flip the cushions should they start showing wear and tear. Unfortunately, the seat cushions are not reversible. After that, there were just a few fabric strings that needed to be cut and some excess pillow stuffing coming out of the edges that needed to be pulled. The Mercury Row Loukianos Sectional comes with three throw pillows, and once those were fluffed and added to the couch, it was ready to enjoy.
Upholstery and Material: Rough and prone to snags
The Loukianos upholstery is made of a polyester woven blend. The material has a slight texture to it and unfortunately seems to hold onto pet hair. The charcoal color of our couch hides darker fur, but lighter hair is clearly visible. Our cat’s claws didn’t immediately destroy the material, but we did notice some snagging, which makes us concerned for long-term use. And sure enough, after a couple of months of use, the seat cushions began to pill in high-use areas. A fabric depiller helps with this. We were surprised to find the legs were plastic. Still, they feel fairly sturdy, and it would be easy enough to find and install different legs if it’s important to you. Inside, the couch is framed with solid wood, which makes us confident that it will stay standing strong for years to come. The cushions are filled with foam along with a plush filling. This makes them soft yet firm, though, as we mentioned, there was some filling leaking out of the throw pillows that we needed to remove.
Design: Perfect for some living rooms
The Mercury Row Loukianos is a sectional with two pieces: One is a loveseat, and the other is a chaise. Together, they create a nice L-shape that we think will complement most living rooms. This couch is only available with a left-facing chaise, so make sure that works for your space before purchasing. There are quite a few colors to choose from, from darker shades to lighter hues. We chose the dark gray, Charcoal color. We feel the color is even darker in person than portrayed in the site’s photos; it appears more like a faded black. Note that depending on the color you choose, the fabric texture may differ, so be sure to pay attention to this when purchasing.
Seating: Comfortable for five people
We think you could comfortably fit five people sitting around the couch and even a couple more, depending on how close you are. If you aren’t enjoying the couch with a group, you’ll be happy to know that two people can comfortably sit back and lay down on the couch at the same time. Without a doubt, the best seat on this couch is along the chaise portion, where even the tallest of people can comfortably lounge. This may become the spot the family fights over, though, because the seats on the loveseat portion of the couch are less than lounge-worthy. Though still comfortable to sit on, the depth between the back cushion and the couch edge feels short, so rather than sinking back into the couch we felt forced to sit up straight. We think this could be slightly remedied by removing some of the stuffing in the back cushions.
Comfort: Adequately cozy
While we certainly care about how a couch looks, none of that matters if it isn’t nice to lie down on. Fortunately, we find the Mercury Row sectional to be perfectly comfortable. The sectional is firm, but less so than we’d expect for a new couch. We like this because it lets us skip the uncomfortable breaking-in phase, but it still feels sturdy enough that it won’t lose its shape in a few years. The cushions are plush enough, and the couch big enough, where we would be comfortable asking our guests to spend the night on the couch. Even our cat enjoyed the couch, plotting out a spot at the end of the chaise as “her spot.” The only issue we have is with the texture of the fabric. At first touch, we wouldn’t exactly describe the sectional’s fabric as soft—in fact, we think it feels a little rough—but it was comfortable enough once we sat on it.
Cleaning: Soap and water only
If something is spilled onto the couch, the company recommends cleaning it with soap and water. It warns that you should not use liquid cleaners, however. The cushions are machine washable, though instructions on this are not provided. In our experience, it’s best to be gentle so as not to shrink the cushion covers, as it’ll be difficult to get them back on.
Price: Around $1,400
Though the Mercury Low Loukianos sectional has a list price of $2,199, it’s not actually that expensive on any of the sites we looked at. You can expect to pay somewhere around $1,400 for this sectional. The price also varies slightly depending on the color, but not by more than around $100.
Mercury Row Loukianos Sectional vs. Infini Furnishing Reversible Sectional
If you aren’t sure that the Loukianos Sectional is right for you, there are plenty of other similar couches to choose from. Take the Infini Furnishing Reversible Sectional. It has a similar look to the Loukianos but with a few key differences. First the price: It’s around $400 cheaper. Secondly, the Reversible Sectional is, well, reversible, which means you can customize the side the chaise is on whenever you rearrange or move. Though the sectionals are similar sizes, the Reversible Sectional is slightly larger—make sure it will make it through your door. Overall, the Mercury Low Loukianos Sectional is a nice couch for cozy relaxing. If you can get past the fabric and some size issues, you’ll like this couch, too.
