A footstool earns its place in a bedroom by doing more than one job. Used well it becomes a seat, a surface, a soft landing at the end of the bed or a way to break up a wall of hard furniture. The ten approaches below range from the obvious to the genuinely useful, and each one works in a normally proportioned UK bedroom rather than a show home.<\/p>\n
Before the list, one guiding measurement: a footstool used in front of a chair should sit within about five centimetres of the chair seat height, and a footstool used as occasional seating works best between forty and forty five centimetres tall.<\/p>\n
The classic position, and it works because it closes the composition. A stool roughly two thirds the width of the bed looks balanced. Full width can look like a bench and blocks access around the corner, while anything much narrower looks lost against a double or king size frame.<\/p>\n
Leave a gap of around ten centimetres between the stool and the bed. Pushed tight against the base it reads as part of the bed. Set slightly apart, it reads as a separate piece, which is more interesting to look at.<\/p>\n
Two square or round stools side by side give you flexibility that a single long piece does not. One can be pulled to a dressing table, moved beside a chair or used as a side table when someone stays over. Visually the pair creates rhythm, which is useful in a plain room.<\/p>\n
Keep them identical rather than similar. Two matching stools look deliberate, whereas two that almost match look like an accident.<\/p>\n
A backless stool that slides fully underneath keeps the walking route clear, which matters when the dressing table sits in a narrow part of the room. Check the height against the underside of the table apron before buying, allowing around twenty five to thirty centimetres between the seat and the tabletop.<\/p>\n
An upholstered top in a fabric that picks up a colour from the bedding ties the dressing area into the rest of the room without adding another distinct element.<\/p>\n
Where there is not enough room for a bedside cabinet, a sturdy stool with a flat top can hold a lamp, a book and a glass. It takes far less visual weight than a cabinet and keeps the floor line open. A timber or firm topped stool works better than a soft padded one for this, since a padded top will not hold a lamp steady.<\/p>\n
Add a small tray on top to create a stable surface and to stop items sliding. It also makes the whole arrangement look intentional rather than improvised.<\/p>\n
An armchair in a bedroom corner becomes far more comfortable with a footstool in front of it. Match the seat heights closely and choose a stool deep enough to support your calves, not just your heels. A round stool softens the angular shape of a chair and a rug together.<\/p>\n
This is also the most convincing way to make a bedroom feel like more than a place to sleep. Our range of modern foot stools UK sale<\/a> includes shapes suited to pairing with a chair as well as freestanding designs.<\/p>\n A stool with a lift off or hinged top holds spare bedding, a folded throw or out of season items. Used at the foot of the bed it replaces a blanket box while taking up considerably less floor space. Check the internal depth rather than the external height, because the padding and the frame can eat a surprising amount of the capacity.<\/p>\n Keep the contents soft. Storing hard or sharp items inside a padded stool tends to deform the seat over time.<\/p>\n A bedroom with a matching wardrobe, chest of drawers and bedside cabinets can feel flat. A footstool in a contrasting fabric or a different material is an easy way to interrupt that without disturbing the set. It works best placed where the eye naturally lands, usually at the foot of the bed or beside the window.<\/p>\n Choose a contrast in texture rather than a loud colour. A boucle or a chunky weave against smooth painted surfaces does more than a bright shade would.<\/p>\n In a larger bedroom, a stool placed just outside the wardrobe run creates an informal boundary between the sleeping area and the dressing area. It gives you somewhere to sit while choosing clothes, and it stops the wardrobe wall feeling like a corridor.<\/p>\n Position it so it does not obstruct a door swing. Measure the door arc and set the stool just outside it, otherwise you will be moving the stool every morning.<\/p>\n A stool on its own can look unfinished. A folded throw across one third of the surface, or a small tray holding a candle and a book, gives it purpose and connects it to the rest of the scheme. Keep the styling minimal, since the stool still needs to be usable.<\/p>\n Choose the throw fabric to relate to something else in the room: the curtains, a cushion or a rug. Repetition of one texture in three places is what makes a room feel composed. Pieces across our modern bedroom furniture UK<\/a> range are photographed with this kind of layering, which is a useful reference when planning your own.<\/p>\n The leg style is the detail that decides whether a stool belongs. Slim tapered timber legs suit rooms with mid century or simple contemporary furniture. A fully upholstered base with no visible legs suits softer, heavier schemes. Metal legs sharpen a room with gloss or glass finishes.<\/p>\n If the rest of your bedroom furniture stands on visible legs, pick a stool that does too. Matching the floor line across several pieces is one of the quietest ways to make a room look coordinated. It is the same principle that makes a considered bedroom chairs UK sale<\/a> selection sit so comfortably alongside existing furniture.<\/p>\n Check the weight rating if the stool will be used as seating rather than as a footrest. Many decorative stools are rated for feet rather than for a seated adult. Check whether the legs are screw in or fixed, since screw in legs make the piece far easier to move between rooms or to store.<\/p>\nSix: choose a storage stool and use it properly<\/h3>\n
Seven: break up a run of matching furniture<\/h3>\n
Eight: use one to zone a dressing area<\/h3>\n
Nine: layer it with a throw or a tray<\/h3>\n
Ten: match the legs to the room, not the stool<\/h3>\n
Practical points before you buy<\/h3>\n