People buy the smallest ottoman they can find because it looks cute in the corner, then wonder why it disappears the second they put a tray and a cup of tea on it. Scale is the whole game here, and most of us get it wrong in the same direction.
Fabric ottomans work almost anywhere you'd put a chair, which is the point of them. A boucle one at the end of a bed, a linen one doing double duty as a coffee table in a studio apartment, a velvet one pulled up to a reading chair for the three months of the year your feet are cold. They're forgiving in a way wood and leather pieces aren't, because fabric has give, it takes a nap, it takes a kid standing on it in socks, it doesn't show the same scuffs a hard surface would. Cotton and linen blends breathe better and feel right in summer, velvet and boucle read warmer and earn their keep in winter, so if you've got room for two, that's not a bad reason. The sizing mistake is treating it like a footstool when you actually want it to work as extra seating or a coffee table substitute. Measure the gap in front of your sofa, you want at least fourteen to eighteen inches of walking room around it, and measure the sofa seat height too, because an ottoman that sits noticeably lower than your cushions looks like an afterthought instead of a set. Too small and it floats in the middle of the room looking lost. Too low and nobody can balance a mug on it without lying flat.
Where it goes wrong is pattern on pattern in a room that's already busy, a bold floral ottoman in front of a sofa with its own loud print is a lot, and so is putting a fabric ottoman somewhere genuinely wet or high traffic, like right by the front door where boots and umbrellas live. It's also not the move in a room with a toddler and a full glass of anything, because unlike leather or a vinyl pouf, fabric holds a stain instead of wiping clean, so keep it out of the direct line of fire near the dining table.
If you've got none, start with one large, simple, solid colored ottoman near neutral, something you could put in front of a sofa and also drag over as a spare seat without it fighting with whatever else is going on in the room. A stain resistant woven fabric buys you a little peace of mind.
For a first one, I'd go with a soft oatmeal or stone color. Forgiving, warm, and it won't paint you into a corner later.
Aisha's pickFabric Ottomans From Brands You Know and a Few You Won’t
Aisha's pickVelvet Ottomans That Don’t Sag After a Year
Aisha's pickFabric Ottomans with Storage That Won’t Let You Down
Aisha's pickFabric Storage Benches Comfy Enough for a Movie Night
Aisha's pickFabric Storage Footstools You’ll Sink Into at the End of the Day
Aisha's pickFabric Storage Ottomans We’d Happily Nap On
Aisha's pickModern Fabric Footstools the Cat Will Claim Within a Day
Aisha's pickGood Modern Fabric Ottomans That Don’t Cost a Fortune
Aisha's pickModern Fabric Storage Ottomans With Real Back SupportAlso worth a lookBenchesMy first bench was a flat pack thing I grabbed for the entryway, pine veneer over particleboard, and…See the collections →
Aisha's pickUpholstered Bar Stools That Make Rented Places Feel Like Home
Aisha's pickContemporary Fabric Footstools the Cat Will Claim Within a Day
Aisha's pickUpholstered Bedroom Ottomans That Survive Kids and Pets
Aisha's pickContemporary Fabric Ottomans With Real Back Support
Aisha's pickUpholstered Bench Ottomans With Real Back Support
Aisha's pickDecent Fabric Bedroom Ottomans Without the Hassle
Aisha's pickUpholstered Footrests Without the Silly Price Tag
Aisha's pickFabric Bench Ottomans Without the Silly Price Tag
Aisha's pickUpholstered Footstools for Long Sunday AfternoonsAlso worth a lookFootrestsThe thing nobody mentions about footrests is that the height matters more than the look, and you won't…See the collections →
Aisha's pickFabric Footrests You’ll Sink Into at the End of the Day
Aisha's pickShopping for Upholstered Ottomans? Start Here
Aisha's pickFabric Footstools That Look Good From Every Angle
Aisha's pickUpholstered Storage Ottomans Worth Knowing About
