Field notes · Buying guide
10 Ways a Storage Ottoman Can Create More Space in Your Flat
Ten clever ways a storage ottoman frees up space in your flat, with honest picks for beds, hallways, living rooms and that ever-growing pile of stuff.
Flats are brilliant at teaching you exactly how much stuff you own. There's nowhere to hide it, is the thing. No loft, no under-stairs cupboard, no garage where guilt goes to gather dust. So the humble storage ottoman becomes less "nice extra seat" and more "quietly heroic problem solver" - the piece that swallows your winter duvet, your board games, and the tangle of chargers you refuse to throw away.
I've spent an unreasonable amount of time thinking about this. Here are ten genuinely useful ways to put one to work, with the specific pieces I'd actually buy.
1. Turn the end of your bed into secret luggage storage
If you've got a bed but nowhere to keep the suitcases, spare pillows and that spare duvet you only need when guests appear, a bench-style ottoman at the foot of the bed earns its footprint twice over. It's a seat for putting your socks on and a lid-lifting cavern for the seasonal stuff you don't want on show.
This solid oak blanket box is the grown-up version - proper timber, proper weight, the kind of thing that doesn't wobble or sag after a year. I'd use it for bed linen and blankets specifically, because oak breathes and won't leave your spare duvet smelling of plastic. Style it with a folded throw on top and you've hidden the chaos in plain sight.
2. Reclaim the entire footprint of your bed frame
The single biggest chunk of dead space in a flat is the floor under your bed. Most people ignore it or shove boxes there and forget. An ottoman bed lifts the whole mattress on a gas strut so the base becomes one giant drawer - and in a small bedroom that's often more storage than a wardrobe.
−33%The Brunswick in grey is my pick for a couple sharing a small double room. The upholstered frame reads soft and hotel-ish rather than clinical, and grey plays nicely with almost any bedding you already own. Fill the base with off-season clothes and bulky bedding, keep everyday things in the wardrobe, and suddenly the room breathes. If you've got the floor space, size up.
−33%The king-size version is the same clever mechanism with more mattress and, crucially, more storage volume underneath. Worth it if your bedroom can take it - measure the door swing on the gas lift so you're not thumping it against a radiator every morning. Sand instead of grey if your room leans warm and you want something softer than the standard grey-everything look.
3. Add a coffee table that hides the living-room clutter
Living rooms accumulate crumbs of daily life: remotes, magazines, the odd stray sock, kids' toys before people come round. A large soft-top ottoman doubles as a coffee table (with a tray on top for drinks) and eats all of it in one lid-drop.
−33%The Massillon in white is the one I'd put in a bright, pared-back living room. White does demand a bit of discipline - keep a fabric protector handy and don't let red wine anywhere near it - but it bounces light around a small room in a way darker pieces can't. Pop a firm tray on top for mugs and it becomes a proper surface.
−33%If white makes you nervous (fair), the same Massillon comes in black, which is the grown-up, low-maintenance choice for a busier household. It grounds a room with a pale sofa and hides marks like a champion. Both are large, so measure the gap between your sofa and the telly before you commit - you want to walk round it, not shuffle.
4. Make a hallway that actually works
Narrow flat hallways are where good intentions go to die - shoes everywhere, no seat to put them on. A compact ottoman gives you a perch by the door and a hidden home for shoes, scarves and the umbrella graveyard.
−33%The small Massillon in vintage brown is the right scale for a hallway that can't spare much width. The warm brown tone hides scuffs from shoes and bags, which is exactly what a hall piece needs to survive. Keep it to one job - shoes, or gloves and hats - so you're not excavating every time you leave the house.
5. Create a window seat where there wasn't one
A round ottoman under a window or in a corner instantly reads as a considered little reading nook rather than "furniture we had nowhere else to put". It softens hard corners, and the storage inside is perfect for books, blankets or knitting - whatever your particular cosy obsession is.
The Hailey in ivory bouclé is pure texture, and bouclé is having its moment for a reason - it makes even a rented magnolia flat look intentional. I'd pair it with a chunky knit throw and a floor lamp for the full hygge situation. The round shape is friendlier in tight spaces too; no sharp corners to catch your shin in the dark.
6. Squeeze in flexible extra seating for guests
When friends come round and your two-seater sofa suddenly needs to be a four-seater, an ottoman is the seat that was already in the room doing another job. No folding chairs dragged in from the balcony.
The Mullion in grey is a touch more substantial than the budget picks, and it feels it - a firmer top that's genuinely comfortable to sit on rather than just perch. Grey slots into most colour schemes without a fuss. Keep the throw and cushions elsewhere within reach so you can clear the top in seconds when the doorbell goes.
7. Build a dressing corner that folds away
You don't need a whole vanity to have a proper getting-ready spot. A slim stool tucks under a shelf or mirror and pulls out only when you need it, which is the entire trick to small-space furniture: things that disappear.
Strictly a stool rather than an ottoman, but it belongs in this conversation because it does the same disappearing act. The oak and leather combination looks far more expensive than it is, and it works as an occasional seat, a plant perch or a spot to drop a bag by the door. Fully assembled, too, which after a weekend of flat-pack rage feels like a small gift.
8. Corral the toys without a plastic bin in sight
A textured, patterned ottoman in a living room does the job of a toy box while looking like a design choice. Lid down at bedtime, chaos gone, no primary-coloured tub ruining your grown-up room.
−33%The Villanova in a motif fabric brings a bit of pattern to a scheme that might otherwise be all neutral, which is exactly what a busy family room can use. Pattern also, conveniently, hides the odd sticky handprint far better than plain white. It's a workhorse dressed up as a feature.
9. Hide the home-office overspill
Working from a flat means your "office" is a corner of the living room, and all the associated cables, folders and printer paper need somewhere to live between nine and five. An ottoman by your desk swallows the lot at the end of the day so your evening space stops feeling like a workstation.
Any of the large fabric ottomans above will do this - I'd lean towards the anthracite options for a work zone because a slightly darker, businesslike tone helps mentally separate "desk" from "sofa" even in one room.
−33%The Sandpoint in anthracite is a smart, unfussy choice for exactly this. Deep enough for a laptop, notebooks and the charger jungle, and the colour won't show the inevitable pen marks. Shut the lid, and you've officially clocked off.
10. Free up your wardrobe by storing bulky clothes elsewhere
Wardrobes fill up with things you wear twice a year - big coats, ski gear, the jumpers you rotate seasonally. Move those into an ottoman and your everyday clothes get room to actually hang without creasing.
−33%The Zapopan is a large, sturdy option built for genuinely bulky loads, so this is where I'd stash the winter woollens and heavy coats over summer. Anthracite again for practicality. Fold things properly with a cedar block or two inside to keep moths off, and rediscover them in October like a small gift to yourself.
FAQ
What are the best ways a storage ottoman can create more space in your flat?
The biggest wins are lifting bedroom storage off the floor with an ottoman bed, replacing your coffee table with a storage version, and adding a hallway or window seat that hides shoes and blankets. The trick is giving each ottoman one clear job so it doesn't become a bottomless drawer of forgotten stuff.
Are ottoman beds worth it in a small flat?
Genuinely, yes - the base often holds more than a chest of drawers and uses space that would otherwise sit empty under the mattress. Just check you've got room to lift the gas strut fully without hitting a radiator, sloped ceiling or shelf above the headboard.
What should I store inside a storage ottoman?
Bulky, occasional things: spare bedding, seasonal clothes, blankets, board games or toys. Avoid anything you need daily, since lifting a lid every five minutes gets old fast, and keep natural-fibre items breathing with a cedar block if the ottoman is solid wood.
Can a storage ottoman really be used as a coffee table?
Absolutely, as long as you add a firm tray on top for drinks so mugs sit level. Measure the gap between your sofa and TV first, and pick a wipeable fabric or a darker colour if your living room sees a lot of life.
Ready to reclaim your floor? Have a proper browse through our cabinets and storage and find the piece that finally hides the chaos - your flat will feel twice the size.