Best Footstool for a Lounge Chair: UK Buying Guide

A lounge chair isn't built the same way as a reading chair or a wingback. It sits lower, leans back further, and is meant for properly relaxed, feet-up sitting rather than an upright hour with a book. That changes the maths on what footstool actually works with it, sometimes in the opposite direction to advice you'll find for other chair types. This guide covers height, proportion and style specifically for a low, reclined lounge chair, so you're not applying rules built for a different kind of seat.

What Makes a Footstool Work With a Lounge Chair?

Most footstool advice assumes an upright chair, where the footstool's job is simply to rest your feet at roughly seat height. A lounge chair works differently. It's designed to lean you back and let your legs stretch out, so the footstool is doing more of the work of supporting your legs rather than just your feet. That's also why the lounge chair and ottoman are so often sold, and thought of, as a pair rather than a chair with an optional extra, most famously in the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, where the ottoman actually sits a little taller than the chair's own seat height. If you're still deciding between a footstool and a full ottoman for this kind of chair, our guide to footstools and ottomans is a useful starting point. And if your chair is closer to an upright reading chair or a period wingback than a low, reclined lounge chair, our guides to footstools for reading chairs and footstools for wingback chairs will be a closer match.

Getting the Height Right

Lounge chairs generally sit lower than other living room seating, because the reclined angle only works if the seat itself is closer to the floor. As a guide:

• 32–36cm is typical for deep, low-slung, heavily reclined lounge chairs
• 36–40cm covers most standard contemporary lounge chairs
• 40–46cm suits higher-seated or less reclined lounge chair designs

Here's the part that differs from other chair types: because a lounge chair tilts you back, your thighs are already angled upward relative to your hips, so a footstool set exactly at seat height, or even 2–4cm above it, generally feels more supportive than one set below it. This is the reverse of the advice for a recliner, where the footstool usually sits a little lower than the seat, so it's worth checking which chair type you actually have before following either guide. If you want a step-by-step way to measure your own ideal height rather than working from a general range, ideal ottoman bench height for sitting and putting on shoes walks through the method.

Sizing for a Low, Reclined Chair

Because your legs are stretched out further in a lounge chair than in an upright reading chair, the footstool needs a longer, more generous top to support the full length of your lower leg rather than just your heels. Aim for at least 50cm x 45cm, and larger still, up to 60cm x 50cm, if you're tall or tend to sit with your legs fully extended. A footstool that's too small for a lounge chair leaves your calves unsupported past the edge, which undoes a lot of the comfort the reclined seat is meant to provide in the first place.

Choosing a Fabric and Style for a Lounge Chair

Lounge chairs are usually a contemporary or mid-century design statement, with exposed wood or metal legs and clean, pared-back lines, so a footstool that leans into that aesthetic tends to sit better than a heavily tufted, traditional piece. Leather and faux leather are common choices, echoing the classic lounge-chair-and-ottoman pairing, while boucle, wool and other heavier-weave textured fabrics suit a softer, more contemporary Scandi-influenced look. Plain, un-buttoned tops generally read as more in keeping with this style than a deep-buttoned Chesterfield top, which suits period pieces like a wingback far better. Our full comparison of which fabric is best for an ottoman storage bench and velvet vs linen ottoman benches both cover wear and durability if you're weighing up options, and our guide to handmade footstools explains what to check for in frame and leg quality on a piece this visually exposed.

Storage or No Storage?

A plain, non-storage footstool is the more common pairing with a lounge chair, mainly because the clean, low-profile silhouette that defines this style of chair doesn't always suit a bulkier storage lid. That said, a storage footstool can still work well if you want somewhere for throws or magazines within reach of a relaxed seating area, provided the lid sits flush and doesn't rock underfoot, since your legs will be resting directly on it for long periods. What to store in an ottoman bench has some practical suggestions, and gas-lift vs soft-close hinge compares lid mechanisms if underfoot stability matters most to you.

Placing a Footstool With a Lounge Chair

Lounge chairs are usually placed as part of a wider, casual seating arrangement rather than tucked into a corner, so the footstool needs to work within that layout rather than as an isolated piece. Leave enough space to get in and out of the chair comfortably, and if the lounge chair sits within a broader group of seating, keep the footstool's height and finish consistent with the rest of the room so it reads as part of the set rather than an odd piece pulled in from elsewhere. Our guide to ottoman storage bench size and sofa pairing is a useful next read for keeping proportions consistent across a full living room, where to put an ottoman storage bench covers general room-by-room placement, and storage ottomans for small UK flats has ideas for making a single footstool work harder if space is tight.

Budget Guide

Footstools suited to a lounge chair typically start from around £60 for a simple, non-storage option, rising to £250 or more for a handmade piece in leather or a premium heavyweight fabric with solid wood legs. Because exposed legs and a clean finish are more visible on this style of footstool than on a skirted or fully upholstered piece, frame and leg quality matter more here than on some other footstool types. Our guide to the best ottoman under £100 and £200 breaks down what changes at each price point.

Frequently Asked Questions

What height should a footstool be for a lounge chair?

Because lounge chairs sit lower and more reclined than most other living room chairs, typically 32–46cm at the seat, the footstool generally works best set level with the seat height or 2–4cm above it, rather than below it, so your legs are properly elevated.

Is footstool height for a lounge chair the same as for a recliner?

No, and it can be the opposite. A recliner footstool usually sits a little lower than the seat, since a recliner tilts you back mechanically. A lounge chair is already low and fixed at a reclined angle, so its footstool typically needs to sit at or slightly above seat height instead.

Does a lounge chair need a matching ottoman, or will any footstool do?

Any well-proportioned footstool can work, but the lounge chair and ottoman are traditionally sold and styled as a pair, most notably with designs like the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. A footstool that shares the chair's leg style and general proportions will generally look more intentional than a mismatched piece.

Should a lounge chair footstool have storage?

It's less common than with other footstool types, since the low, clean-lined look of most lounge chairs doesn't always suit a bulkier storage lid. It can still work well if you want extra storage, provided the lid sits flush and stable underfoot.

What size footstool suits a lounge chair?

Aim for at least 50cm x 45cm on top, since lounge chairs encourage your legs to stretch out further than an upright reading chair does. Go larger, up to around 60cm x 50cm, if you're tall or usually sit with your legs fully extended.

Final Thought

A lounge chair is built for a specific kind of sitting, low, reclined and unhurried, and the footstool in front of it needs to match that rather than borrow rules meant for an upright chair. Get the height right, relative to the seat rather than against it, size the top generously, and pick a style that suits the chair's contemporary lines, and the pairing will feel like it was designed together, even if it wasn't.