We have a very small den, it used to be part of our backyard. Now it’s a small passageway between the main part of the house and the new upstairs addition. Two walls are the original brick and the old windows are still there, although they now have shelves on them. It’s where we house our obnoxiously enormous library of books. It was an odd room to design into a functional family space. The third wall is the entrance to the laundry room, which we carved into a space under the stairs, and the fourth wall is all windows. But we managed to work it all out and place a big and smushy sofa in there – full size – with lots of comfy pillows. The coffee table was another issue altogether. Since it’s the room where Pea essentially learned to walk, any other furniture in there had to be not only easy to land on but had to hold up to juice box stains and cracker crumbs. And for my own vain reasons, it had to look good. Utilitarian alone was not going to cut it.

At one point, we had a vintage English wicker basket in there which served as a de facto table. It was huge and hidden inside it was our massive collection of “Lonely Planet” travel guides. But one day I caught Pea rocking out on top of it during a particularly raucous “Sesame Street” sketch. I think it was the “Do the Fruit Dance” number. And when she was done, the basket had a nice bow in the center of the top and so it had to go. It’s now in her bedroom, holding a massive toy and puppet collection.

I’d always wanted a huge tufted ottoman. One of those giant square ones. In a custom fabric. A crazy print that was going to hold up well and disguise a multitude of toddler sins. The one I had my eye on in particular was a zebra print from Ballard Designs. I don’t ordinarily buy furniture from catalogs, but it was, at the time, the best-priced one I could find that was elegant and also practical.

And then, on a whim, I checked out the Overstocks website after seeing a commercial. Kind of glad I did. I found this ottoman. And although it’s not particularly huge, it’s just the right size for our tiny room and it is virtually indestructible. The cost? Could not beat it at $200 and it shipped for $2 (and is currently shipping for $1.). Amazing. Possibly the smartest purchase I’ve made in a while.

Tonight, my husband was watching my daughter play in the den. She thought she was alone. She poured her juice box into each tuft and then slurped it out with her straw. This is not the first time she’s done this, either. This is a daily occurrence. And yet, the juice never seeps through the leather. That’s right, even at this ridiculously low price, it’s real leather. And I clean it all the time with my Method All-Purpose cleaner. This thing just won’t quit.