Footstool coffee table

The coffee table is so popular in our homes today, and with good reason. We spend a lot of time choosing the ideal sofa, but when it comes to the footstools or coffee tables and it's usually an afterthought, but this multitasking piece of furniture has a lot to offer.  There's just something so appealing and inviting about a piece of furniture such as an ottoman.

Chose a large footstool coffee table and you'll be glad you did.  Not only are they the lazy mans best friend i.e. somewhere relaxing to place tired feet at the end of the day, they can also be used as a footstool for extra storage.  Further to this, they can also create somewhere to use for display purposes.  Trays are available to buy for footstools, which creates space to display modern, unique items such as large candles, books and scent diffusers.

Hopefully we’ll be able to help you know exactly what to look for when buying one. After all its the main focus point of the room, so it’s worth giving it some attention!

Here’s five important questions to ask yourself:

These types of footstools are a combination of both a footstool and a coffee table merged to create one piece. They are upholstered in fabric, offer a comfortable place to put your feet or even sit on, while also have a place to rest things as you would on a coffee table.

It’s usually slightly larger than a standard footstool normally around 90 cm on the longest side and typically takes up more space so to both kick up your feet, as well as fit a tray on, so as to not have to move anything out the way.

With plush foam padding so you can still use it as a footstool or seat, and a flat top to create a sturdy surface but still offering a cozy and supportive surface.

This question is a great place to start because your answer to it narrows your search right away. Why? Because a footstool coffee table serves many purposes.

The first thing you’ll want to do is decide the main reason you need a coffee table in the home. From here, it’ll be so much easier to decide what to look for. And regardless of why you need it, it’s important to think through your needs and how you plan to use this piece of furniture.

Will it solely act as a table or would you rather it be a comfortable spot to rest your feet or somewhere to free up storage space to hide away unsightly items such as TV remotes.  Be sure to think about the bigger picture of how you use your living area.

Now measure any hallways that the sofa needs to pass through. Take into account things like radiators, and light fittings that cannot be removed easily.

If you have kids, is having a piece with soft edges important?

Footstools with soft edges can work really well in homes with small children because they don’t have sharp edges, their typically rounded off softer edges than a traditional ottoman coffee table. No bumps or cuts, here!

You should look for one with a flat top that feels sturdy and not overly plush on top so that there is some structure to it for everyday use.

From here, other things can be considered such as sizes, styles, or storage options.  You may want to consider a sturdy, hard-wearing fabric or even a type of leather.  Any of these material allow for easy cleaning and care.

Getting your footstools size just right is so important, it’s where a lot of people make mistakes and end up buying one that’s either too small or too large for there living space. So let's try to avoid that.

The biggest mistake you can make is deciding on the style first, without considering the how large or small it is and how it will fit in with the other pieces of furniture you already have.

Firstly make sure that you select a size that’s appropriate in scale to your sofa or other seating in the space.

A good rule of thumb is when looking for new footstools, try to make sure at least one of the measurements either the length or width is at least 90 cm or more.

The height so be about the same height as your sofa seat cushion which is normally around the 40-50 cm range unless you have a really tall sofa.

We find the perfect height to be around 2-7 cm lower than your sofa’s seat cushions.

Remember if you want to use it for both a footstool and coffee table make sure its not taller than seat cushions on your sofa - otherwise its really uncomfortable for your legs!

But you want to ensure that you leave enough “walk around” space between itself and the seating so you don’t have to shuffle around it. Leaving around 45cm or so of space is just about right to walk around and it allows you to reach things easily. Any more or less than that will feel uncomfortably to close or far away.

After you've decided on your footstools size, it's time to choose the shape. Often, choosing between square coffee table, rectangle or round boils down to your personal liking and a practical perspective.

The first thing you should do is take into account other pieces of furniture of the space in the home. Different spaces and layouts call for different shapes, but here’s something to think about. For a room that’s more closed off, square or rectangle works just great.

Furniture typically has lots of sharp angles, as do the walls of most rooms, for that matter. So it makes sense that for most people, to think rectangle or square feels like a safe choice for the home.

Where as a round shape helps with softening harsh corners. If your living room is very busy, and you’ll frequently be walking around, round works well.

Bonus tip! Using a round shape in a smaller room, makes a room feel larger.

What you need to do is strike a balance between round and square shapes in the room, if the majority of your furniture in your home is square (think a sofa with square arms, square fireplace, and square side tables), round footstools adds balance. Alternatively, if you have a sofa with round arms, a round mirror, and round side tables, a square or rectangular shape works beautifully. It’s all about balance.

Now you have decided on the footstools desired use in the home, picked the correct size and decided on the shape it's time to choose the upholstery material.  Both of these are well suited for use in the upholstery of footstools, sofas and chairs, or even a bed and can stand up to most things that modern life will throw at them.

Many love the look and luxury feel of a plush velvet but are hesitant to choose it because they've heard it’s hard to maintain and fear that due to a footstools heavy use, will quickly look tired.  Well that isn’t necessarily true at all.

Velvet is made from high-quality 100% polyester, its less prone to marking or crushing and really easy to look after. It's dense pile means it displays colour very well, which allows it too creating an excellent, intense, rich tone which is hard to get with a say a cotton material.

Linen makes for a great choice for upholstery material around the home.  It's extremely hard-wearing, easy to maintain and clean.  Though, as with most materials, any stains or spillages should be gently mopped up by gently patting with a clean, slightly damp, white cloth.  Act fast to minimize the time any spillages have to soak in to the pile.  To help avoid any mishaps consider the use of tray, this is especially important when placing drink on an upholstered coffee table.