How to Know Which Ottoman Style is Best for Your Home

With so many types of ottomans available on the market today, you may be struggling to determine which ottoman style best matches your needs. It’s an understandable dilemma, especially if you’re eager to purchase one in the near future.

Should you match your ottoman to your couch or go with a completely different pattern or fabric? How high should an ottoman be compared to a sofa or chair? Can you store items on top of an ottoman? These are all questions you may have. Thankfully, there’s an ottoman out there for anyone, regardless of your budget, design preferences, and functional needs.

Check out these four ottoman design ideas and get shopping!

About Ottomans

There are many ways to use an ottoman. Ottomans serve as a footrest for weary legs, a makeshift seat, a coffee table, as well as a storage compartment. They’re incredibly handy and multi-functional, meaning if you are short on space, an ottoman is the way to go.

Ottomans sometimes, but not always, measure slightly shorter than the sofa or couch. The ideal ottoman height is between 15.5” and 22”. Some homeowners prefer their ottoman sit at the same height as their sofa, especially if it’s used as a footstool. However, ottomans that measure taller than the couch are generally hard to reach and uncomfortable to use. Always play it safe and measure your couch before purchasing a new ottoman.

Should an ottoman match the sofa or the other furniture in the living area? If you’re looking to create a modern, streamlined look to your living area then, by all means, match them. However, some styles of ottomans work best as contract pieces. It’s your call!

Finally, give consideration to how you plan to use your ottoman. Are you interested in just a standard footrest, a coffee table, or a storage compartment? Take into account your intended use before settling on a model.

Ottoman Styles

Whether you’re looking for modern ottoman designs or something completely out of the box, there are a number of beautiful, quality ottoman styles to choose from. Here are 4 of our favorite ottoman styles.

Standard Ottoman/Foot Stool

A standard ottoman works in almost any environment. They come in a variety of design styles, from clean and modern to bold and traditional. These ottomans sometimes, but not always, include a storage compartment.

If you don’t require a storage option, then your ottoman may run slightly cheaper than one with a storage option (see below).

Since most standard ottomans serve as both a footstool and a temporary seat, look for an ottoman with a strong, stain-resistant fabric.

Storage Ottoman

An ottoman with storage is a fairly common request for those in the market for a new ottoman. In fact, ottomans are the perfect place to store seasonal items like thick winter blankets, as well as spare pillows or anything else you want to have at-ready in your living area.

The size and depth of storage ottomans vary greatly from one style to the next. Take into account what you want to store and then be sure it can fit in your new ottoman before making a final purchase.

Coffee Table Ottoman

Coffee table ottomans are the best of both worlds. They can serve a number of purposes, including a footstool, seat, storage compartment, and tabletop. The best ottoman coffee table includes a removable hardtop that converts the tabletop into a soft cushion.

If you don’t want to invest in a convertible coffee table ottoman, you can always add an ottoman tray. Just keep in mind that drinks and food won’t be as stable as they would on a fully solid surface.

Pouf Ottoman

Pouf ottomans often produce a global or, at the very least, a funky flare to a living area. Pouf ottomans are normally filled with a material such as down or cotton. However, you can fill a pouf ottoman with anything you’d like. For example, our Moroccan leather pouf ottoman holds all the sheets needed for our sofa sleeper.

Fabric pouf ottomans don’t normally sit as high as a traditional ottoman but they still make a solid footrest. Think of a pouf ottoman as more of a statement piece than the traditional ottoman.

Aren’t ottomans amazing?. There are very few furniture pieces more multi-functional, regardless of the style and design you choose.

Are you a fan of ottomans? Let us know what you store in yours in the comments below.