An ottoman is dressed for every occasion. It softens a room. It gives you somewhere to kick your feet up after a long day, acts as emergency seating for an overflowing guest list, and, topped with a tray, becomes home to a growing candle collection. And a Negroni.
Epitomizing every delectable contradiction of our favorite anytime, anywhere accessory is Olivine Design Studio, who transformed a pattern-filled ottoman into the de facto bloom-and-book-holding coffee table of an English countryside living room, lending fresh purpose and a little joie de vivre to the sun-drenched 1700s space.
‘Too much color and pattern and we would have been in danger of overwhelming the space, so we played with pattern on upholstery and accessories,’ notes Olivine Design co-founder Victoria Gray, whose David Seyfried-designed ottoman managed to steal the show anyway.
Some are sprawling enough to absorb your entire coffee-table ecosystem, while others, from tastemakers like Shea McGee and Joanna Gaines, tuck hidden storage into petite, almost stool-scale silhouettes fit for even the tiniest apartments.
Living room or bedroom, table or seat, these 20 standout ottomans are ready for whatever.
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