What is the difference between an ottoman and a sofa chaise? I know they will look different in my room, but what are the features and benefits of having one vs the other. Listen to Kathy Kilbourn, an expert from award winning Tri City Furniture explain some simple reasons why you may need to pick one over the other. This segment will air on TV5 9am Morning News December 30th. Be sure to tune in and learn inside information about furniture, trends and interior design.
A sofa chaise is a great place to lay down and relax on. You have the full length of a cushion supporting your seat area and complete leg area. Many recliners do not have full chaise pads, leaving gaps under your knees and may cause you pain. A full chaise attached to a sofa or sectional gives you the complete lounge experience.
Some chaises will only be the width of the seat cushion. These seat cushions are normally flappable so you can rotate them for better wear. Others chaise cushions will extend over a few more inches past the arm (creating a T -shaped cushion) so you will have a little extra room to spread out on. These will not flip or move to another space on a normal chaise sofa or sectional.
What we find from most people is that their family loves their chaise. They actually fight over who gets to sit there and when. They load up the area with pillows and blankets and settle in for a nice long nap. This would be one of the down sides to a chaise. You can not share the area, unless you are really in love! It is normally a one person space. That one person gets to have their feet up and everyone else has to sit properly.
Another down side would be sitting down on the chaise- the movement. It can be very difficult to get your bottom in the space where it will stay due to the lack of standing space at the end of the cushion. Therefore, you fall down on the cushion and then you may have to pull yourself into the correct seating. This repetitive "drop" use can be very hard on the seat core and frame depending on the construction of the sofa/ sectional. If you are able to flip that cushion, you will be able to extend the wear of the seat.
An ottoman gives you many of the same benefits as a chaise. It allows you to put your feet up and relax. You can pull it closer to your body, so you have more under leg support if needed. You can also share the ottoman with other people around you which is a nice benefit vs being a single seat of a chaise.
An ottoman moves. It moves in and out or left and right. It allows you space to walk in front of the seat cushion to sit down properly and then you are able to put your feet up on the ottoman. This repetitive action of sitting down is not as harsh as dropping into the side of a chaise cushion. Normally, all 3 of the seat cushions on the sofa can be interchanged and rotated and for longevity of wear, therefore that middle seat cushion can switch out and be used on the ends as well.
An ottoman can also be used as a bench if extra seats are needed during the holidays. A sofa chaise may not withstand the extra weight of individuals sitting on the end of the cushion and the under box of the chaise.
There are pros and cons to both. Both are great pieces. You have to figure out which piece would be correct for you and your lifestyle. We are here to help you put plans together and different options that may work best for your family and your space.