Nothing reveals the shortcomings of nuclear family home furnishings quite like polyamorous relationships.

I am currently in two committed relationships. My boyfriend started spending lots of time at the apartment I shared with my husband, and it came as an unexpected inconvenience that everyone I love didn't fit on our couch.

In order to maintain sustainable relationships, polyamorous or not, partners must feel that they are receiving enough attention. Everyone's needs are different — The Ethical Slut: A Practical Guide to Polyamory, Open Relationships and Other Adventures cites a particular poly group that made sure everyone got their turn sitting in the front of the car. For snuggly folks like my partners, being relegated to our lonely armchair was only slightly less uncomfortable than all three of us seated bolt-upright on the couch. Not to mention how poor the seating arrangements were for movie-watching.

Like with many poly predicaments, Martha Stewart know-how doesn't provide a ready solution.

Like with many poly predicaments, Martha Stewart know-how doesn't provide a ready solution. Necessity, invention, etc… we purchased a beautiful, squat little sectional from Craigslist.

My boyfriend and I spent an hour rearranging the living room. I needed coaxing to remove some of the less cozy and functional pieces to incorporate the sectional. When we finished, not only had we transformed the energy of the room, my boyfriend also felt more ownership over a space previously dominated by items associated solely with my relationship with my husband. (And my husband was just happy he hadn't been bothered with interior decorating.)

With the sectional facing the couch, the space was better for socializing — the TV was no longer the focus of the room. The sectional was the first couch on which my boyfriend, who clocks in at a defensive-lineman-sized 6'2", could fully stretch out. And on quiet nights, the three of us could choose between cuddling up together or spreading out comfortably, all without feeling disconnected.

Despite being such a great poly decorating hack, the sectional didn't make the cut for cross-country relocation. But better believe the moment we had a permanent place, our first order of business was finding our new, red velvet sectional.