Footstools, Pouffes & Ottomans: A Buying Guide

A footstool can be the hardest-working 50cm in your living room: a place to rest tired legs, a soft perch for extra guests, a tray for the morning coffee, or a clever hideaway for blankets and remote controls. The trouble is that “footstool”, “pouffe” and “ottoman” get used interchangeably in shop listings, even though each does a slightly different job. This guide explains how they really differ, how to size and position one properly, which fabrics and fillings last, and where storage versions earn their keep — so you choose a piece that looks intentional rather than an afterthought.

1. What’s the difference: footstool, pouffe or ottoman?

All three are upholstered, backless and armless, which is why the labels blur. The distinctions are worth knowing because they steer you towards the right shape and structure for your home. A footstool is the most traditional of the trio: a firm, upholstered top on a defined frame and legs, designed primarily to rest your feet on alongside an armchair or sofa. It is usually rectangular, relatively low, and firm enough to take weight without sinking.

A pouffe is softer and more casual. It tends to be a single stuffed form — round, square or cylindrical — sitting directly on the floor with no visible legs, often in knitted, woven or leather covers. Pouffes are lightweight, easy to nudge around with a foot, and double happily as informal extra seating. Because they have more give, they are the friendliest option for children and for relaxed, layered interiors.

An ottoman is the largest and most structured. The word now almost always implies a hollow body with a hinged or lift-off lid, giving you storage inside. Ottomans are built to be sat on, footed and loaded up, so they carry the sturdiest frames. A storage ottoman at the end of a bed or in front of a sofa is effectively a soft-topped box that earns its floor space twice over. If you remember nothing else: footstools rest feet, pouffes flex casually, ottomans store and seat.

2. Decide what you actually need it to do

The biggest mistake is buying for looks alone and then resenting the piece because it doesn’t do the job you secretly wanted. Before you shop, be honest about the primary role. Most footstools and pouffes are bought for one of four reasons, and the best choice is different for each.

• Putting your feet up. You want a firm top at roughly seat height, positioned in front of your favourite recliner chair or sofa seat. A traditional footstool or a firm ottoman beats a squashy pouffe here.
• Occasional extra seating. Choose something sturdy and stable that a guest can perch on without tipping — a firm pouffe or a framed ottoman rather than a soft floor cushion.
• Hidden storage. You need a lidded ottoman, and you should measure the internal cavity, not just the outside footprint (more on that below).
• A soft accent. If it is mostly about texture and colour, a knitted or woven pouffe adds warmth to a corner and can be moved out of the way in seconds.

It is perfectly reasonable to want two of these at once — a coffee-table-cum-footrest, say, or seating that also stores throws. Just rank them. The primary job dictates the firmness and structure; the secondary job is a bonus you design around. Pairing the piece with the right anchor furniture matters too, so think about which sofa or settee it will live beside before you commit to a size.

3. Getting the size and height right

Comfort lives in the height. For a footrest, the top should sit within about 3cm of your sofa or chair’s seat height so your legs extend in a near-straight, supported line. Most UK sofa seats land between 42cm and 48cm from the floor, so a footstool of 40-45cm suits the majority of homes. Go much lower and your legs dangle; go higher and your knees lift uncomfortably.

Footprint is the next decision. As a rough guide, a footstool for one person needs roughly a 45-55cm square of top; a shared ottoman in front of a three-seater works best at 80-100cm long so two people can stretch out. Leave around 40cm of clear floor between the front of your seat and the stool — close enough to reach with relaxed legs, far enough to walk past. The table below gives sensible starting dimensions.

If your room is tight, a smaller round pouffe (40cm diameter) tucks under a side or lamp table when not in use and pulls out only when needed — a trick worth borrowing from our small living room ideas guide. For anything large, measure doorways and the route into the room before ordering, and use our Will It Fit tool to be certain.

4. Storage ottomans: how much they really hold

Storage is where ottomans repay their cost, but external dimensions flatter the truth. The internal cavity is always smaller than the box, because the walls are padded and the lid eats a few centimetres of headroom. A 90 x 50cm ottoman might give you an internal space closer to 80 x 42cm and 22cm deep — generous for two or three folded throws, a spare duvet, board games or seasonal cushions, but not a substitute for a cupboard.

Check the lid mechanism carefully. A simple lift-off lid is cheapest and lightest, but you need somewhere to put it down while you rummage. Hinged lids stay attached, and the better ones include gas-strut or friction hinges that hold the lid open and lower it slowly, which matters enormously if children are around. Look, too, at how the base is finished: a fully boarded base protects contents from dust and damp, while an open-bottomed frame is lighter but less sealed.

Storage ottomans shine in rooms short on built-in space. In the living room they swallow the blanket pile and remote clutter; pair one with open bookcases or a sideboard and you have a tidy, layered storage scheme without a wall of cupboards. In the bedroom, an end-of-bed ottoman handles spare pillows and off-season clothing — the same logic behind a full ottoman bed, just on a smaller scale.

5. Fabrics, fillings and durability

Because footstools take feet, weight and the occasional spilled drink, the cover earns its money. The same fabric logic that governs sofas applies here, and it is worth a quick read of our sofa fabric guide for the detail. In short: woven fabrics feel warm and come in the widest colour range but show marks more readily; performance weaves and tightly woven flat fabrics resist abrasion and clean up better; leather and faux leather wipe clean in seconds and age handsomely, which is why they suit busy family rooms and hallways.

One practical durability measure to look for is the Martindale rub-test rating. Anything above 20,000 rubs is fine for an occasional footstool; 30,000-plus is sensible for a piece used daily or as regular seating. Velvets look luxurious but flatten where they are sat on most, so reserve plush pile for accent pouffes rather than the family footrest.

Filling decides how the piece behaves. Firm foam or fibre cores keep a defined shape and support feet without sinking — ideal for footstools and seating ottomans. Bean or polystyrene fills give that mouldable, slouchy pouffe feel but offer little structure, so they are best as casual accents. For frames, a hardwood or engineered-timber structure with reinforced corners will outlast a flimsy stapled box; if you can, press down firmly on the top in the showroom and feel for any flex or creak.

6. Styling and placement in the room

A footstool should look like part of a plan, not a stray cushion on legs. The easiest route to a considered look is to relate it to something already in the room. Match the leg finish to your coffee table or media unit, or echo a colour from your cushions and rug so the piece reads as deliberate. A pouffe in the same tone as your throw, or a footstool whose legs nod to your side tables, instantly feels designed.

Decide between blend and contrast. A footstool upholstered in the same fabric as the sofa disappears into a calm, cohesive scheme; a pouffe in a clashing colour or chunky knit becomes a focal accent. Both work — just choose on purpose. For balance, a round pouffe softens a room full of straight lines, while a rectangular footstool reinforces the geometry of a long sofa and rug.

Mind the proportions. A tiny pouffe marooned in front of a large corner sofa looks lost, while an oversized ottoman crowds a compact two-seater and blocks the walkway. Keep at least 40cm of clear floor around it, sit it centrally on (or just overlapping) the rug to tie the grouping together, and make sure it does not interrupt the natural path through the room. Anchored over a rug, even a humble footstool helps define the seating zone.

7. Using a pouffe as a coffee table

A large square ottoman or firm pouffe can stand in for a coffee table, and in a family or small living room it often beats one. There are no hard edges for toddlers to catch, you can put your feet up, and a guest can sit on it when the sofa fills. The catch is that soft tops are not naturally drink-friendly, so a little planning makes the swap work.

• Keep a firm tray on top. A flat wooden or metal tray, around 40-50cm, creates a stable, wipe-clean surface for drinks, books and the remote without sacrificing the soft-edge benefit.
• Choose a firm, level top. A squashy bean-filled pouffe won’t hold a tray steady; pick a foam or fibre-filled ottoman that barely compresses underfoot.
• Match the height to the sofa. Aim for a top within 5cm of your sofa seat so it reads as a coffee table and still works as a footrest.
• Pick a wipeable cover. Leather, faux leather or a performance weave shrugs off the inevitable splashes far better than pale linen.

If you would rather have a dedicated low table after all, our coffee table guide walks through heights and proportions, and you can browse the full range of coffee tables and occasional tables alongside your footstool shortlist.

8. Beyond the living room: bedroom, hallway and more

Footstools and pouffes are quietly versatile, and thinking past the sofa often reveals the spot where one is most useful. In the bedroom, a long ottoman at the foot of the bed gives you a place to sit while dressing and somewhere to lay tomorrow’s clothes, while hiding spare bedding inside. A small pouffe slotted under a dressing table tucks away neatly and pulls out as a stool at the mirror.

In the hallway, a firm, wipe-clean ottoman doubles as a perch for putting shoes on and a store for gloves, scarves and umbrellas — far friendlier than a hard bench. By a reading chair, a footstool completes the set and turns an armchair into a genuine relax-and-recline spot. They also work in a child’s room as soft, tip-resistant seating, and in a home office as a footrest that eases long hours at the desk.

Whichever room you have in mind, the sizing and firmness principles from earlier still apply: match the height to whatever you’ll sit on or beside, prioritise the primary job, and choose a cover suited to the traffic that room sees. A piece chosen this way rarely ends up homeless — it simply migrates to wherever it is needed most.

9. Buying with confidence

Choosing a footstool, pouffe or ottoman should be the easy, enjoyable end of furnishing a room, and we want you to order yours knowing there is no risk in changing your mind. Every Elystra Living order arrives with fast delivery, so you won’t be waiting weeks to put your feet up, and each piece is covered by our 30-day returns promise — if the colour isn’t quite right or the size doesn’t suit the space once it’s home, you can send it back.

You can also spread the cost with Klarna in interest-free instalments at checkout, which makes pairing a footstool with the right sofa or coffee table far more manageable. Browse the full collection of footstools, pouffes and ottomans in our occasional furniture range, take your measurements with you, and buy the piece that does exactly the job you need — confident that we’ve got the delivery and returns covered.