Sub-Saharan African Wood Footstools
1990s Nigerian Tribal Footstools
Wood
Early 20th Century Ghanaian Primitive Footstools
Wood
Antique 19th Century Congolese Tribal Art
Wood
People Also Browsed
21st Century and Contemporary Brazilian Modern Armchairs
Bouclé
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Organic Modern Center Tables
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Benches
Fabric, Velvet, Lacquer, Wood
2010s French Modern Chairs
Oak
2010s Mexican Post-Modern Sideboards
Hardwood, Walnut
2010s South African Minimalist Pedestals
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Textile
2010s American Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Composition
2010s Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Oak
Late 20th Century American Scandinavian Modern Paintings
Canvas
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Stools
Walnut
20th Century Ethiopian Tribal Tribal Art
Wood
Antique 19th Century British Regency Ladders
Wood
Mid-20th Century African Minimalist Benches
Wood
Vintage 1980s American Post-Modern Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Stone
20th Century American Scandinavian Modern Vases
Clay, Ash
Recent Sales
Late 20th Century Malian Footstools
Wood
Late 20th Century Malian Footstools
Wood
Antique Late 19th Century Ghanaian Footstools
Wood
Vintage 1960s Kenyan Mid-Century Modern Ottomans and Poufs
Linen, Wood
Early 20th Century Ivorian Tribal Stools
Wood
Antique Early 19th Century Ivorian Tribal Stools
Wood
Early 20th Century Ivorian Tribal Footstools
Wood
Mid-20th Century Ivorian Tribal Footstools
Wood
Vintage 1980s Beninese Tribal Stools
Wood
Mid-20th Century Ivorian Tribal Footstools
Wood
Early 20th Century Ivorian Tribal Tribal Art
Wood
Early 20th Century Ivorian Tribal Tribal Art
Wood
Antique Late 19th Century Tanzanian Tribal Stools
Wood
Vintage 1950s Tanzanian Footstools
Walnut
Vintage 1940s Ivorian Folk Art Footstools
Wood
20th Century Ghanaian Folk Art Footstools
Cedar
Sub-Saharan African Wood Footstools For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Sub-Saharan African Wood Footstools?
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.