What size should a footstool be?

A footstool should not be too big, so it overpowers your space. If you have a large room, then a large footstool can make a very good feature piece, in the middle of a living room, or in between two sofas. If you have a smaller living room, then you don’t want to be falling over something too big for your space. We suggest marking out your space with either masking tape or newspaper. To decide on height, we suggest placing books near where you are wanting to put your feet up if that’s what you want to use it for. Not everyone wants to use and upholstered footstool as a footstool, but they want to use it as a coffee table or extra seating. The height of the footstool will depend on the size of the legs and the size of the timber we use to make the frame. All these things are taken into consideration when making your bespoke handmade footstool.

How do you make footstools from scratch?

We make footstools from scratch by designing and working out how to make them, so they are affordable. The legs we buy in are raw so can be stained and polished to the colour and finish you want. We make ours from a timber frame. We buy the planed timber, cut it to you size and make the frame. We sometimes make our own square tapering legs as Mark must make the frame a different way. Some companies make their footstools using a piece of chipboard and foam glued to the top. We refuse to make them this way as they do not last, and you cannot use them for extra seating. They are much cheaper, but this is not the way we work. We do not compromise on quality. The frame is covered in a high-density foam, wadding, calico and the final top cover.

What can I use a footstool for?

We often get asked to make bespoke sizes, and in particular very large footstools. They are often a feature of a living room, a place to pop a tray on with drinks, somewhere to place your books and magazines, but somewhere to put your feet up.

The footstools we make are made from a timber frame. This means they are strong enough to sit on, but it does means they are heavy. We make them to last so bear this in mind if you are thinking of moving one on a regular basis.

When choosing fabric for a extra large footstool, you will have to think about the pattern and texture. Most fabrics are around 137cm (54") wide so may not be wide enough to fit across the width of the footstool. There are two ways of getting around this. The first way is if your extra large footstool is not quite as wide as the fabric, then you can have a border around the edge. This means the fabric just fits over the edge, it is then upholstered with self piped fabric and the border fitted in four pieces. This does involve more fabric, and if there is a pattern, this needs to be taken into account to make sure the top and border match. The bigger the pattern, the more fabric will be needed. Having a border gives a neat and elegant finish.

If your extra large footstool is more than the width of the fabric then the option is to have the fabric running up the length of the large footstool rather than the width. This works well if you have either a plain fabric without a pile, or a fabric that looks fine whichever way the fabric is run. (Hope this makes send. Please ask with any questions)

Fabrics that work well this way are wool checks, the kilim fabric we use works well but if you used a plain velvet for example, the pile would be running the opposite way to what it should do. This is fine if your happy with that but velvet has a pile and can look a different colour when the pile is brushed. 

A kilim footstool in your home is the perfect compromise if you are looking to add colour and texture, without having to replace other furniture. The Linwood kilim fabric is a heavyweight soft upholstery fabric, available in five designs, inspired by Persian rug found in the bazaar.

Alti - Warm shades of ochre and burnt sienna imbue this horizontal stripe fabric - woven from a soft linen blend - a charming rustic feel.

Mahan - A timeless geometric, inspired by a Turkish motif. Woven using a linen mix, this fabric has a soft handle that makes it perfect for upholstery.

Pirot - Classic, earthy colours bring this vertical stripe, based on a Turkish rug to life. Woven using a soft linen blend, this is a great fabric for statement upholstery.

Sarouk - This classic kilim design, woven with linen/viscose space dyed yarns, is ideal for loose covers, upholstery and curtains.