An unusual footstool to be sure, quite eye-catching and different. Wonderful for a tropical, exotic, British Colonial, etc. type room. Yes the cushion is quite small, only 9" square, so I don't use it for that purpose. Instead, I'm using it as a plant stand for a 3' palm, and it looks marvelous as such. I feel it's a great value for the price and am quite happy with it!