Black leather is very classic and works with many design styles. If that's what you like, go for it. However, the kitchen having a lot of black would make me want to add more color as not to have an overall feeling of everything being dark. So many colors work with black, from sage green to burgundy, yellow or cream, and all look good paired with black accents. If you feel you need black in the living room to tie it together, you can always do it with accents. Our previous home had a family room done with black, white, red and green with touches of yellow. The fabrics were all from Waverly. The main one was Garden Images in black, and the Ballroom plaid with the same colors, along with textured solids. It worked really well. Keep an open mind but remember the only one that really has to be happy with the space is you.

My Flexsteel sectional has metal clips so the two pieces hook together. It's on a wood floor but it's against two walls so it's not going anywhere (it also weighs a ton). No recliners; we plan on a cat sometime soon and I once injured a cat by trapping it under the recliner when I closed it up, so I swore I would never own a recliner again. We did choose to use a larger coffee table because we needed the surface space, and the coffee table that had fit the regular couch just fine was too small for the sectional, both visually and functionally. Regarding measurements, our sectional sits in a corner against two walls. I simply measured the two walls and allowed a bit of space for small end tables, then hunted down a sectional that fit those measurements and wasn't too bulky for the room. Small-scale sectionals that aren't just two loveseats stuck together or a couch with a chaise stuck on (I find it very difficult to get out of the chaise) are not easy to find, but they're not ALL ginormous! Ours is something like 90" on one side of the "L" and 110" on the other. If you plan to "float" your sectional, get a roll of blue painter's tape and map out where your sectional's going to go, right on the floor with the tape, until the proportion looks right and then measure that; if you have the standard sofa-loveseat combo now you can shove them together into that space and get a rough idea of scale. The biggest "pros" in our house are that it wastes no space in our small living room - when we had a couch and loveseat, there was a substantial area in the corner that was wasted (furniture arms take up a lot of space) and we couldn't both stretch out to watch TV, read or nap while now we can and still have room for the dog. :-) The main con is that it IS a little bit heavy-looking for the small room, although cut-back arms, a relatively low back, and a slightly-bland midtone sage color do reduce the visual weight somewhat.

We've had a couple of different sectionals, have one now, and have one tip to offer before you invest, make sure there is a way to keep them attached together because ours doesn't and it's a pain in the you know what! We spent a lot of money on this last one we bought, it's made by Bauhaus and it's junk. Everything from cusions to framing has been a disapointment. Bauhaus is a subsidiary of Lazy Boy, need I say more?

OK,these pictures are a bit better. Which one do you like best with the chairs and wall color? The second and third picture are the same fabric and are appear more taupe, but it is a variation of strands of gold and green that work with the green and yellow/gold in the black floral. I think it is visually interesting and i like the texture. I wish I could get a picture that shows the true color. The wall color/paint is shown, as well as the sectional sofa. My sectional will be as shown, but with one less section. This line you can customize sofa size, legS, back cushions and arms. Thanks to everyone!