Castlery Review: The Jonathan Chaise Sectional Sofa Is My Forever Couch

I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I spend far too much time binge-watching Architectural Digest videos, especially celebrity houses. I can't just enjoy a singer's serene family home in the hills of Los Angeles; I pause every 30 seconds to tell my husband that we absolutely need this for our future house. A dangerously white sofa big enough to fit a whole football team? Why not. A luxurious oversized leather ottoman? Add it to the list. Yet, the reality is we live in New York, and these luxuries aren't realistic without packing up your bags and moving to the burbs. Well, the universe must have heard my silent prayers: I just moved north of NYC to Westchester County, and shortly after, I got the opportunity to experience a Castlery sofa and you can too with 5% off with a minimum order value of $1,500 with the code CASTLERYR295OFF.

As newlyweds, my husband and I are baby birds flying out of the nest. All we knew was we wanted a somewhat L-shaped sofa in a lighter ivory or oatmeal hue. Photos of the Jonathan Chaise Sectional Sofa With Ottoman immediately caught my eye, but I had never bought furniture without seeing it in person. I consider the couch the heart of a living room, so I immediately second-guessed myself. We considered other couches — rounded ones, smaller ones — but ultimately decided to go with my first instinct: the Jonathan Chaise Sectional Sofa and its matching ottoman

Scroll down to read my Castlery Jonathan Chaise Sectional Sofa review to find out why it became the couch of my dreams.

I was a bit worried about how the customization process would go, as I've only gone into furniture stores with my parents to buy our family couches or sofas. Usually, we'd test it out in person and then choose from the offered colors. Fortunately, the ordering process was easy-peasy: All we had to do was choose the model (there are three different styles: a smaller chaise, a medium-size chaise with an ottoman, and a bigger L-shape); the color (blue, black, and a creamy white); and orientation (left or right).

You can preview your selected sofa in various spaces, which helps to visualize what it'll look like in real life, and you can select up to three free fabric swatches before you commit. However, we were on a time crunch, so we chose our sofa based on the model photos instead of opting for samples. My Capricorn self is still astounded to this day that I just went with it: We chose the medium-size chaise with an ottoman in the creamy white shade, which ended up being heather oatmeal, with a left-facing orientation.

Once you put in your order, Castlery shares an estimated arrival date, which was helpful as we were consistently traveling during this time. Since the sofa we wanted was back-ordered, it took three weeks to ship but was delivered three days after shipping. I was pleasantly surprised, as the site initially said the sofa could take up to six weeks. Backorders are quite common during the holidays, especially on select popular styles; however, the average shipping time is usually a week and a half.

Boy, oh boy. Please pay attention to the delivery service when choosing your shipping method. I was too eager and skimmed past this, making the terrible mistake of choosing free standard shipping. Standard shipping would have left the heavy boxes in our apartment lobby and required us to lug them up on our luggage cart, which wouldn't have fit. Standard shipping is only delivered to the ground floor, lobby, or first dry area in your home (garage, foyer, etc.) or apartment building.

Fortunately, the customer service team was able to switch our delivery to Room of Choice — the best option for this huge five-box delivery. For an additional $50, Room of Choice has professional deliverers bring all the packages to your designated spot. We chose our living room.

Since the sofa is low to the ground and has no legs, hammers, screwdrivers, or nails are not required for assembly. You can start assembling the pieces with the built-in serrated alligator clips that lock together. Once the pieces were laid out in front of us, my husband and I probably spent a good hour playing with the modular sections like they were life-size building blocks. We pushed the seats to face each other, made the couch into a comfy bed like we were having a slumber party, and then into a super-long line just for fun.

After convincing my husband that we were, unfortunately, no longer 7-year-olds and, yes, the sofa had to go against the wall, we opened up the instruction manual. It takes roughly 10 minutes to assemble, and like the manual states, you need two people. So, call your partner, sibling, roommate, best friend, maybe even your landlord — you'll need their help.

The small elongated alligator clips underneath each section require two people to push the sections together. One has to position the sections in front of each other, so they won't be loose, and then you both have to push at the same time to click everything into place.

Grab your faux fur blankets for an overdue nap or curl up with a good book. The fabric has a soft, welcoming, grainy — not itchy — texture. The seat is relaxed but firm, so you don't feel like you're falling into an abyss when you sit down. Additionally, the seat's depth is definitely on the deeper end, as it's a sofa that is low to the ground. At 5'5", my feet are at a perfect right angle from the top of the seat to the floor.

On the other hand, my 5'11" husband's favorite spot on the couch is the side edge while using the ottoman as a footrest. He can comfortably lie down with a good few inches left. (I'm sorry the photo doesn't do it justice; I had to stand on my tippy toes to take this.) Mind you, two people can also sit on each section — except the corner piece.

Now, onto my favorite parts. I'm a bookworm with the power to read fast and fully comprehend a plot, analyze every character, and spot Easter eggs, so I call this corner section of our sofa my book nook. I like to curl up against the window like a cat with my current read in hand — where are all my Fourth Wing fans?

I didn't read this in the product description of the sofa, but the head and armrests are spectacular perks. While the headrest isn't really a headrest — it comes up to my mid-back — I use it as a mini side table. For reference, my journal is 8.5 inches in height and 6.5 inches in length, and it has more than enough room. I've written countless journal entries in my little book nook or read my book on top of it while curling up.

Meanwhile, the armrest is 9.74 inches in height and 7.02 inches in length. When I work, I prop my iPad on the armrest, letting it play music, while my computer is perched on my lap.

While we have a coffee table we haven't set up yet, I'm beginning to think it isn't even necessary. The rollable ottoman is convenient, no matter where we sit on the sofa. Although there's no built-in storage, it still can fit plenty of things on top, such as our woven tray with a blanket, a popcorn bowl, and my 15 lb. family dog, Miami, who likes to sleep while lying on her back when she visits from Chicago.

It's safe to say Castlery's Jonathan Chaise Sectional Sofa With Ottoman has become the couch of my dreams. It's roomy enough to fit seven people comfortably — maybe eight if you count the ottoman. Plus, the chic, minimalistic aesthetic fits perfectly in my apartment. It will match any future home decor, even if I spontaneously become a maximalist. Also, I can already tell that moving the sofa will be easy, as you can unclasp each section from the alligator clips, which is a major plus.

Although the price is hefty, it won't have to be replaced as often as a rickety futon. If you're in the market for a new couch, the Castlery sofa is where it's at. Comfortable to lounge on and versatile in style, it's a piece of furniture that will stay with me for years to come. If you're ready to invest in your own Castlery furniture don't forget to use our code CASTLERYR295OFF for 5% off your minimum order of $1,500.