Home Office Pick

Folding Storage Ottoman Footstool, 15 Inch Cube

A 15 inch cube that is a footstool on top and 11 gallons of hidden storage inside, which is enough for blankets, magazines or the pile that lives beside a desk. The top and sides are backed with MDF panels and it takes up to 660 pounds, so it is a seat as well as a footrest when someone else is in the room. The seat pad is high density foam that keeps its shape rather than flattening into a dish after a few months. It folds down to a flat panel in seconds by pulling the bottom board out, so it stores under a bed or in a closet between uses and sets back up just as fast. The synthetic leather is water resistant and wipes clean with a cloth. It works equally as a storage box, a footstool or a small coffee table.

What you're getting

• 15 inch cube holding 11 gallons inside, with a padded lift off lid
• MDF reinforced top and sides supporting up to 660 pounds
• High density foam seat that resists flattening out over time
• Folds flat in seconds by pulling out the bottom panel
• Water resistant synthetic leather that wipes clean with a cloth

Why we picked it

The problem with a small room is never the floor space, it is that everything needs somewhere to go and nothing has a lid. A cube like this is three answers at once: it takes the pile, it closes over it, and it is somewhere to put your feet or sit a guest. The 660 pound figure is what separates it from the fabric boxes that fold under an adult.