We are personally not big fans of the sectional. We do have a larger family room with plenty of room for the sofa, loveseat and a chair. This works out great for us.
One note...we bought a nice leather set and LOVE it...it is going on 10 yrs old and hanging in there very well (15 yr old daughter, friends over a lot, heavy use and 3 dogs) . When we bought it, we opted to buy an extra ottoman because our space is quite large and we thought it would be nice. I will say that extra ottoman has been well worth the extra money.
We got the particular set I am talking aobut at Dillards and it is by Natuzzi. We got our formal leather set from Leather Sofa Company and LOVE it because they make it to your specifications. It is perfect. The leather is also easy to clen and maintain.
Good luck!