Ottomans are usually considered to be decorative items. They’re there to add a little bit of extra space to your room, since you can store items inside of them.
Here’s the issue. If you’re limited on seating space, you may be wondering what things you can use to accommodate your guests. With that in mind, can you actually use an ottoman as a chair?
Thankfully, your ottoman isn’t just a pretty face. Thankfully, it’s possible to use these handy things as seating for any guests that you may have. They are great for keeping your legs and feet supported while you are sitting, and they certainly won’t collapse if someone sits on them.
With that being said, they’re still probably not the best choice for your guests in many cases. An ottoman is certainly not comfortable to sit on, especially for long periods of time.
It’s better to get them an actual chair if possible. You can add things like cushions to make the little more comfortable, however.
In terms of weight capacity, ottomans can vary. Usually though they can support a minimum of 200 pounds inside of them. This means that most adults should be able to sit on an ottoman without having many troubles.
Ottomans also have other functions too, so they aren’t just going to be used as convenient seating when you have guests. Indeed, they can also act as storage. You can put things like blankets and paperwork inside of them so that your home doesn’t end up looking cluttered. In addition to that, they can serve as tables.
You can put things like your dinner and laptops on top of them. They look great too, so they can accentuate a room. Some ottomans can even be used as guest beds, though you certainly can’t use a traditional ottoman for this purpose.
Are you supposed to put your feet on an ottoman?
Is it proper etiquette to put your feet up on an ottoman? Well, that depends on who you are asking. Some people say that it’s rude to put your feet on the furniture.
With that being said, most would say that the main purpose of an ottoman is so that you can put your feet on top of them after a long day of work. These things are incredibly multifunctional too, so they’re not just large footrests.
They can also be decorative items, and can really tie a room together. You can use them as storage boxes too which is rather handy.
If you want to get the best possible comfort when you’re putting your feet up on the ottoman though, you need to make sure that you get the right kind of ottoman for you. The first thing to think about is the style of the ottoman.
If you’re using it primarily as a footrest then you may only need to get a little ottoman. You may just need something small and compact that doesn’t take up a great deal of space in the room, and something that you can move around as needed.
You could also get one that works as a coffee table or as storage too though, so keep that in mind when making your decision.
After this, you need to ensure that you have the right sizing. Measure up the dimensions to see what you need for the room in question. You don’t want to get something that’s the wrong size for the room, after all.
It’s also wise to consider the height of the ottoman. If it’s significantly higher than the height of your sofa then it’s not going to work very well as a footrest.
What’s especially handy is that you can get ottomans that are designed specifically for certain lounge sets and lounge chairs. You can even get an ottoman that slots right into your lounge chair. This is perfect for those times when you just want to kick back and relax.
If you’re looking for something to fill up some dead space in the room that is also functional, an ottoman can be a great choice.
With that being said though, it’s not ideal to buy an ottoman for every single chair in the room - it’s often just not feasible in terms of space or budget. So, with that in mind, is it possible for two chairs to share a single ottoman.
As it turns out, the answer is yet. Two chairs can indeed share one ottoman. In fact, it may even be a good choice. It’s a good thing to put an ottoman in between two accent chairs in the room. It’s also a great way to encourage some chilled out conversation.
It will look attractive and will give your accent chairs a little bit of extra purpose. You could even put some snacks and drinks on a tray on the ottoman.
Okay, so what about if you want to kick your feet up? If you’re using the ottoman for storage or you want to use it as a footrest, it would be a good idea to get a larger ottoman. This way, two people can put their feet up at once.
In short, ottomans can be shared by two chairs. They’re a fantastic alternative to accent tables that are highly versatile and provide you with a lot of functionality.
You will just need to think carefully about what kind of ottoman you want, and you will need to choose one that’s based on all of the things that you need. That way, you’ll have a comfortable seat, a mini table, a footrest and some storage, all rolled into one! Pretty neat, huh?
