A footstool (foot stool, footrest, foot rest) is a piece of furniture or a support used to elevate the foot. There are two main types of footstool, which can be loosely categorized into those designed for comfort and those designed for function.

Comfort

This type of footstool is used to provide comfort to a person seated, for example, in a chair or

sofa A couch, also known as a sofa, settee, or chesterfield, is a cushioned item of furniture for seating multiple people (although it is not uncommon for a single person to use a couch alone). It is commonly found in the form of a bench with up ...

. It is typically a short, wide, four-legged stool. The top is upholstered and padded in a fabric or

animal hide A hide or skin is an animal skin treated for human use. The word "hide" is related to the German word "Haut" which means skin. The industry defines hides as "skins" of large animals ''e.g''. cow, buffalo; while skins refer to "skins" of smaller an ...

, such as leather. This type of footstool is also a type of ottoman. It allows the seated person to rest their feet upon it, supporting the legs at a mostly horizontal level, thus giving rise to the alternate term ''footrest''. High quality footstools are height–adjustable.

Function

This type of footstool supports a person's (usually a child's) feet that do not reach the floor when seated. The footstool is placed under the feet of a sitting person so that the person's feet may rest comfortably on it. An example is the type of

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

footstool used in conjunction with a piano bench. It is also used to make the

blood circulation The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...

of the body flow more freely when sitting down. A barber chair and a

shoeshiner Shoeshiner or boot polisher is an occupation in which a person cleans and buffs shoes and then applies a waxy paste to give a shiny appearance and a protective coating. They are often known as shoeshine boys because the job was traditionally d ...

have foot rests. An

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarde ...

typically has a "dummy

pedal A pedal (from the Latin '' pes'' ''pedis'', "foot") is a lever designed to be operated by foot and may refer to: Computers and other equipment * Footmouse, a foot-operated computer mouse * In medical transcription, a pedal is used to control p ...

" that acts as a foot rest to discourage "riding the clutch" or "riding the brake". A foot peg is another type of foot rest usually on BMX bicycles,

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s, the Ford N-Series tractor, some kayaks, the Impossible wheel, and other

transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...

devices.

History

Footstools have been known for many years, and have evolved throughout history. The footstool is attested in ancient Egypt, where it was utilized to ascend chairs perched high off the ground. It was also used to rest a person's feet when he or she was seated. In the 18th century a low, long footstool called a fender stool was popular. It was placed in front of the fireplace, and long enough for all of the family members to place their feet and warm them up. Footstools were generally interchangeable in everyday life from the 17th through the early 19th century. In early American homes the footstool was very valuable, and took precious space although the living quarters were cramped. In line with this, the exhibition 'A History of the World' at Mevagissey Museum in Cornwall showed an emigrant's footstool which was made by an emigrant from Cornwall in North America sometime around 1850s.

References

{{commons category, Footstools Furniture Chairs

Comfort

Function

History

See also

References