Can You Sit on a Storage Ottoman: Yes, It Is Also a Table

Can You Sit on a Storage Ottoman: Yes, It Is Also a Table

Yes, you can sit on a storage ottoman: it works as a footrest, a coffee table and an extra seat, with room inside to hide the throws. I went through round, rectangular and tufted storage ottomans so you can pick the shape that fits your room.

One piece, four jobs

An ottoman with storage earns its footprint more than almost anything else in a living room, because it can be a footrest, a coffee table, an extra seat and a blanket chest at the same time. Round shapes are the easiest to live with, since there are no corners to catch shins in a tight room.

 

The round group starts with Ebern Designs' Leiani, a stacked boucle pouf with hidden storage, and Wade Logan's Caysey, which comes with a wooden tray so it can be the coffee table.

Collage of round, rectangular and square storage ottomans

Round storage ottomans

Rectangular storage ottomans

Rectangles are the classic coffee-table replacement, and they suit long sofas and sectionals best. Lark Manor's Idalynn is pistachio velvet with a button-tufted lift top on tapered wood legs, and the Clymer from Laurel Foundry is a tufted cocktail design in beige performance linen with a solid wood base and a lower shelf. I aim for a piece roughly two thirds the length of your sofa so the proportions feel right.

 

Interior Define's James and Hayley are the made-to-order option, with a storage choice on the James. Further down the grid, Ebern Designs' Sherry pairs green ribbed fabric with a walnut tray top, and Lark Manor's Drayton is a long boucle bench with a button-tufted lid.

Rectangular storage ottomans

Round cream tiered ottoman in front of a wooden sideboard

Tufted ottomans and storage stools

Tufted shapes and small stools fill the awkward spots: the end of a bed, the space in front of an armchair or the gap beside a vanity. Wade Logan's Brinna is camel faux leather with a tufted lift top on tapered metal legs, and Alcott Hill's square design has deep button tufting, nailhead trim and a lift lid in a white linen blend. Z Gallerie's Gable is a fig velvet chenille stool with a lift top on a gold-tone base.

Tufted ottomans and stools

Fabric for a busy living room

If you have kids, pets or a habit of putting your feet up with shoes on, the fabric matters more than the shape. Charlton Home's Duanys is dark brown faux leather, round with a lift top on wood feet. The Dhiren, also from Charlton Home, uses brown performance fabric with a tufted lid, nailhead trim and turned wood legs. Interior Define's Sloan has built-in lift-top storage in more than 120 fabrics, and the Colten is a round coffee-table design in performance velvet with built-in storage. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together USM Haller Dupe and Buying a Bed Frame.

Leopard print skirted ottoman in a living room

Easy-clean storage ottomans