Osman, who
laid the foundations of the grand Ottoman empire spanning the continents, would
not have dreamt that the term Ottoman would apply to a mere piece of furniture
that would find favour in places as far away as Britain and the US. Osman has
departed long since and the Ottoman Empire has vanished, but the Ottoman name
lives on in the furniture that the empire inspired. Ottomans are alive and
thriving in a different avatar.
To call an
ottoman a footstool might be construed as a grave insult. The battle weary man
of the house (or lady of the house) who has been on his (or her) toes all day
long comes back and finds soul satisfying comfort in resting his feet on the
nicely proportioned ottoman. It serves a vital function of recharging the feet
of the lord (or lady) of the house and bringing about calm. When it is not
engaged in this all important duty, the ottoman footstool will deign to
serve as a temporary coffee table or even something you can stand on to reach
for something.
Some say
the footstool gained a veneer of polish and evolved into the ottoman as we know
it today, possibly because the shape resembles bales of cotton that weavers
stood on during the Turkish Empire. Others trace the genes of modern day
ottomans to furniture used during the 17th century Turkey as a
coffee table or to seat guests. Some say the original ottoman was larger in
size and could conveniently seat entire families before it reduced in size as
it evolved and its corners became rounded as well.
A black ottoman need not be a footstool; it can be rather generous in proportion to
accommodate two or three persons. It can be a bench but would not appreciate
being called one. The term Ottoman will do nicely, thank you. They are even
called pouffes by some but that does
sound a bit pejorative. You may invite an honoured guest to sit on an Ottoman
but not on a pouffe though they may both be the same thing. Ottoman does sound
royal. And, like royalty, the ottoman is discreet. He is there when you need
him but retires grandly and discreetly to a corner but never sulks. Put your
foot on him or rest your head on him and he will always welcome you. Is it any
wonder it is a favourite of families?
A well made
ottoman footstool can even hope to become a family heirloom.
