Few pieces work this hard for the money. Seldens stocks ottomans and poufs from Mercana, Ekornes, Stickley, Lexington and Flexsteel, in fabric, leather and woven rattan, from the Aalia leather and jute pouf and the Adele seagrass square through to matched chair and ottoman sets.

One Piece, Three Jobs

An ottoman is a footrest, an extra seat when six people turn up for four chairs, and, with a tray set on top, a soft coffee table nobody can bruise a shin on. Upholstered tops are the most forgiving option in a house with small children. Woven rattan and seagrass poufs are light enough to move with one hand and inexpensive enough to buy in pairs, which is how they work best: two tucked under a coffee table or parked at the end of the sofa.

Matching an Ottoman to Seat Height

One rule is worth following. An ottoman used as a footrest should sit level with the seat cushion of the chair it serves, or an inch below it. Any higher and your knees lock. If it is standing in for a table, apply the same relationship to the sofa seat and add a hard tray so a glass has somewhere flat to live. For a firmer surface and a longer footprint at the foot of a bed, look at benches instead, and pair a reading chair from leather chairs with a matched ottoman rather than a stray one.

Shop Ottomans in Tacoma, Bellevue and Olympia

Firmness is the thing you cannot judge online. A pouf that photographs plush can be dense enough to sit on, or soft enough that it collapses under a footrest test. Press on them yourself in Tacoma, Bellevue and Olympia, bring a photo of your chair so we can check the height, and use complimentary design services if the seating group needs rethinking. All three showroom locations keep them on the floor. Or browse matching frames in recliners first.