The Best Ottoman

The ottoman is a piece of living room furniture that can accent your couch, sit nicely in the corner while storing your throw blankets or even act as a spare seat or a temporary coffee table when you need the surface space.

Ottomans are often lightweight so they can easily be grabbed and used where you need them. Maybe you’re on the edge of the couch and would like to rest your feet, you can move it to that position. A guest comes over and you need an extra seat for them in the living room, grab the ottoman and arrange it in a good position to sit on and offer them the comfy couch seat. Whatever it is that you end up using the ottoman for, you are sure to add value to your living room setup by adding one.

Ottomans will often be found with a removable lid that allows you to store things within them. This function is critical when you think of the fact that you always have some small amount of clutter that seems to find its way onto your coffee table or living room end-tables. An ottoman can hold some magazines or remotes, or maybe a few of your throw blankets that don’t have a home when they’re not draped on the back of the couch. If you have specific items you think you might store in your new ottoman, it’s a good idea to measure them and make sure the ottoman will be sufficiently large to do the job.

Cushioning and style are the next major categories for figuring out which ottoman is right for you. A tufted cloth ottoman can complement one style of the living room while a leather or faux-leather ottoman might suit another decor much better. If you have a small space and it seems likely that people will sit on the ottoman regularly, focus on more comfortable units that have good cushioning.

• Know in advance where your ottoman will live.
• Height matters if you are using it as a footrest or a seat. If your ottoman will sit in front of your lounge chair, be sure the height of the ottoman is equal to or even a slight bit higher than your chair-seat height.
• For ottomans that will be used as seats by children, you can go with a shorter model. If many adults will be sitting on it though, you might want to consider how awkward a short seat would be for some of them and err on the side of a taller model.
• If you have wooden flooring, put a product like a felt pad under the ottoman’s feet so it doesn’t scratch up your floor when you move it around.