Meet the Quick-Change Artists of Interior Design

My sons have an ongoing and insatiable fascination with the Swiss Army knife and all of its mysterious doodads and thingamajigs. So I find it incongruous that they roll their eyes and groan whenever I wax eloquent about my favorite types of furnishing: those amazing multifunctional stools, benches and ottomans.

My love affair with stools started decades ago, when I was rummaging in a chic antiques and interiors shop in Seattle. There it was, standing forlorn and lonely in a dark corner, piled high with pillows and doilies. Of indeterminate age and slightly moth eaten, this stool was rickety and well worn. But the top was upholstered in a lovely chocolate-colored needlepoint sprinkled with cabbage roses, and its carved and turned legs were dainty and lovely. It called to me. After a long dickering session with the store’s owner, I brought it home. That little stool has become part of our family history. Like the versatile Swiss Army knife, it has served in many ways: as a small coffee table, an ottoman, the favorite seat for my twin granddaughters, a side table for books and a teacup and an anchor under a large oil painting. You name the function, it happily obliges.

Consider these ideas for putting a stool, bench or ottoman — or all three — to work in your home.

One of my favorite interior design tools is the addition of an ottoman or bench under a console table.

Doesn’t matter if it is a living room, entry or dining room piece; the ottoman does several things. First, it hides the always ugly and visually intrusive electrical cords, and that alone makes it worth its weight in gold. Second, it adds a layer of interest to what would otherwise be a blank space. And third, it can be readily moved out for extra seating.


What improves on one bench under a console? Two! And aren’t these X-benches interesting and unexpected in this context? People often ask me if animal prints are just a passing trend that they should avoid. My response: Avoid them only if you don’t like them. These have been trendy since the first caveman got both chilly and hungry at the same time.


Stools and ottomans are deservedly very popular as coffee tables, precisely because they serve so well in multiple functions. They invite you to put your feet up, and that is nothing but good. Add a tray or a stack of books, and you have not only layered decor, but a level surface for wineglasses or appetizers.

If you are having a large gathering, shove your ottoman out of the way under a window, then watch as people gravitate toward it. No matter the style of your room, a coffee table ottoman will work. If you can’t find the perfect thing at your favorite furniture shop or thrift store, check out Miles Talbott for ottomans made to order in a wide range of shapes, styles, fabrics and sizes.


Rooms that work best with two sofas are often a bugaboo when it comes to the coffee table. If you place it close enough to one sofa to function well, it will be too far from the other. A great solution is to use two ottomans. They can be centered in the room, creating one large table, or they can be separated and snuggled up to each sofa, where they will be in easy reach of feet and of hands holding wineglasses. I did this in a client’s home one time, and the client thought I was a design god.


This is another ingenious use of ottoman as multipurpose piece. It visually expands the space while acting as a footstool for one of the chairs, and (I’m pretty sure you are getting this point) offers additional seating. Marrying it to that really interesting wooden bench adds so much verve to the design of this room, and the kilim rug covering it is both inviting and comfy.


I love to work with pairs of benches. Here they sit in front of a fireplace, warming a space that can be uncomfortably empty. When a fire is burning, watch as your guests gently elbow their way to those seats, where they can get toasty warm. Just remember when you have a fire to keep safe clearances in mind. Toasty is great; burnt is not.


Where one or two is good, three or four is even better. This is particularly true of See’s Candies, but it also applies very nicely to ottomans, stools and benches. Here three cube ottomans anchor the end of the bed. They are perfect for sitting down to take your shoes off, and even better for throwing the decorative coverlet on them at night. If you choose the storage versions of these cubes, you have just added significantly to their function. Plus, their color brings a wonderful warmth to the room.

By the way, if people tell you (as they invariably will) that you cannot use the linear fabric you love on a cube like this because the pattern won’t align properly, just show them this picture, and then do what you want.


And then there were four. I rest my case.


Lest you think that ottomans restrict you to a particular style, feast your eyes on this. Bright red contemporary X-benches paired in this sleekly modern space make the room sing.


And then we get to my favorite soapbox: found, recycled and thrift store pieces. Ottomans and stools populate thrift and consignment stores like rabbits. It takes very little imagination and even less fabric to transform them into just the right finishing touch for your room. The checkered fabric and scalloped miniskirts on this pair of what would otherwise be nondescript stools is enchanting.


I am guessing that this was an older ottoman as well, but isn’t it lovely in its creamy slipcover! What a great idea to keep it out of the way under the desk, where it can serve as a desk chair when necessary, but where it is ready to move into position by the Louis when a footrest is needed. I love that the chair and the ottoman do not match. Brilliant.


Please meet my chocolate needlepoint stool. In this room it filled the void under our rather leggy vintage table.

In our current little bungalow, it sits in a tiny hallway under an oil painting of the South of France that my husband, Mike, copied from the cover of one of my favorite books. (I know! He brings me a latte in bed every morning too … ) It is ready at a moment’s notice to report for duty.


This industrial-style stool is an eclectic and delightful choice for a bedside table. I mean, how many nightstands do you meet that can be raised and lowered with your change of mattress? I imagine this stool travels all over its home as its owner’s needs change.


I must not forget to mention what stools and benches and ottomans mean to the pets in our lives. They certainly provide the absolutely perfect perch for posing for a picture. A stylish vintage bench like this one makes an indelible statement of personal taste and story.


Then there are the tiny footstools, which are also ubiquitous in thrift stores. Don’t pass them by! Even though they are usually too small for anyone but a child to sit on, they still add a captivating dimension. This little stool was a family piece given new life with its unpredictable red buffalo plaid fabric. I revel in how it warms the contemporary glass and metal coffee table.


The bathroom is another inviting spot for that little stool. By the tub it will hold towels or a candle or a wineglass. And in front of the vanity it will allow the kiddos easier access to the sink.


My grandchildren would love this little stool. Sturdy and personable, it is the perfect touch of functional whimsy for a child’s room.


I can’t close without sitting (figuratively) on benches for a bit. Benches are the ultimate Swiss Army knives for our rooms. They can be used in entries, at the ends of beds, against walls, under windows, on porches, as coffee tables, in place of chairs and even as dining room seating. And that is by no means an exhaustive list.

Although I particularly love mixed pieces, this now-discontinued collection from Drexel Heritage has such a comfortable look. If you can score this secondhand, you will have a multigenerational set.


For a more mixed dining room that still hangs together well, keep your host and hostess chairs the same, then add benches in lieu of side chairs. If you are having the extended family for Thanksgiving, benches will allow you to sit lots of kid-size butts without dragging chairs in from all over the house. Using benches in this way has the added perk of significantly warming up the look of your dining room, even when they’re not in use.


Here again the host and hostess chairs are matched, as are those wonderfully carved and painted side chairs on one side of the table. The other side is furnished with the mother of all upholstered benches, and isn’t it gorgeous? I am certain that people linger around this table for a long time after the dessert plates are licked clean.


Old pews can be recycled beautifully as entry or dining room benches. You can find them in various lengths, with or without carvings, and in myriad styles. But add a padded seat cushion if you want to sit on one of these for more than a few minutes.


Finally, I love the welcome of a bench at the front door. No need to be fussy; almost any old bench will do. Wicker, wire, log … all are good. Add a pillow as this homeowner has, flank it with a plant, perhaps tuck a little ottoman in front and don’t be surprised if you find yourself sitting on your porch, lemonade in hand, watching the world go by.

In the Products section:
Benches | X-benches | Ottomans and Cubes | Elephant Benches | Stools

URL: Meet the Quick-Change Artists of Interior Design http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-22065.html