Ottomans With a Back That Work as a Chair
A padded seat with a back fits a corner where an armchair will not. Here is the one I would buy, and what to get if you meant the kind that folds out into a bed.
The short answer
Get the OSP Lystra. It is a small swivel chair with a back you can lean into with a book, and it costs under $170 at Home Depot.
The picks
Where to buy: the Lystra at Home Depot, the Ya-Home and the allamazing on Amazon, the Chaliyah at Wayfair, and the OfficeSource through a dealer.
The numbers
- Seat height: 17.5 to 18 in on all three stools. A dining chair sits at 17 to 19
- Back: 9.25 in above the seat on the Lystra and the Ya-Home, 5.5 in on the allamazing. A dining chair gives you 16 to 20
- Weight rating: 250 lb on the Lystra and the Ya-Home, 350 lb on the allamazing, 450 lb on the Chaliyah. The Lystra’s is a seller figure, since OSP publishes none
- Assembly: none, all four arrive built
- Footprint, stools: 19 to 20 in across
- Footprint, convertible: 71 in wide and 34 in deep
Jump to a section
First, which one are you after?
One kind is a small seat with a back that stays put in a corner. The other folds out into a lounge chair or a bed.
A padded stool with a low back built in. The three here all swivel, and two hide storage under the seat.
A seat that opens flat into a single bed or leans back into a lounge chair. The one here costs under $250, and it needs a long wall and room to open.
If you want somewhere to sit and read in a corner, start with the three stools. If you need a spare bed for a guest, go straight to the Chaliyah.
The five worth buying
| Model | Price | Seat height | Back | Rated to, per seller | Footprint | Storage | Assembly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OSP Lystra | about $160 | 17.75 in | 9.25 in | 250 lb | 20 x 20.25 in | No | None |
| Ya-Home swivel | See price at Amazon | 17.5 in | 9.25 in | 250 lb | 19 x 19 in | Yes | None |
| allamazing 360 | See price at Amazon | 18 in | 5.5 in | 350 lb | 20 x 20 in | Yes | None |
| Chaliyah | about $235 | 16.5 in | Reclines flat | 450 lb | 71 x 34 in | n/a | None |
| OfficeSource Convert | Contract flip-back, dealer only. No published specification found | ||||||
Best to actually sit onOSP Lystra swivel barrel
A small swivel chair with a back that holds you up while you read.
What I love
- The back is tall enough to lean into with a book
- Arrives fully assembled
- You have 30 days to send it back
Good to know
- Cream bouclé is a pale, nubbly fabric I would think twice about near a kitchen or small kids
- No storage under the seat
- Rated to 250 lb, and the allamazing is rated higher
If you want a small seat you will actually sit in, buy this one. Home Depot sells it as a swivel barrel chair for a vanity, and it works just as well in a reading corner or at the end of a bed.
Specs20 W x 20.25 D x 27 H in
- Size
- 20 W x 20.25 D x 27 H in
- Seat height
- 17.75 in
- Back
- 9.25 in above the seat
- Rated to, per seller
- 250 lb
- Assembly
- None, arrives assembled
- Storage
- None
- Cover
- Cream bouclé
Where to buy the Lystra
Home DepotViewBest with storageYa-Home swivel ottoman
A swivel stool with a back as tall as the Lystra’s.
What I love
- The seat lifts on a hinge, with space underneath
- Arrives fully assembled
Good to know
- The seat is short front to back if you have long legs
- Sold and shipped by a marketplace seller, not by Amazon
Buy the Ya-Home if you want storage as well. The cover is sherpa, the soft, fleecy fabric that lines a winter jacket.
If you are tall, the allamazing’s 18-inch seat will give your legs more room.
Read the seller’s return terms before you order. When it arrives, sit on it, give it a swivel, and open and close the lid before you flatten the box.
Specs19 W x 19 D x 26.75 H in
- Size
- 19 W x 19 D x 26.75 H in
- Seat height
- 17.5 in
- Seat depth
- 16.5 in
- Back
- 9.25 in above the seat
- Holds
- 250 lb
- Assembly
- None, arrives assembled
- Storage
- Under the hinged seat
- Cover
- Sherpa
Where to buy the Ya-Home
AmazonViewHighest weight rating of the three stoolsallamazing 360 swivel
For a tall reader, or anyone who needs a stool rated to 350 lb.
What I love
- Rated to 350 lb
- Room front to back for longer legs
- Storage under the seat
Good to know
- The back is too short to lean into with a book
- Sold and shipped by a marketplace seller, not by Amazon
If you are tall, or you need a stool rated to 350 lb, get the allamazing. It is covered in velvet, which I think looks a little dressier than the sherpa or the bouclé.
If you want to sit back and read, get the Lystra or the Ya-Home instead.
Specs20 W x 20 D x 23.5 H in
- Size
- 20 W x 20 D x 23.5 H in
- Seat height
- 18 in
- Seat depth
- 18 in
- Back
- 5.5 in above the seat
- Holds
- 350 lb
- Assembly
- None, arrives assembled
- Storage
- Under the seat
- Cover
- Velvet
Where to buy the allamazing
AmazonViewIf you meant the convertibleChaliyah convertible
A seat that folds out into a single bed when someone stays over.
What I love
- Reclines flat into a single bed
- Arrives with nothing to assemble
- Rated to 450 lb, on a metal frame
Good to know
- It takes almost six feet of wall
- The seat sits lower than a dining chair
If you want a spare bed that folds back into a seat, get the Chaliyah. It is soft chenille, and it is under $250 at Wayfair.
Before you order, check that you have the floor to lay it flat, as well as the wall to stand it against.
If anyone in the house finds a low seat hard to get up from, pick one of the stools.
Specs71 W x 34 D in
- Size
- 71 W x 34 D in
- Seat height
- 16.5 in
- Seat depth
- 24 in
- Back
- Reclines flat into a single bed
- Holds
- 450 lb
- Assembly
- None needed
- Cover
- Chenille and flannel
Where to buy the Chaliyah
WayfairViewCommercial-grade, from a dealerOfficeSource Convert
The flip-back to look at for an office, a waiting area or a shop.
It’s contract seating, made for commercial use, and it’s sold through dealers like Worthington Direct and LaHarpe’s.
I could not find a published weight rating or spec sheet for it from OfficeSource or its dealers, so ask the dealer for both before you order.
What to check before you buy
Look at the back before anything else. The three stools sit at almost the same height, and the backs are where they differ.
Seat height. All three sit between 17.5 and 18 inches off the floor, inside the range of a dining chair, so the height is right for a table or a vanity.
Back height. If a listing does not print it, take the seat height away from the overall height. A dining chair’s back rises 16 to 20 inches above the seat. The Lystra and the Ya-Home have the tallest backs of the three stools, 9.25 inches, and the allamazing’s is lower still.
Weight rating. Pick one rated for the heaviest person who will sit on it. On Amazon, look for “Maximum Weight Recommendation” in the product details.
Does it fit the nook?
The three stools are 19 to 20 inches across, small enough to tuck into a corner where an armchair would crowd the room. Leave a little space around yours so it can swivel. Here is how to measure the corner before you order.
A convertible needs a long wall, and the Chaliyah is 71 inches wide. Measure the floor in front of it too. In a small room, make sure you can open it without moving other furniture, or it will spend its life folded up.
What I passed on
I left out chair-and-ottoman sets. They come up when you search for a convertible, but a set is a chair plus a separate footstool, and it takes up more floor than one piece that changes shape.
Where to go next
Castlery ReviewsThe sofa that comes built and wipes clean
Wade Logan Azriah SofaAn affordable sofa if you like a firm seat
Breakfast nook setsThe table and bench sets compared
Small reclinersChairs that recline in a small room, and whether they fit you
How to measure a cornerCheck the space before you order a seat for it
Questions
Can you really sit on an ottoman with a back like a chair?
For reading or resting, yes. For eating or working, no. The seat height is right, 17.5 to 18 inches on all three stools here, which is dining chair height. A dining chair’s back rises 16 to 20 inches above the seat. The tallest back here stops at 9.25 inches, which holds you up with a book and will tire you over a long evening at a desk.
Is a pouf with a back the same thing?
Close. A pouf is usually softer and has no frame inside, so there is less to lean against. If you want the back to hold you up, pick the Lystra or the Ya-Home, the two stools with the tallest backs.
Do the storage versions hold much?
Not much. It is the space inside a stool 19 to 20 inches across, so keep it for small things. When it arrives, open and close the lid a few times and make sure it shuts flat.
Where these numbers come from
Seat heights, sizes and weight ratings are from the retailer listings: Home Depot for the Lystra (model LYSAS-C1), the Amazon product details for the Ya-Home and the allamazing, and Wayfair’s specifications for the Chaliyah. The Ya-Home, allamazing and Chaliyah weight ratings are printed on those listings. OSP’s own spec sheet for the Lystra gives no weight rating, so its 250 lb is the figure resellers list. Back height is the overall height minus the seat height.
Home Depot and Wayfair prices, read by hand, September 30, 2026. The Lystra’s seat height, the Chaliyah’s width and depth, and the search for an OfficeSource weight rating are from August 2026. Prices in this category move within days, so check the listing before you buy.