Someone always ends up perched on the esky. The lounge seats four, seven people arrive for a BBQ, and the scramble for extra seats begins. An outdoor ottoman is the quiet fix. It works as a footrest on ordinary nights, becomes a spare seat when the numbers blow out, and stands in as a coffee table the rest of the time. No other piece of outdoor furniture does this much for this little money.
This guide covers how to choose an outdoor ottoman or footstool: the three jobs the piece can do, how to size one to your lounge, and what survives Australian weather. Our footstool collection starts at $99, so there is a shape here for every alfresco and every budget.
What is an outdoor ottoman actually for?
An outdoor ottoman is a low, backless, weather-ready seat, and its whole value is that it refuses to settle on one job. Most evenings it is a footrest, turning an upright chair into something you could doze in. When guests arrive it becomes honest extra seating that tucks away again afterwards. Add a tray and it stands in for a coffee table, keeping drinks within reach of every seat.
The clever part is that it does all this without claiming permanent floor space. A spare armchair earns its spot on the deck perhaps twice a week. An ottoman earns it daily, then slides under a bench or against a wall when you need the area clear. That flexibility matters even more outside than indoors, because balconies and courtyards rarely have a metre to waste.
Matching the shape to the job
Start with the job the piece will do most often. If that job is footrest, choose something light enough to drag over with one hand and low enough to tuck beside your chair between uses. The Norfolk Ottoman ($99) is exactly this piece: compact, easy to shift, and priced so you can buy one for each end of the lounge without thinking hard.
If the piece will spend more time as a perch or a drinks stand, pick a firm, sculptural shape that looks deliberate sitting beside a chair. The Free Form Stool ($179) plays this role well, with an organic shape that reads as a design piece whether or not anyone is sitting on it.
Getting the size and height right
Height is the measurement that makes or breaks an outdoor footstool. As a footrest it should sit at or just below the seat height of the chair it serves. Any higher and your knees sit above your hips, which stops being relaxing within minutes. Most outdoor lounges put the seat roughly 40 cm off the ground, so measure yours before you buy rather than guessing.
As a spare seat, stability beats everything. Look for a flat, firm top and a base that sits level on pavers or decking. As a stand-in table, flatter is better again, and a simple tray turns even a soft top into a surface that holds glasses safely. If you are still choosing the main seating itself, our outdoor lounge settings pair naturally with a matching footstool or two.
| Role | What to look for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Footrest | Light weight; height at or just below the chair seat | Tops taller than the seat; pieces too heavy to drag one-handed |
| Spare seat | Firm, flat top and a stable, level base | Soft domed tops; anything that rocks on uneven pavers |
| Stand-in table | Flat top, or a tray to create one | Sloped or padded tops that send glasses sliding |
Materials and weather: what lasts outside
The word outdoor does heavy lifting on some products, so check it before you buy. Frames in powder-coated aluminium or synthetic wicker shrug off sun and rain, which is why they dominate Australian outdoor ranges. Timber slowly weathers to grey unless it is oiled. Upholstered pieces vary the most: outdoor-rated fabrics and quick-dry foams handle a passing shower, but no fabric enjoys staying saturated for a week.
Position is the other half of the answer. A footstool that lives under a roofed alfresco can be softer and more precious than one exposed on an open deck. Colour is worth a thought as well. The Amani Footstool ($199) comes in two colourways, Driftwood Stone and Grey Storm, so you can go light to lift a dark corner or dark to hide the inevitable footprints.
Where an ottoman earns its keep in Australia
Small-space living is the obvious case. On an apartment balcony in Sydney or Melbourne, one ottoman replaces the second chair the depth cannot hold, and it slides inside in seconds when a southerly change rolls through. Renters and strata residents get the same benefit: nothing to bolt down, nothing a body corporate can object to, nothing to negotiate on moving day.
The other case is entertaining. Australian hosting swings between four people and fourteen with little warning, and ottomans absorb that swing better than any other furniture. Two footstools stored under a bench become front-row fire pit seats in winter and overflow seats at a long lunch. Once the seating flexes properly, the styling layer comes next; our guide to styling an outdoor area with accessories covers the lanterns, pots and finishing touches that make the space feel lived in.
Outdoor ottomans and footstools — frequently asked questions
Can you leave an outdoor ottoman outside all year?
Only if it is genuinely outdoor-rated, and even then it will last longer under cover. Aluminium and synthetic wicker pieces cope with year-round exposure, while upholstered tops prefer a roofed alfresco or a winter spell in the shed. A cover, or simply a spot out of the weather, can double the life of any piece.
What is the difference between an ottoman, a footstool and a pouffe?
Mostly size and structure. An ottoman is the larger piece that can seat an adult, a footstool is smaller and built mainly for feet, and a pouffe is soft and unstructured, closer to a firm cushion. Outdoors the terms blur, so judge each piece by its height, firmness and weather rating rather than its label.
Can an outdoor ottoman replace a coffee table?
Yes, in most alfresco setups it can. Add a flat tray and it holds drinks as well as a low table does, then clears instantly when you need the seat back. If you regularly need a large permanent surface, keep the table and let the ottoman be the flexible extra.
How many ottomans does an outdoor setting need?
One for every two seats of lounge is a sensible starting point. That gives each pair a shared footrest on quiet nights and meaningful overflow seating when you host. Start with one, and if it is constantly being dragged around the deck, that is your sign to add a second.
Shop the range
Whether you start with a single compact footstool or go straight to the generous Bermuda Outdoor Ottoman ($499), every piece ships Australia-wide. Delivery is free on orders over $100, and most orders are dispatched in 3-10 business days. If what you actually need is a permanent surface rather than a flexible seat, our side tables do that job full-time. Either way, no more guests on the esky.
