English Barley Twist Footstool
20th Century European Country Footstools
Brass
Antique 1880s Footstools
Hardwood
People Also Browsed
2010s Austrian Jugendstil Chandeliers and Pendants
Silk
Antique Mid-19th Century Italian Buffets
Pearwood, Walnut
Antique 19th Century French Console Tables
Chestnut, Pine
Antique 19th Century French Rustic Console Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Rustic Night Stands
Wood
20th Century English Country Dining Room Tables
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1960s Unknown Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Iron
20th Century British Victorian Benches
Wicker, Rattan
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Night Stands
Bamboo, Rattan
Antique 19th Century French Louis XVI Console Tables
Marble
Mid-20th Century British Regency Armchairs
Beech
Antique 19th Century Console Tables
Marble
Antique 19th Century French Restauration Console Tables
Stone, Marble, Brass
Vintage 1940s British Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
Rattan
Antique 19th Century French Empire Console Tables
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Jacobean Side Tables
Brass
Recent Sales
Antique 19th Century British Footstools
Vintage 1930s English Jacobean Footstools
Oak
Antique 19th Century English Elizabethan Stools
Mahogany
Early 20th Century English Jacobean Footstools
Cane, Oak
Antique Late 19th Century English Footstools
String, Oak
20th Century Italian Louis XIII Stools
Linen, Oak
Finding the Right footstools for You
Antique and vintage footstools might add a dose of fun to your living room, but they’re also hard workers.
Even as they’ve morphed into objects with plenty of functions over time, the footstool has a royal past. In Ancient Egypt, a footstool was used to climb onto an elevated chair or placed under someone’s feet as he or she was seated in a temple or private residence. Footstools were also in use during the Ottoman Empire. In fact, the ottoman, an upholstered seat or small bench that initially had no back or arms, was the main seating furniture in a home. Ottomans were a way to merge floor seating with cushions and mats.
Poufs, which originated in France, are also thought of as convenient seating furniture as well as occasionally serving as a side table, if needed. (Although, a pouf is typically not as firm as an ottoman.)
Over the years, footstools have taken on varying purposes. They have been used as small portable chairs, for example.
During the 18th century, a footstool might have been long with a low profile, which rendered it perfect for fireside seating. Victorian footstools were small but not unassuming, as furniture makers of the era would upholster the pieces so that they paired with the nearby sofa or wingback chairs. Footstools have even become a storage solution at home, with designers outfitting them with compartments. Today, a footstool might be used to organize quilts and blankets or other textiles, especially if you’re trying to keep things uncluttered in a small apartment.
Footstools are now available in all sorts of provocative colors, upholstery and more. No one is going to put a velvet footstool out on the curb, right? When shopping for your own footstool, try to find one that meets the height of your sofa or other seating (or is a tad lower). It should also be sturdy but not a heavy, clunky piece that’s a chore to move around.
The footstool is both decorative and functional. Not unlike a good throw pillow, interior designers have found numerous uses for this versatile, vibrant furnishing. Find yours in the growing collection of antique and vintage footstools today on 1stDibs.
Read More
The 21 Most Popular Mid-Century Modern Chairs
You know the designs, now get the stories about how they came to be.
Fred Rigby’s Modular Seating Can Be Configured in So Many Handy Ways
The plush Cove Slipper 2.5 Seater sofa is just one of many convenient combinations from the London-based maker.
This Chubby-Chic Quilted Stool Stands on Its Own Two Feet
Sam Klemick's cool stool is edgy, cozy and environmentally sustainable all at once.
Riotous Shapes and Colors Have Made Uchronia’s Designs the Toast of Paris
Julien Sebban’s energetic design collective is radically reshaping the look of 21st-century European furniture and interiors.
Is Lionel Jadot the Willy Wonka of Upcycled Belgian Design?
From his massive collaborative workshop in a former paper factory, the designer concocts funky furniture from disused materials, as well as luxe hotel interiors like the new Mix Brussels.
Rock Your Cares Away on This Sunny Hand-Crocheted Swing
The boho-chic Enchanted Forest Swing, handmade by marginalized women from Turkey and Syria, is uplifting in every way.
Learn Why Designer Maarten Baas Set This Charles Rennie Mackintosh Chair on Fire
What happens when you do something to a piece of furniture that you shouldn’t? It becomes an entirely new object.
Eileen Gray’s Famed Cliffside Villa in the South of France Is Returned to Its Modernist Glory
After years of diligent restoration, E-1027, the designer-cum-architect’s marriage of romance and modernism, is finally complete.