Thursday, February 11, 2010

The Ottoman Empire

Today at lunch time, some coworkers and I had a conversation about ottomans...how they're spelled, what they're good for, etc.

When you live in a small space, an ottoman can be your BEST friend. (Ahem...Ashley, go get one ASAP!)  And a storage ottoman is EVEN BETTAH!

I have this beautiful ottoman as my coffee table (well, almost the same - from Target!).  A silver tray from eBay sits on top of it with a variety of tchotchkes and remotes.  It also provides an excellent source of additional seating when I have guests over...granted, I don't make them sit on the silver tray.  : )



I'm a HUGE fan of these ottomans (from Living Spaces) because they also provide major storage solutions.  The first has a top that flips over and serves as a tray.  The second has drawers. AWESOME!





You can also find some great options that are super colorful and fun!  This one is from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and is SUPER reasonably priced!



I LOVE LOVE LOVE this ottoman.  It has a sleeper in it's belly.  What a perfect option for small homes or studio apartments.  If you've got a one bedroom (like me), this is a GREAT option!



In college, I babysat for a wonderful couple.  They had one of the first gliders and glider ottomans.  I LOVED them.  And I'm not ashamed to admit that I fell asleep in that chair just about every time I babysat and didn't wake up until I heard the gate open.  One day, when I have a child, I'll have one of these bad boys!!!



And, if you're looking for an ottoman that just makes a statement (or is totally obnoxious and for laughs), you can always find bizarro stuff like this at the Targ!



What are your thoughts on ottomans? Do they take up too much space? Provide good form AND function? A fad that won't be around much longer? I'd love to hear your thoughts!!!


8 comments:

Sabrina said...

We fell for the ottoman thing a few years back and bought an oversized chair and ottoman combo. Although I still LOVE the idea of chair/ottoman combo, I'm not completely happy with our choice. The ottoman has wheels on the bottom and drives me CRAZY. Also scratches the hardwood. I need to just figure a way to take them off and add new legs. Grrr! It is a storage one though, and its great for storing blankets.

That bed one you found is such an awesome idea, esp. for apartments. Been there. Done that.

Nate @ LaurelStreetBlog.com said...

Funny you're thinking about this - I am too. I was thinking of replacing those crazy plants under my desk in the front room with a pretty storage ottoman that I could pull out for extra seating for guests. Cool! Can't wait to see the dining room, BTW.

Melissa @ The Inspired Room said...

I love ottomans. I have them all over the place. I don't happen to have any that have storage, which would be nice but still, I LOVE having a soft place to put my feet up. I always put a tray on them so they work for drinks or food too!

:-)

Cynthia said...

I live in a "cottage" so need every bit of storage space I can get. I have a great ottomon. I also put a tray on mine so I can use it as a coffee table. It's in front of my sofa and holds extra blankets. I sometimes put my feet up on it while using my laptop blogging and can push it across the room for those times when I need extra seating.

Ashley Perez said...

Duuuuuude, I totally want one. You know that! Target just hasn't put the one we want on sale! And trust me girl, we look at it every time we go! Our old "ottoman" was an IKEA coffee table and we got rid of that guy a long time ago...soon enough my friend.

p.s. I miss you JJ. Adios.

Sara E said...

ok.. that ottoman/hide-a-bed is pretty cool!

and... we used to have that big baseball glove chair .. it was great UNTIL it got too dirty

Infarrantly Creative said...

Holy heck that sleeper one rocks! I have never seen anything like that before. Rad rad rad!

Theodora Ofosuhima said...

I love the items listed especially the ottoman chair. Great idea. Stopping by from Sisters.