The Power of Double-Duty Furniture: the Many Hats of Modern Ottomans

I’ve never been a person who enjoys the ‘too much’ principle in interior design and décor. I find it suffocating and energy-disturbing. Too much of anything in interior design can easily shrink a room and deplete you from the benefit of spaciousness, which is kind of a precondition for claustrophobia and chaos. Instead, I like to have as much storage space as possible, so I don’t need to constantly take care of the eventual mess in the house. Simple: everything has its place and if it’s not there, it means I’ve either lost it or threw it away.

While there are numerous ways to create a storage-prone living space, I am particularly fond of something rather multi-purposed. Not just that it provides storage where you most need it, but it can serve as so many other things. The ottoman. A piece of furniture that whoever is smart enough, has it in his/her home. The small pieces of furniture known as modern ottomans, come in various shapes, materials, colours and designs, so the excuse that you can’t fit them in your current design scheme doesn’t add up. Here are a few of the many ways in which you can use modern ottomans.

As a shoe storage space

There are large circular ottomans which look like a box with a hinged lid that opens up and reveals a large compartment for storing everything – from small necessities, to bags and even shoes. If you have a wardrobe space and a large mirror in it, the ottoman would serve you as both a storage for your precious heels, and a seat for applying your make up. Fancy and useful.

When you don’t know where to put the extra pillows and blankets

Yup, we’ve all faced this situation. Some people would never even think of this as a problem, but neat freaks and people who want to have everythig properly stored and ordered will find it disturbing. The bed in the bedroom isn’t the place where you simply throw all the pillows on without any meaning. So instead of thinking how to arrange them so they won’t be an eye soar, put them in the large ottoman you’d place at the end of the bed. Normally, the ottoman itself would be complementing the bedroom design, and serve as storage for the bedroom essentials during the day.

When you want extra space in a minimalistic living room

We can’t ignore the fact that some designs and styles are minimalistic in every aspect: décor, design and functionality. For instance, some living room sofas may be good for sitting in a perfectly upright position while watching TV or drinking coffee, but aren’t so comfortable for a midday rest. Some aren’t long enough to fit you, others are too narrow. That’s why many of today’s sofas include modern ottomans which are used as convertible extensions to the sofas. That way, the ottoman transforms the couch into a cosy bed for a perfect movie night. Then back to being an extra seating during a party.

And then, as a magazine cabinet

Because they collect so much dust and open so much new work for me, I like to keep my magazines somewhere closed. I also want them to be within my arm’s reach so when I sit down with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, I don’t have to get up again to find them. Searching for a suitable solution that won’t disturb my living room harmony, I stumbled on a wonderful idea: placing the magazines in the ottoman! That way, they’d be closed and preserved from harboring dust and would be right under my feet. Literally!

As you can see, the ottoman’s range of uses is vast. The fact that you can place it in any room in just about any corner just adds up to the conclusion that if you still don’t have it, consider buying one.