An In-Depth Look At The Popular Round Ottoman And Its Origin
An ottoman is something one might use when watching TV or lounging on the sofa or as an extra seat when guests come over. It has become a standard furniture piece everyone has but it wasn’t always like this. The history of ottomans is an interesting one and we’ll get to that in a second. We’ll pay special attention to round ottomans since they’re quite trendy right now. A round ottoman has a particularly friendly and cute appearance compared to square or rectangular types.
Meet Drum, a stylish little ottoman that serves three roles. It can be used as a coffee table, as a regular ottoman or pouf and also as a tray thanks to its elegant removable top. This type of flexibility is appreciated in modern living spaces where multifunctionality is an important part of every interior design. The tray top is available in four different colors: white, black, ash and walnut.
Ottomans are designed to be multifunctional. The Lisbon model featured here on the left side offers that in a really elegant manner. It features a simple design with fine little details and it comes in two sizes, large and small. Use it as an accent piece for the living room or let it add a touch of color to your bedroom or home office.
With so many different ottoman designs to choose from, it’s hard to stand out. The Leaf series has a special characteristic: eco-friendliness. The cute ottomans in the collection are made using recycled wool from salvaged yarns from the fashion industry. It features a series of contemporary colors mostly based on pastel shades.
Modern ottomans come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Round and oval types tend to be more popular and the Pollen A and Pollen B designs reflect this with their quirky designs and patterns. Their designs are inspired by the pollen of the Acacia tree and they have a strong visual present, being capable of becoming wonderful focal points..
As the name suggests, ottomans were imported from the Ottoman Empire, being inspired by the furnishing practices that usually involved a U-shaped seating unit similar to a bench. This bench wrapped around three walls of a room and was piled with cushions, offering everyone a place to sit comfortably during family events and casual gatherings. The ottoman was then brought to Europe in the late 1700s but its design was altered and scaled down.
The Charlot poufs displayed here in the corner were designed in 2004 by Andrea Parisio and they capture the essence of what an ottoman should look and feel like. They’re stuffed over like all ottomans, with their wooden frames being entirely concealed by the fabric and the upholstery. This gives them a really cozy and cute look and makes them lovely seating units for lounge areas but also for other settings.
The smaller, modern-day versions of the ottoman are known for their versatility and practicality. They’re appreciated for the fact that they can be integrated in pretty much any room of the house where they can function as an occasional seat, an accent piece for a cozy nook or as a substitute for the coffee table or even for the nightstand.
A cowhide ottoman is also something you might want to consider for a decor if the desire is to give it a more welcoming and comfortable appearance. The texture, pattern and colors contribute to an ambiance that’s not only inviting and pleasant but also inspired by nature. And in case you’re worried about the origin of the hide, you should know that most cowhide ottomans are synthetic and simply mimic the design of the real deal but this doesn’t mean they can’t give you an authentic cowboy-chic decor.
The ottomans we know today come in a variety of different forms, shapes, sizes, colors and designs. Some are topped with removable trays and this allows them to make great accent tables. Some are low and meant to be used as footstools, usually in combination with a lounge chair or a sofa. In some cases the ottoman also double as a secret storage stash. This applies to ottomans that are hollow inside and have removable tops.