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Good Questions: Ottoman or Coffee Table?
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090408_ottoman.jpgAT reader Nick writes, We just got a new couch and it came with a huge ottoman. My girlfriend likes the ottoman while I am more inclined to having a coffee table. So, I guess my question is: Coffee table or Ottoman?

 
 

090408_ottoman2.jpg

Another view of Nick's ottoman dilemma

Hi Nick,

We're rather partial to coffee tables ourselves--it's kind of nice to break up the sea of comfortable, boxy, brown upholstery with a new element.

What do you think, readers?

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Good Questions, ottoman, coffee table

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Comments (36)

That's a lot of couch. I vote coffee table. See if you can use the ottoman somewhere else in the house - maybe under a window as a little window seat.

posted by mistabelle on September 4th 2008 at 7:56am
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I agree that it looks like too much of the same thing. I'd look for a rectangular coffee table, maybe something with a glass top.

posted by Kathryn on September 4th 2008 at 7:57am
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coffee table as I doubt you need more seating! and not a heavy table either. or, at least recover the current ottoman to break up all the brown microfiber. or do two small round ottomans.

posted by Enamorada on September 4th 2008 at 7:57am
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As Mistabelle said, it is a lot of couch but since I'm one who likes to put my feet up on something, I'd have to vote for keeping the ottoman. I'd probably put a nice tray on one side for setting drinks, etc.

posted by oceandreamer56 on September 4th 2008 at 7:59am
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I have the same problem (and the same name!). Fortunately, I just have a loveseat so the addition of the ottoman isn't "too much couch." With a sectional, however, it kind of overpowers the other elements in the room.

posted by nickinseattle on September 4th 2008 at 8:02am
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I think you should either do a coffee table, or keep your ottoman and have it reupholstered with a small print that ties in other colors of your room. Right now there is too much brown couch, but I think reupholstering the ottoman would be the best compromise.

posted by atlantadesigner on September 4th 2008 at 8:03am
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We have this same set up, but with two slightly smaller ottomans (ottomen?). Our living room is long, but narrow. so if we got a coffee table, we would've had to sell the ottomans. Since they are storage ottomans, we kept them and found gorgeous black lacquer trays with sliced bamboo inlays from Two's Company to put on top of them to hold our remote controls and drinks. Its working out pretty well.

posted by Kpaige13 on September 4th 2008 at 8:07am
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Reupholstering the ottoman would be a great compromise.
Or, if you have a place for it elsewhere, it could make a great little nook (a friend placed hers in a corner with big pillows and it looks and works nicely).
If you can move the large ottoman, how about using the two white ottomans instead--another compromise that has the bonus of breaking up the brown. I love the look of trays on an ottoman to make them more versatile (i.e., function as a coffee table), and those smaller ottomans might work better for that purpose.

posted by ValHalla on September 4th 2008 at 8:08am
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I vote coffee table as well. Just a bit too much "couch" due to the proportions...

posted by jag80 on September 4th 2008 at 8:08am
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Since you already have it - you might as well use it.

Just get a nice large tray to put drinks, etc on - West Elm has some new ones available at reasonable prices.

Some brightly colored pillows and a coordinating throw would also help alleviate that sea of beige & brown microfiber - so would some art and mirrors on the walls and some lighting.

posted by bepsf on September 4th 2008 at 8:10am
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If you live with people who will complain about having your feet up on the coffee table, then get an ottoman. Try a non-matching cocktail ottoman to break up the look.

posted by illegal danish on September 4th 2008 at 8:11am
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i like the dark wall behind the sofa! what color is that?

the ottoman looks too large for the room. i would allow for around 24" between the sofa & ottoman to move around, but it looks like that room as a lot going on already (desk, desk chair, small ottomans, cabinet opposite the sofa, etc.).

maybe try a round coffee table thats a little smaller... something with clean lines, but smaller proportions.

posted by meredith on September 4th 2008 at 8:14am
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Get a tray that's kind of big, but will fit through the door into the kitchen, and you could kind of keep it there. That whole look is in style right now for a reason -- it's practical. Plus, some coffee tables make you stub your toe or skin your knee, and this probably won't.

posted by Curtis on September 4th 2008 at 8:17am
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A friend has a similarly sized sectional and solved the ottoman or coffee table dilemma by buying a coffee table (wood with glass inset) that is tall enough to accommodate two small ottomans underneath. The two ottomans are very like the two white ones next to the window in the picture and slide in/out as needed. A good solution for his room.

posted by mikeinkansascity on September 4th 2008 at 8:19am
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ditch the ottoman...it makes the small space look cramped. mix in some bright colored pillows and your all set.

posted by LittleRock on September 4th 2008 at 8:36am
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Why not both? A few people have mentioned trays, but I've also seen pieces designed specifically for use on these kind of ottomans. They're usually half as wide and just as long, with ends that curve down to "hold" the ottoman. You can place it on the side closest to you for use as a coffee table (putting drinks or reading materials down) or slide it away to put your feet up on the ottoman. Here's the closest image I could find to demonstrate what I'm describing given a quick search.

posted by murrayw76 on September 4th 2008 at 8:39am
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I also vote the tray...you can never have too much couch. (I have a studio, so the couch is often a bed for guests)

Also, the tray will be cheap compared to recovering or purchasing something new. So if you hate it in a year, you will not feel guilty if you end up deciding you REALLY, REALLY want a coffee table.

posted by DrRubyDoomsday on September 4th 2008 at 8:49am
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Coffee table! Fo sho!

posted by suzy8track on September 4th 2008 at 8:49am
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do you need either? we use nesting stools for coffee tables or extra seating/leg extension as needed... and you have those two nice ottoman cubes under the window already.

i vote for neither. keep the space open. get trays, tray tables, or nesting stools for when needed. like these:

http://www.1stdibs.com/furniture_item_detail.php?id=242343

https://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A4257&page_number=1&template_id=1&sort_order=1

both pop up on ebay fairly regularly. good luck.

posted by healthyhome on September 4th 2008 at 9:03am
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i agree with the former statements about the tray. it's a large enough ottoman that it could double as a coffee table. get a large tray to use for drinks, and put some favorite reading material on it too. something colorful! :)

posted by cde on September 4th 2008 at 9:04am
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I would definitely do a coffee table. With the upholstered sofa, what looks to be upholstered ottomans against the wall and carpet, you need to break up the fabric/fibers count in the room unless you want to carpet the walls to complete the plushness.

posted by modernguy on September 4th 2008 at 9:14am
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I like having an ottoman, but I also like having a coffee table of sorts.

They do make ottomans that flip over to have a hard surface on the other side.

This one from Target is a good example, although I have seen one at Bed Bath & Beyond that is double (so essentially, you could have both!)
http://www.target.com/Metro-Storage-Ottoman-Tray-Brown/dp/B000ZA5WTE/sr=1-5/qid=1220552190/ref=sr_1_5/601-8474540-0457748?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Aottoman&page=1

I think that it just looks out of place because it's so big!

posted by cptnruthless on September 4th 2008 at 9:18am
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Are you planning to have kids any time soon?

If so, you might want to consider keeping the ottoman just until the youngest is two-ish. We found our ottoman to be *fantastic* with kids just learning to walk. Great for pulling up and cruising, without having to worry about sharp edges all around.

Our pediatrician tells parents to put coffee tables away when kids start pulling up. No matter how you try to childproof them, small kids often injure their eye and brow area by crashing into them.

posted by MamaChilanga on September 4th 2008 at 9:23am
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that is a whole lot of couch. it looks like if you keep the ottoman you can slide it up and have a guest bed. when it's not being used for that, i say cover it with trays or a tabletop.

posted by kiljoywashere on September 4th 2008 at 9:32am
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i have a coffee table and often wish it was an ottoman.
and wow that is a lot of couch, like some others said, but it looks SO comfy.
i would suggest keeping it and trying a nice tray on it - something sturdy enough for drinks, etc. the tray would be functional and visually break up all the softness of the sofa set.

posted by Bobbycat5 on September 4th 2008 at 9:39am
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Why don't you move the two ottomans under the window over to the couch, and move the big matching ottoman under the window?

posted by Pteetsa on September 4th 2008 at 9:48am
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Put a rug or kilim over the ottoman, to give it a less matchy look. Someone once described sectionals as "the Great Wall of China in fabric." You need something else to cut the expanse of brown.

posted by Lisa Hunter (Montreal) on September 4th 2008 at 9:57am
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Why not make a compromise and get something like a Herman Miller Nelson bench? It's a bench and a coffee table!

posted by chaseunchase on September 4th 2008 at 10:49am
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Coffee table, you can always put a pillow under your feet.

posted by stickerchick on September 4th 2008 at 11:37am
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coffee table! a glass or lucite one would look extra fancy and nice!

posted by honeyfresh on September 4th 2008 at 1:39pm
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I love the ottoman and I'm sure it's super comfy, but in such a small room it just doesn't work.

I would say that if you don't have small children as MamaChilanga noted, then go with a coffee table and just put a pillow under your feet when you want your feet up.

Then again, I rarely ever wear shoes in my apartment, anyway. It's more comfy and relaxing to go bare or sock footed. In which case you don't even really need a pillow...just prop your feet on up there!

posted by Avinony on September 4th 2008 at 1:45pm
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That ottoman seems very overwhelming to me. I'd have no coffee table, or a very slender/light one. I second the glass top idea

posted by roseslaw on September 4th 2008 at 4:19pm
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I love Lisa's idea of a kilim - or throw a black and white carpet over the ottoman. Here's an example from Ikea:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50141719

posted by luna on September 4th 2008 at 7:54pm
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Consider moving the ottoman out of the way; you can wheel it in if you need extra seating. Contrast the square brownness of the couch with a coffee table that has interesting architecture or something fun/quirky about it, perhaps round or oval-shaped with a clear top. Nothing brown, bulky or heavy looking. You could make your own if you're handy--and buy a ready-made tempered glass top to put on just about any kind of base. Also, a throw or a couple pillows in a color that contrasts with all that brown (turquoise, orange, robin's egg, kelly green, even black and white--something crisp and modern and graphic).

posted by ZuzuinOaktown on September 4th 2008 at 9:18pm
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what about colorful throws and cushions on the sectional, and a very cool tray on the ottoman? you'd need more than just a coffee table to break up that brown expanse

posted by formosagirl on September 5th 2008 at 12:51pm
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I recently removed my glass coffee table when I finnally gave into one simple fact....my sectional is rectangular, so was the table. phyusically it JUST DIDNT WORK\. the coffee table had to either be so far away it was unusable or u had to squeeze behind it to sit down and it was very uncofrtable and u would bump ur legs on it. So, i went online today for ideas and saw that the sectional I have also has an optional ottoman never offered when i purchased it. I had the same problem, I woundered if it would be to "too much couch" and after reading all the responses to ur question and seeing ur pic, I agree, TOO MUCH COUCH. I have come to the conclusion that a round table would be best...either in a diffrent texture, material or pattern....at least i think thats what ill do ;) hope it helps

posted by happygirl on October 29th 2008 at 6:03pm
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