Ottoman Decorating

History

• According to Matthew Brace at "The National," the ottoman as a decorative piece emerged out of the Ottoman Empire around the 17th century and received its namesake from the empire. The ottoman goes by a number of names including a hassock, footstool or pouf.

Ottoman vs. Coffee Table

• The coffee table is the low-standing table, which usually sits in front of the couch or chairs. Normally, it holds items like books, magazines and drinks as well as decorative items like flower arrangements.

  While the ottoman isn't a coffee table in the traditional sense, it often functions as one. Many people add items like a small tray to the top of the ottoman on which they place drinks and coffee table books.

  Ottomans as coffee tables make sense from a decorating standpoint, because they often match the surrounding upholstery and colors of the room and they function as more than one piece of furniture. The ottoman truly represents the workhorse piece of furniture. Although it's often placed in the living room, it works just as well in the bedroom as a dressing bench at the end of the bed or a the seat at the dressing table.

Types

• A number of different types of ottomans exist on the market. They can resemble a coffee table in that although they are covered with fabric and padding on top, it's a thin layer. Other ottomans possess storage cavities in which household items can be stored. They vary in height depending upon the design of the furniture with which the ottoman was intended to match.

  Some ottoman manufacturers adorn the ottoman with a skirt-type material or dust ruffle.

  When decorating with ottomans, the homeowner should take into consideration not only the function of she wants to ottoman to play in the room, but also how well the piece fits in with her decorating scheme. For example, an ottoman with a frilly dust ruffle on the bottom might look out of place in a room decorated in a modern style.

Re-Upholstery and Experimentation

• When it comes to redecorating, the ottoman is one of the first pieces a homeowner should look at. It's small, which means that it won't cost the same as re-upholstering a larger furniture piece. Its size also makes it great for experimenting with different fabrics and colors that a would-be decorator would not think about on a large scale.

  Consider using fabrics that have been traditionally used predominantly on outdoor furniture; these fabrics include linen and canvas. For the homeowner who would like to try this look out, but who is unsure about redecorating the whole living room with this type of fabric, the ottoman offers a great place to start experimenting. These materials wash off easily, which means that foot marks wipe off more readily and the fabrics are meant to be sturdy because of outdoor use. Because it's so versatile, the ottoman sometimes gets quite a bit of wear and tear. Adding a more durable upholstery can make sense.