Storage Footstools

Storage footstools not only offer a great way to get those tired feet up after a hard day but they are also a great solution for all those bits and pieces you only use on the odd occasion and which would otherwise clutter up the room. They come in all shapes and sizes, and in every imaginable colour making it easy to match the decor of the room. At funkyfootstools we offer a storage footstool as an accessory so that they co-ordinate perfectly with an existing suite. There is such a vast selection to choose from you are bound to find just the right one to fit into your home.

Storage Footstool Sizes

Storage footstools are great in the bedroom too and the large ottomans fit snugly at the end of any bed giving the room that finished look. These large storage footstools are practical items of furniture where you can sit to take off your shoes without messing up your beautiful bed linen. They are ideal for storing towels, pillow cases and even magazines that you want to keep out of sight. A storage footstool is great for the children’s bedroom as they can store some of their toys in it, a definite advantage for keeping the room tidy.  For smaller bedrooms or bedsits there are small storage footstools which offer a space saving solution and keep the rooms looking neat and tidy, they also add an extra seat in the room.

Storage Footstool Materials

There are beautiful bespoke storage footstools that will put the final touch to any room. They add that touch of luxury with their real leather or faux leather finishes. These footstools are exquisitely made in every detail. They are made out of the best materials that money can buy and crammed with the most luxurious fillings to make them as comfortable as they can possibly be. You can find a storage footstool upholstered in classical fabrics that offer comfort, style and extra storage space in a room or you may prefer the trendy modern design of fabric that fits into a modern home so well. The best thing is that there are no sharp corners making putting your feet up a real pleasure. From the ultra modern storage footstool to the classical ottoman you will find every design and style at affordable prices ensuring you are bound to find the perfect one for your home. The extra storage and comfort you these lovely items of furniture offer you will make you wonder how you ever coped without one.

UK Built Ottomans

UK built ottomans add a boost of colour to any household. More than almost any other piece of furniture, our storage ottomans are versatile. They provide seating and storage, acting as simple footstools whilst adding a welcome splash of colour. Our fabric and leather ottomans offer the style to fit the moment, from your bedroom to your living room and into your office.

You don’t have to be a professional interior designer to create the room you desire. You can change it in stages, and a fabric or leather storage ottoman adds colour and organisation in a single step – at a low price. Our selection of ottomans makes it easy for you to find the perfect piece for your space:

• A selection of classic fabric storage ottomans, leather ottomans, and footstools, with options of legs, castors and glides
• Prices from a family-owned business with more than 10 years of ottoman furniture-making experience
• High quality, visually appealing and practical fabric with padding so every ottoman is comfortable to sit on or rest your feet on
• Leathers sourced directly from Italy
• Low cost shipping options with every order
• Unrivalled UK customer service

A storage ottoman is a space-saving organisational tool. A strategically placed storage ottoman can hide blankets, games, remote controls, or magazines in a small area, making it easy to find what you need. Also, owning a storage ottoman makes it even easier to clean and organize. A leather ottoman or footstool can work as extra seating, serve as a soft and textured coffee table, create a cocktail area, whatever you need.

A leather or fabric ottoman can give an amazing burst of colour right where it’s needed to tie a room together. Storage ottomans are available in variety of qualities which are applicable to their surroundings.

 

About Funky Footstools

Funkyfootstools.com was established in 2001 and operates from offices in North Yorkshire.

Our aim is to create a business we are proud of and in a short space of time (with a lot of hard work and dedication I might add!) we have grown to become the UK’s premier footstools specialist.

We aspire to provide our valued customers with top quality UK built products at the lowest prices, something no other footstool retailer can lay claim to.

All our product descriptions are clearly worded giving you all the information you need to make the right choice at checkout. The price you see is the price you pay, so you can always be sure of getting transparent information from our industry leading website.

All of this is supported by outstanding customer service from our team of dedicated staff who love their jobs and genuinely care about each and every customer.

Thank you for choosing funkyfootstools.com, the online footstools, pouffe and ottoman retailer you can trust!

Yet Another Footstool

The humble footstool began its life as a random item, designed to take the weight off muddy boots. People found that sitting with their legs outstretched was a more natural and comfortable position when sitting upright, and this simple device allowed weight to be distributed more proportionally.  This in turn, provided them with higher levels of relaxation and comfort, commencing the continual search for things to rest their heels on.At this point, chairs were reserved for those of importance such as dignitaries, and the everyday man would instead use backless stools to perch on – which were inevitably grabbed occasionally for those on chairs to rest their royal feet on.

The realisation that the human form is just not designed to be seated for long periods of time still rings true today.  Also unchanged in time, sitting bolt upright often encouraged the crossing of legs, which is known to cut off the full blood flow to the lower limbs and affect the alignment of the spine.The footstool was made even more practical and popular with the realisation that, medically speaking, raising one’s legs meant better circulation.

It wasn’t long before upholsterers began to apply the same ideas to four-legged stools as was used on the main seating, with many designs and patterns to choose from, and features such as padded tops began to make an appearance too. Soon, the footstool, like the chair, was available to purchase in an array of styles, colours and fabrics, from leather to linen.  This made what was originally an ancillary item, start to stand out in a room and begin its evolution into a design icon in its own right.  As time marched on, homeowners realised that when produced in line and in height with the sofa and matching chairs that now adorned every living room, they could also add to their available seating with the added bonus of the footstool being more mobile.

Now also considered a useful storage area, function has combined with comfort as many footstools are now made hollow with a lid for storing magazines and newspapers.  Commonly known as ottomans, these are designed to take the clutter of items like magazines or extra cushions and linens from the initial view of the room while keeping them within easy access.  Benchstools are space savers that are more elongated in shape and are ideal to slot under your window sill when not being used to relieve your joints.  These can sometimes be made with arms and look like a miniature but backless version of your sofa and are reminiscent of a modern day chaise. A style very popular now is the large square ottoman, which has a number of uses: from coffee table to storage unit, as well as for resting your feet on of course, these now come in a range of designs to make an attractive centrepiece.

All Purpose Ottomans

We are proud to provide the finest footstools and ottomans to customers throughout the UK. We have several different kinds in a wide range of designs and upholstery styles. Whether you’re replacing old furniture or buying brand-new, we have the footstools and ottomans you’re looking for. You might be wondering, “why an ottoman?” Ottomans are more than just large footstools, they are versatile pieces of furniture which can prove invaluable in your home.

Ottomans
First of all, ottomans tend to be larger than standard footstools so they are ideal for use with the sofa. Imagine you and your significant other enjoying your favourite film or TV program, snuggled together with your feet up on the ottoman. A standard footstool won’t be large enough to accommodate both of you comfortably, but that’s not the case with an ottoman. Furniture in the conservatory or living area is just not complete without one.

A bigger ottoman can even be used as a bench or an extra seat when guests come over. And it’s strong enough to hold a significant amount of weight so you don’t have to worry about breaking it. Having a dinner party? Inviting the whole gang over for the football match? Seating isn’t a problem if you have a large ottoman or two. Just gather them around the rest of furniture and you have extra seats for several more guests.

Leather Ottomans
One of the nice things about ottomans is that they don’t have to be ugly. Leather ottomans offer all the functionality of an upholstered piece while adding the luxurious beauty only leather can provide. A leather ottoman adds elegance and class to any room; they are especially nice in formal sitting rooms and more up-scale conservatories. They are very easy to care for if you know what you’re doing, so there’s no need to worry about damaging your leather ottoman. Storage is another consideration as well.

A leather storage ottoman is the best of both worlds. You get the beauty of an elegant piece of furniture as well as the storage capability inside. Sizes can vary, but any amount of extra storage you can get is great for putting away photo albums, family memoirs, or other things.

Storage Ottomans
Storage ottomans are becoming more and more popular because of the convenience they offer in homes and flats with limited storage space. Ottomans with storage provide that extra space in a way that’s easily accessible and convenient. A storage ottoman is an ideal place for things you don’t want displayed but need access to on a regular basis; things like your CDs and DVDs. They are also an excellent choice for magazines, books, and other literature.

Ottoman storage has become so popular that it has spawned an entire line of furniture. You can now purchase storage Ottomans in several shapes and sizes – from the traditional to the modern – and all with the extra storage space you so desperately need.

Fabric Footstools

Footstools upholstered in soft lustrous fabric are perfect for resting your feet upon after a stressful day. Several leading internet retailers produce fabric footstools for storage, extra seating and tables however we believe them to be primarily foot rests. Your fabric footstool will last you and your family for many years if it is treated with proper care and attention.

Stripy Fabric Footstool

The top furniture companies pride themselves on the quality of fabric they use. A number of them offer a ranges comprising versatile and practical fabrics. As a fabric for footstools faux suede is one of the most popular choices. With a brushed “napp” finish, faux suede emulates velvet at a fraction of the price but with twice the practicality.  The lustrous appearance is created during the fabric’s finishing process which involves sophisticated electrolysis and chemical treatments. As a result of the process retailers can offer a wide choice of colours.  Most popular at the current time are the deep shade purples, pinks, crimson and pastel shades that invigorates the appearance of any room in the house. 

A footstool palette should always comprise a chenille fabric range. This high pile fabric is woven to look like a velvet but with texture and character. One popular range is Ravello which comprises ten contemporary shades. The Ravello chenille is one of our most popular fabric choices for customers as the shades lend themselves to modern environments. A high pile chenille known as Chamonix is an equally popular fabric and also arrive with a choice of ten colours ranging from deep mauves to earth tones. Wicker, Sienna, Mica and Fuji are new additions to the collections of other manufacturers in 2011 and are proving to be popular choices.

Stripe fabrics also lend a sophisticated air to footstool ranges. Fabric suppliers offer woven stripe chenilles in cotton and polyester with a range such as Prairie Stripe as a colour woven cotton based fabric. This stripe is arguably more appropriate for ottomans, larger storage footstools and benchstools. Some clients order a contemporary stripe to co-ordinate with existing bedroom furniture whereas others select these bold and exciting stripe combinations table and benchstools. It is always important to suggest a stain and fabric protection to your footstool fabric. For a small extra cost your footstool can be protected against unpleasant household spillages that in other circumstances can seriously damage a piece of valuable furniture.

In selecting a fabric footstool from the finest internet emporiums, craftsmen turn fabulous design into reality. Nothing compares to a finely hand crafted fabric footstool. Customer can look at the base of their stool and receive reassurance by the label and the fine quality of workmanship they can see before them. They have in front of them a brand new footstool as it emerges glistening from its packing box!  The smell that greets them oozes quality and the finished product shines magnificently in the light. No matter what fabric style or size you choose you can rest assured you have selected a fine piece of footstool furniture that will give you great pleasure for many more years to come!

Cubes or Pouffes?

Vera told Mike that she wanted a new pouffe because her existing one had a gaping hole in it and all the little white pellets were escaping! Such was a conversation I heard the other day whilst in Morrison’s Knottingley, one of the finest shopping emporiums in the whole of the North of England. But was Vera strictly correct in her chosen adjective for what the author understood to be the softly upholstered “square” footstool  she wanted replacing? Or should she have called it a cube, tuffet, buffet or hassock?

A cube in one strict dictionary definition is a tuffet, pouffe or hassock describing a piece of furniture used as a footstool or low seat. It is not a stool by its being completely covered in fabric so that no legs are visible. The cubes we are familiar with are fitted with small half inch high plastic glide feet which lift the structure above the floor surface
thus avoiding scuffing at the edges. By virtue of its very regularity the cube is similar in all dimensions, length, depth and height.

Pouffes tend to be lower versions of cubes. Again they are receptacles for the feet are softly upholstered and tend to be square and softly upholstered. What distinguishes them in the first instance is their height as pouffes within our understanding are lower than cubes acting exclusively as footstools rather than as “seating” footstool cubes. They may also not be framed in wood although with longevity in mind a glued hardwood frame makes for a longer lasting pouffe that may be passed down from generation to generation.   

Cubes or Pouffes, the Battle Rages

The other words used to describe a pouffe or cube, tuffet and hassock are both derived from old English names for a small grassy knoll, hillock or clump of grass. These terms have been in use since at least the sixteenth century and are commonly associated with the nursery rhyme featuring Little Miss Muffet. Some historians claim the rhyme was written by Dr. Thomas Muffet, a sixteenth-century English entomologist, for his daughter. 

Buffets have their origin in the North of England. some commentators suggest the meaning derives from the growth of the railways in Mid Victorian times when the soft couplings of trains coming together was aided by buffers which eased vast structures together. From this some suggest the term “buffet” arrived in colloquial parlance to parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire. In later years  it developed to become the term used to describe a low square seat or footstool.

A hassock is lower in height than either a pouffe or cube and is usually to be found as a stuffed woven bag of soft material for kneeling upon in churches. The term “hassock” is frequently confused by religious followers with tuffet in its association of the act of kneeling at prayer or genuflecting. If we were to be pedantic and to sum up, from tallest to smallest we would have in order of decreasing magnitude, cube, pouffe, buffet, tuffet and hassock.

All Purpose Ottomans

We are proud to provide the finest footstools and ottomans to customers throughout the UK.  As footstool, pouffe and ottoman retailers we have several different kinds in a wide range of designs and upholstery styles. Whether you’re replacing old furniture or buying brand-new, we have the footstools and ottomans you’re looking for.  You might be wondering, “why an ottoman?” Ottomans are more than just large footstools, they are versatile pieces of furniture which can prove invaluable in your home.

Ottomans

First of all, ottomans tend to be larger than standard footstools so they are ideal for use with the sofa. Imagine you and your significant other enjoying your favourite film or TV programme, snuggled together with your feet up on the ottoman. A standard footstool won’t be large enough to accommodate both of you comfortably, but that’s not the case with an ottoman. Furniture in the conservatory or living area is just not complete without one. A bigger ottoman can even be used as a bench or an extra seat when guests come over. And it’s strong enough to hold a significant amount of weight so you don’t have to worry about breaking it. Having a dinner party? Inviting the whole gang over for the football match? Seating isn’t a problem if you have a large ottoman or two. Just gather them around the rest of furniture and you have extra seats for several more guests.

Leather Ottomans

One of the nice things about ottomans is that they don’t have to be ugly. Leather ottomans offer all the functionality of an upholstered piece while adding the luxurious beauty only leather can provide. A leather ottoman adds elegance and class to any room; they are especially nice in formal sitting rooms and more up-scale conservatories. They are very easy to care for if you know what you’re doing, so there’s no need to worry about damaging your leather ottoman. Storage is another consideration as well. A leather storage ottoman is the best of both worlds. You get the beauty of an elegant piece of furniture as well as the storage capability inside. Sizes can vary, but any amount of extra storage you can get is great for putting away photo albums, family memoirs, or other things.

Storage Ottomans

Storage ottomans are becoming more and more popular because of the convenience they offer in homes and flats with limited storage space. Ottomans with storage provide that extra space in a way that’s easily  accessible and convenient. A storage ottoman is an ideal place for things you don’t want displayed but need access to on a regular basis; things like your CDs and DVDs. They are also an excellent choice for magazines, books, and other literature. Ottoman storage has become so popular that it has spawned an entire line of furniture. You can now purchase storage Ottomans in several shapes and sizes – from the traditional to the modern – and all with the extra storage space you so desperately need.

A Footstool for the New Year

So 2011 has arrived and Funkyfootstools.com would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! We are all looking forward with relish to the opportunities ahead and in particular suggest that you consider a small investment in an invaluable piece of household furniture. So make this a good one and as our motto for January goes, “New Year, New Footstool!”

How about an investment in a small leather footstool? These are unobtrusive footrests, built by skilled craftsmen and will last  for years if treated with care and respect. Using quality sourced leathers from a tannery in Italy our footstools are lovingly crafted by our team of time served upholsters. They are available from stock and make an ideal New Year present!

When the family descends in January where they are all going to be seated? A selection of hardwood frame Pouffes are a superb way to create additional household seating. Manufactured in our UK factory, pouffes and cubes are available in both fabric and  leather selections. From as little as £75 a faux leather pouffe makes a fabulous gift at any time of the year.

When you need something upon which to rest a tray, or papers why not consider a tablestool? These splendid pieces are essentially supersized footstools which can be upholstered in either leather of fabric. They traditionally sit in front of your favourite sofa or chair, opposite a roaring fire and provide a Winter sanctuary of comfort and relaxation. People use tablestools as the centre piece of a room where they function as tables between the chairs and sofas.

Benchstools are also make great seating solutions. With an extensive choice of feet their most appropriate use is as a footrest for two to share however choosing a set of tall contemporary legs (giving a height of around fourteen inches from floor to top) provides an additional seating solution. Choosing castor feet enables you to move the benchstool with ease and a choice of ornate Queen Anne legs convey a feeling of genuine character.

And finally the perfect storage solution, an ottoman!  These fantastic furniture pieces can be upholstered in either fabric or leather is ideal for storing all your favourite household items. An ottoman enhances any room by its presence providing  functionality with elegance. They are available in a range of sizes to fit your bedroom (for the storage of bedding or laundry), living room or office. The cube storage ottoman is also a sturdy and practical seat. If you take on board the call “New Year,  New Footstool” then you cannot make a better choice than an investment in an ottoman!

Leather and Footstools

Along with prostitution the tanning of leather is one of the oldest professions on earth and approximately half of all footstools sold today are upholstered in leather. But where does the leather we use come from and what are the origins of this  multimillion pound industry?

The origins of leather production can be traced back to the stone-ages. The first leather was created almost by accident by  Neanderthal man. As the early hunter gatherers prepared their prey, the first part of the preparation was to skin the animal.  They soon discarded the skin and not long after noticed that skins left in moist areas when combined with the foliage from leaves had exhibited certain characteristics. They lasted longer before they began to decay and retained their features longer than other skins. The plant extracts eventually became known as vegetable tanning and is still practiced today in a similar form. According to the Bible Simon the Tanner was plying his trade as long ago as 2000 years ago. 

Leather making advanced slowly over the ages, with more modern refinement of chemicals slowly improving the quality of the  leather produced by the early tanners. It wasn’t until the 19th century that more dramatic changes were introduced. In the mid 1850’s, Frederick Knapp presented his ideas on tanning with chromium sulphate. Chromium sulphate with its higher hydrothermal stability soon became a favourite of leather makers across the globe and is today the most popular product used in the tanning process.

Progress in the research and development of organic chemistry utilised in the chemical industry have seen much more rapid advances in the technology used in the leather making process, leading to much more advanced leather products. Various footstool ranges offer leathers finished to differing quality standards and specifications. Hard wearing leathers are most appropriate in the contract market whereas softer, more vibrant shades are upholstered to form pouffes, cubes or ottomans on offer to the general public. Customers agree that a leather footstool is an excellent household investment and will be of great use for many years to come.