This Week's (Big) Small Find: The Storage Ottoman

One trick to living comfortably in a small space is furnishing it correctly.  Everything we bring into this apartment has to (a) have great storage capacity and (b) not be so big/clunky/heavy looking that it makes our small space look smaller.  So, for all of you who are living in small spaces like we are, I thought that it would be nice to do a semi-regular spotlight on furniture and other related pieces that would fit well in a small room, apartment or even house. 

Today, I'd like to share the piece I've been lusting after my whole New York life.  It's this leather storage ottoman from Crate & Barrel.  




(photos from www.crateandbarrel.com)

I won't buy it because I just can't see spending that much on what is essentially a souped-up storage bin, but I absolutely love it and am searching for a cheaper and child friendly version of it.  It's leather, and I really don't need leather here in the land of sticky hands.  But it's oh so adorable, comes in a bunch of colors, and would seemingly hold a whole bunch of toys.  Plus, since it's on the smaller side, you can line up two of them so Mr. Minimalist and I could both put our feet up while zoning out to whatever garbage TV we're watching that evening.  And when we have people over, we could separate them and use them for extra seating.  It's just genius.  Now I will have to find it way cheaper without sacrificing the cuteness factor.  Will keep you posted.