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Choosing the right centrepiece for your living space can significantly impact both functionality and aesthetics.
While a coffee table can appear as a stylish furniture piece, an ottoman can also bring extra comfort to a living space. Both options are a great addition to any household, but maybe there’s one that caters to you more than the other…
Magaly del Castillo, the interior designer at La-Z-Boy Cyrville, fills us in on a couple of characteristics about whether someone should add a coffee table or an ottoman to a living room. “People are looking for either one thing or the other, and that’s style of comfort,” she says.
So, which one speaks more to you, and how does this affect what your next furniture piece is going to be? If you’re shopping at any of our La-Z-Boy furniture stores in Ottawa or Kingston, you’ll notice a great selection of coffee tables and ottomans to choose from.
In this article, we delve into the comparison of ottomans versus coffee tables. Let's navigate the intricacies of each furniture item to help you make an informed decision tailored to your lifestyle and preferences.
In This Article…
- What is An Ottoman?
- What is a Coffee Table?
- Pros & Cons: Ottoman vs. Coffee Table
- Pros & Cons Breakdown
- Can I Put An Ottoman and Coffee Table in the Same Room?
What is An Ottoman?
Before we get into the in-depth comparison, let’s familiarize ourselves with each furniture frame. Starting with ottomans, how does one describe an ottoman?
Well, according to Merriam-Webster, an ottoman is an upholstered or overstuffed seat that resembles a seat cushion on a couch and is usually designed without a back. This overstuffed furniture piece is often used as a footstool, but with added functionalities can be used as many other things, like a space for storage, or an extra space for guests to sit.
At La-Z-Boy, ottomans are normally paired with either a chair or other pieces from a furniture family.
What is a Coffee Table?
On the other side of the coin, a coffee table, as described by Merriam-Webster, is a low-style table that customarily is placed in front of a larger furniture piece like a sectional or a sofa. There are many shapes and sizes that coffee tables can come in, as well as different styles.
Some coffee tables are also referred to as cocktail tables, which are small coffee tables that face lower to the ground than regular coffee tables.
What’s more, coffee tables can also be paired with either end tables or side tables. To learn more about the comparison between end tables vs. sides tables, take a look at this article.
Pros & Cons: Ottoman vs Coffee Table
Taking a look at 4 different categories, let’s find out what are the pros and cons of both a coffee table and an ottoman.
Functionality
The functionality can play a huge part in a home, depending on the size of the living space if you live in a smaller space, a multifunctional furniture piece like a coffee table or an ottoman can work in many ways.
When it comes to adding a multifunctional coffee table, there are many ways that this piece of furniture can help you out. For example, there are coffee tables with storage that you can add to help with adding more storage to your small living space.
There are also lift-top coffee tables available, which allow you to lift the top surface of the coffee table to a more comfortable level when sitting down on a couch.
While this may sound great, coffee tables for small living spaces may not offer as much versatility as an ottoman. Not only are there ottomans with storage out there as well, but they can also double as an extra space for people to sit down if it is a large ottoman.
Some ottomans with storage can also double with a hard surface on the bottom side, allowing you to flip the top of the furniture piece to either a hard or soft piece. “Ottomans with storage and trays underneath them are your best friends when living in a small space,” says Magaly.
Furniture Style
Leading into our last point, there is also something to be said about comparing the style of ottomans and coffee tables.
When looking for an ottoman, you can choose one to accommodate a small or larger living space. There are small ottomans, large ottomans, and even square ottomans, and round ottomans.
“Some ottomans, at La-Z-Boy for example, even match our comfy furniture options, because they are part of a furniture family,” Magaly says.
However, square coffee tables and round coffee tables also exist, but in a vast majority of sizes and shapes. While most ottomans come in either a square or round shape, coffee tables can be hexagonal, oval, trapezoidal, or even abstract shapes if you're looking for a stand-out piece.
What’s more, coffee tables can also have multiple materials within their construction, like incorporating wooden coffee tables with elements like metal or glass. These styles can also purposefully match other small accent tables like end tables or side tables.
There are even stylish pieces like nesting coffee tables available, which allow you to showcase two styles instead of just one.
Affordability
When it comes down to the affordability of each furniture piece, an ottoman or a coffee table are not more expensive than one another. According to Magaly, both furniture items can one-up each other, depending on the quality and craftsmanship of a piece.
“If you wanted to put a finger on one furniture piece specifically,” she says, “you can argue that coffee tables can be more expensive because they can incorporate intricate details like live edging, which resemble realistic wood trunks. But these are rare cases.”
While there may not be a clear winner as to what furniture piece is more expensive, there is one that tends to have more affordable prices at times.
In most cases, ottomans tend to be the less expensive furniture piece, since they can come in smaller sizes, which take less materials overall than coffee tables. If a coffee table were to go as small as a small ottoman, those types of tables would be considered end tables or side tables.
Ottomans can sometimes be less than $100, whereas coffee tables struggle to fall under that price range most of the time.
Cleanability
Lastly, certain individuals care about how much time it takes to upkeep a furniture piece. This is a valid concern, especially if you're always on the go and want to quickly make your furniture look presentable.
According to Magaly, both coffee tables and ottomans can be easily cleanable, “especially if you decide to go for a leather ottoman, instead of a fabric one.” Not only do leather furniture pieces last 5 times longer than other furniture items but they do not get stained like fabric pieces would in some cases.
To learn more about Fabric vs. Leather, take a look at this article.
However, when comparing the cleanability of an ottoman to a coffee table, almost any material you add to a coffee table is easily cleaned, than an ottoman-wearing fabric.
Wooden coffee tables might run the risk of collecting watermarks over time, but this is if you decide to not use coasters. Other materials like glass, metal and even ceramics do not stain and can easily be cleaned with the swipe of a paper towel.
If you are still more lenient with an ottoman, La-Z-Boy Ottawa & Kingston does offer the option to add stain-resistant fabric to your furniture piece, that way you don’t have to worry about your furniture staining in any way. To learn more about iClean Fabrics, take a look at this article.
Pros & Cons Breakdown
Now that you’re aware of the pros and cons of both an ottoman and a coffee table in your living room, take some time to decide which one is right for you with this summary of the arguments we listed above.
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Ottoman |
Coffee Table |
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Pros:
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Cons:
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Pros:
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Cons:
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Can I Put An Ottoman and Coffee Table in the Same Room?
Before we let you go, there is one other point that we haven’t brought up yet…
While a coffee table can bring together different styles and looks to an already stunning living room, an ottoman can add a little extra comfort to your already comfortable living room. So it begs the question? What matters more to you: style or comfort?
But what if style met comfort, and brought together the best of both worlds? Adding both a coffee table and an ottoman can bring together all of the great qualities these two furniture pieces have!
If you have the space for it, you can add a modern coffee table with the comfort of a large ottoman for multifunctional purposes. To maximize your space, you can always get alternating sizes if you prefer one over the other. For example, you could get a small ottoman, to match your square coffee table.
Some furniture pieces out there even combine two furniture pieces, giving you all the benefits of both furniture pieces in one. At La-Z-Boy, we have an ottoman coffee table from the Stella collection from Hammary.
Not only is it an ottoman coffee table, but it is also a lift-top coffee table, giving you more functionality for your space at a reasonable price.
What's Next?
After reading this article, you now have a better understanding of which furniture item is right for you.
If you’re interested in seeing more of La-Z-Boy Ottawa & Kingston’s ottoman or coffee table selections, take a look at our Best-Selling Ottomans, or our Top 5 Coffee Tables with Storage.
While you’re looking at our selection online, why not come in-store to get a closer and more personal look at our furniture? The best way to determine if a recliner chair is the right fit for you is by taking a sit test with the help of a La-Z-Boy Design Consultant.
You can start shopping for furniture products by visiting one of our local Ottawa & Kingston showrooms located in Ottawa or Kingston. You can also schedule a visit online before coming in.
Our design consultants are always eager to lend a helping hand. Take advantage of our interior design services to see how one of our modern coffee tables or ottomans could fit in your home.
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