3 Easy, Family Friendly Ottoman Decorating Ideas
You guys, can I say something that might be a little controversial? I think ottomans might be the least appreciated piece of furniture out there. Yep, I said it. We often overlook and under appreciate this lonely workhorse of the furniture world. These babies aren’t just meant for being under our feet. Sure, they’re super comfy for foot support at the end of a long day. But even more, ottomans are multifunctional and can serve many, many purposes in our living rooms, family rooms, offices, and bedrooms.
Don’t believe me? I was so blessed to receive this stunning ottoman from 4-Chairs Furniture and Design for review. This gorgeous flax-colored piece is sumptuously tufted, which gives it a timeless chic feel. The fabric is super comfy and luxurious, which makes you just want to relax. I spent a good deal of time figuring out how we’d want to incorporate it into our home decor and am excited to show you three different, versatile ottoman decorating ideas. Sounds appealing? Keep on reading for three easy, family-friendly ways to decorate with an ottoman in your home! (And, PS, if you haven’t checked out the 4-Chairs site, definitely pop over. The store is swoon-worthy! I want ALL. THE. THINGS.)
Ottoman Decorating Idea 1: Child-Friendly Coffee Table
Now, y’all know I love building and re-doing furniture. We’ve built a gorgeous headboard, dining room table, bookshelf, and coffee table, among many other things. For our family room, I distressed the world’s ugliest coffee table into this stunningly gorgeous (in my humble opinion) farmhouse style chippy dream. In fact, the photo of our coffee table is one of my most beloved pics on Instagram.
Here’s the thing: I purchased and transformed that coffee table before having children, and those beautiful beveled corners quickly became very likely hazards. (We even tried those stick-on safety corners, which never stayed put. UGH.) So out when the coffee table from the family room. For the longest time, we had a big old hole smack in the middle of the family room until the ottoman presented an awesome possible solution!
An ottoman is a perfect child-friendly coffee table. Why’s that, you ask? It’s the right height — not too short, and not too tall. It’s padded, which protects the little ones (and the furniture) from dings and bumps. And, this particular ottoman is round, so it didn’t take up too much room and still provided lots of good play space. Child-friendly coffee table for the win!
[bctt tweet=”An ottoman is a perfect child-friendly coffee table!” via=”no”]
Ottoman Decorating Idea 2: Extra, Unobtrusive Seating
Our home featured both a family room and a formal living room, which seemed like a great feature when we purchased the house. With perspective, though, we realize that we spend about 98.2% of our time in our family room and only very, very rarely sit in the formal living room. (Parenthood took away most of our opportunities to do anything with formality.) The only times we ever sat in the second living room was when we were entertaining guests.
That said, the compulsion to decorate the formal living room was strong. (An empty, undecorated room? Oh, HEAVENS, no.) We already had a lovely linen couch and chair from awhile back, but when we did have guests, we always lacked enough seating and had to squeeze onto the couch.
But the idea of buying a huge chair for a room we never really used didn’t feel right. The ottoman pulls through again!
When we’re not using the living room, I can keep the ottoman styled with some books and candles as a cute side table. But when we need extra seating, the ottoman provides a comfy cushion for friends and guests. Unobtrusive seating? Done and done.
[bctt tweet=”For extra seating, ottomans provide a comfy cushions for friends and guests.” ” via=”no”]
Ottoman Decorating Idea 3: Comfy Office Showpiece
In my day job, I work remotely for an education company, collaborating with universities to drive excellence in learning. Fortunately for me, my job allows me to work from home most of the time.
Here’s a tip: to work from home successfully, you have to have a dedicated space. I’m lucky to have a home office I adore — a big old desk I stained myself, an oversize thrifted chair, and all of my diplomas framed beautifully on the wall. (Yep, I have lots of diplomas. I went to school for-ev-er.) Although I always start out the day sitting at my desk, I almost always end up in my comfy chair by the afternoon, especially now that I’m pregnant!
Because I spend the majority of my week working (who doesn’t?!), I realized that the ottoman’s rightful home would be under my feet, helping me relax while I’m bringing home my bacon. The ottoman provides a gorgeous visual interest, while serving as a very functional and relaxing footrest, keeping my toes up and my stress down. Ahh, so perfect.
Do you have an ottoman in your home? How do you envision decorating it? The possibilities for ottoman decorating ideas are as endless as our creativity! If you decorate with an ottoman, be sure to tag me on Instagram so that I can share your photo with the Home Beautifully family. I love to showcase pics from readers and would be honored to share your ottoman decorating ideas with others!
As always, lots of love from my house to yours,
Cynthia