A pouf is the category where it is easiest to get the size wrong, because in photos all poufs look the same. We have 35 of them, with dimensions ranging from 35 × 35 × 42 cm (Candy) to 145 × 120 × 45 cm (MIND-STONE).
The difference isn't in size but in purpose. Let's go through the four groups.
35–45 cm: a footrest
Candy (35 × 35 × 42), Crystal (35 × 35 × 40), Bosco (40 × 40 × 50), Estie (40 × 40 × 42), SIMPLE (40 × 40 × 40), MIND-S (40 cm), Cubic and Deshi (45 × 45 × 45).
What it really is. Not a seat but an addition to an armchair or sofa. You can sit on it, but not for long: the small area means you sit on the edge rather than in the centre.
The key figure is the height. For your feet to rest comfortably, the pouf should be roughly level with the sofa seat or slightly lower. If the sofa has a seat height of 42 cm, a 50 cm pouf will lift your legs above your hips, and within half an hour that gets tiring.
Where it works best. Next to a reading armchair. In the bedroom, under a dressing table. In a child's room, where it is easy to move around.
50–60 cm: a proper seat
Barrely (50 × 50 × 45), Emie L (50 × 50 × 50), Mallow (50 × 50 × 42), Morrison (50 × 50 × 45), MARSHMALLOW (50 × 55), Richie (59 × 59 × 48), MIND-R (60 cm).
This is already a chair without a backrest. Fifty centimetres is the threshold beyond which you can sit on a pouf for half an evening without thinking about it. This is the size people buy as an extra seat next to the sofa.
What to look at. Again, the height: 42–48 cm is the height of an ordinary chair, and a pouf like this is comfortable to sit on at a table. 50 cm is already a high seat.
How many to get. Two 50 cm poufs give two proper seats and take up less space than one armchair. For a small living room this is often smarter than an armchair.
75–102 cm: a coffee table replacement
Amster (75 × 75 × 50), Dour (80 × 80 × 35), Hordons (100 × 100 × 40), Amster+ and Maroon (100 × 100 × 50), Kamal (102 × 102 × 50).
Here the pouf stops being a seat and becomes the centre of the area. People put a tray, books and the remote on it; two people sit on it; children play on it.
The key figure is the height, and it is lower than for seats. Dour is 35 cm, Hordons 40 cm. That is coffee table height, not chair height. It is meant to be: to reach a cup from the sofa, the surface needs to be lower than the seat.
What to bear in mind. An upholstered surface is not a table. Cups go on a tray, otherwise the first movement will knock them over. It is obvious, but people regret it after they've bought it.
How much space you need. A 100 × 100 cm pouf in front of a sofa needs at least 40 cm to the sofa seat, otherwise there is nowhere to put your legs. Together that is 140 cm from the sofa that you need to have.
Long and non-standard
Benches. Scott (120 × 45 × 40), DoubleCubic (83 × 45 × 45), ADDA (82 × 62 × 40), SOHO (82 × 60 × 45), NORDIK (75 × 45 × 45). These aren't poufs in the classic sense but benches: narrow, long, for two or three people. Their place is at the foot of the bed or in the hallway.
MIND-STONE: 145 × 120 × 45. The largest piece in the category, shaped like a stone. It is no longer an addition to the furniture but a piece in its own right that sets the character of the room. It needs space and emptiness around it, otherwise it will look like a mistake.
About storage, honestly
The idea of a "storage pouf" is popular, but in our range exactly one model has a built-in drawer: MAROON (100 × 100 × 50 cm). All the other 34 poufs are solid.
So if storage is your main requirement rather than a bonus, it's MAROON or nothing. Don't buy another pouf counting on "there's probably space inside": there isn't.
Feet: a small detail that changes the look
Concealed plastic feet (Candy Round, MARSHMALLOW, MIND-R, MIND-S, MIND-STONE, SIMPLE, CANDY+, Emie S): the pouf looks like a solid volume resting on the floor. Softer and cosier.
Metal legs (ADDA, SOHO, Kamal S, Only): the pouf is raised and you can see the floor beneath it. It looks lighter, closer to a bench, and is easier to clean under.
Wood (NORDIK, ash): a warmer option that works well alongside wooden furniture.
How to choose with three questions
- Feet, sitting or putting things on it? Feet: 35–45 cm. Sitting: 50–60 cm. Putting things on: from 75 cm.
- What is the seat height of the sofa next to it? A footrest pouf: at that level or lower. A pouf as a table: 5–10 cm lower.
- How much walkway will be left? A large pouf in front of a sofa eats up a metre or more, including the gap.
Read also: poufs: types and uses and a sofa for a small flat.
In brief
- 35–45 cm: a footrest, not a seat
- 50–60 cm: a proper extra seat; two of these are better value than an armchair
- 75–102 cm: a coffee table replacement, and the height there is deliberately lower (35–40 cm)
- Benches of 75–120 cm: for the foot of the bed and the hallway
- Only MAROON has a storage drawer; the other poufs are solid
A pouf in the same fabric as your sofa: that's possible too.
MeBelle poufs →
