Blog Bites: Kick Up Your Feet!

Who doesn't love to put their feet up after a long day? That's why - next to our beloved dogs - footstools, aka ottoman's, are next in line as man's best friend!  People love ottomans  And really, what's not to love? They provide a place to rest your weary paws, can function as a coffee table with the addition of a tray, and offer up extra seating in a pinch.

Here's Kate Family Photography

(Told you I was attracted to polka dots....)

I was prepared to be inundated with fantastic blog posts on the subject, and although I did find a few gems, which I'll share in a moment, I also realized that there is soooo much more I want to show you. Too much for one post, so I'm writing an additional post featuring Outrageous Ottomans to Outshine the ho-hum footstool. I'll include some pics of our own work in that post too, so stay tuned!

But first.... a few bites from my fellow bloggers whose posts did quite well at whetting the appetite, leaving readers thinking... I think I need one of those!

Seasons for All At Home featured a blog post on round ottomans that got me thinking about some of the traditional homes here in New England. Not surprising this first room comes from Traditional Home. This gorgeous ottoman features all the bells and whistles with its pleated skirt, tufting, and, lest we forget....Chanel bag! How can you go wrong?

Traditional Home Designer: Barry Dixon

I love how this next ottoman - classic in shape and styling - becomes an element of drama in a room that hasn't fully made its transition to more contemporary styling.  With its mix of styles, it may still be deciding, but the ottoman works. (I won't comment on the rug or side table... for now) I can't move on without calling out the pillow ... fabulous!

Better Homes and Gardens

Patricia Gray's post called "Ottomans, Benches, Footstools, Hassocks" features some of her stunning work. Distressed leather, down cushions and nailheads is always a stunner but with the matching ottoman in this gorgeous setting; it's just begging you to put your feet up! Gorgeous. One may be tempted to sneak off to this area for some alone time with a cup of coffee and a good book...but just in case others are invited along, the ottomans have casters, so they're easy to move around to provide that additional seating if needed, as I mentioned earlier.

Patricia Gray Inc.,

Photo by Roger Brooks

This charcoal ottoman provides plenty of room for relaxing, entertaining friends, and sipping a cocktail. (My, I must be thirsty.) Add a tray ... or two... to allow the ottoman to double as a coffee table, its plenty big for this large space. I admit, it's a little tough to focus on the ottoman with those amazing views! By the way, I also love that the gray picks up on the cityscape -- not exactly what most think of when bringing the outdoors in; isn't it fabulous?

Patricia Gray Inc.,

Photo by Gary Beale

Marie Burgos wrote about ottomans early this year in "Square, Round, Oval, Free-shaped Ottomans." I love this oversized ottoman and tray in sharp red to truly draw the eye to the center of the room. Again, this one has ample space for putting your feet up (though maybe not the most practical thing to do with this color scheme) and still function as a coffee table.

Marie Burgos Design

Something about this next ottoman makes me want to skip the bed and dive right onto it. Maybe it's the rounded top or that it's just a curious element in the middle of the room calling out to you. Whatever it is, it feels fun to me. Do you agree? Hmmm, now that I think of it, what would a child do? A running start, jump on to the launch pad - I mean, ottoman - and then over to the bed.  Note to parents: this may not be the style you want to choose.

Michael Rosenberg

Here's a funky one done in a graphite crocodile skin. The shape is intriguing.... seating for three very narrow behinds? Or, it looks as though the top can be removed for a rather unconventional storage space... could it be wine on one side, beer and bottled water in the others?  May be the perfect ottoman for Superbowl Sunday if that is the case!  In all seriousness, I do really love this but you must admit that there is some ingenuity that could be applied to this styling, don't you think?

Kelly Hoppen

In this quest for this weeks Blog Bites, I stumbled upon the blog of professional organizer, Jeri Dansky, of California. It wasn't what I had intentionally sought out but I thought her post was a great one for its functionality. Her whole post featured storage ottomans, specifically those designed for files. Tight on space in your home? These ottomans are more than practical!

 

Peter Walsh for Office Max

Check out the memo board feature on this one. I see a lot of possibilities for this, especially for kids/teen rooms and offices.

The Dormy House

But wait -- there's one more! Okay, I realize I'm not featuring an entire blog post here, but I just had to share this ottoman I came across on Ohdeedoh. Not exactly my style, but darn, now I'm hungry, too!

Cool Sofa (via ...)

And hey, if you're daring enough to give something like this a try, you must send me a picture! In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts on ottomans (cheeseburger aside). And again, please stay tuned for a follow-up post, I've got lots more to show you!