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Friday, August 5, 2011

DIY: Upholstered Ottoman/Coffee Table

Well hello there, and happy Friday!  Today I'm going to share a project with you that has been a loooong time in the making.

I haven't had any sort of a coffee table in our family room for several years now.  This is mainly because my children have inherited my clutziness (word?) and manage to beat themselves up on anything with corners.  It's not really that I'm clumsy, it's just that furniture and other items tend to jump out in front of me.  Two weeks ago, I was attacked by a Cheerios box, and still have the giant bruise on my thigh to prove it.  Truly.

Anyway, I decided it was high time for a coffee table, but decided an upholstered one would be best due to our propensity for bumping into things.

I really had my eye on this one from West Elm, but I didn't love that it's $600:


So.  I hit the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore and found a coffee table for $25. (I'm a terrible blogger because I didn't take a proper "before" photo.  Here's what the legs looked like before.  They were a glossy green:


Here was the top before.  I don't know how to describe the color.  Muddy coffee?  And a bad paint job.  You can see I've already painted the legs here:


So.  I started by spray-painting the legs a glossy brown. (Well, actually I didn't START there.  I started by trying to strip the paint off the legs.  It ended badly.)  It took two coats of brown paint, and then I spray-painted a coat of glossy enamel over it.

Then, using spray-adhesive, I added 2-inch foam to the top of the table, as well as around the apron:


Then, I covered the whole thing in batting:


And stapled my fabric around it.  I've never upholstered before, so this tutorial was super-helpful.  The corners were the hardest part.  I wound up doing hospital-corners.





It's DEFINITELY not perfect.  I have to beef up the batting in some spots.  I'm also planning on going back and trying to rework the corners.  (Also, I CANNOT get a photo with a clean house.  That's just reality, folks.  There are also always going to be toys on the floor.  And there are always semi-dressed kids in the background.  Cuz that's how I roll.)

But, for now, it works!  What do you think?

Linking Up Here:



HouseofHepworths

The Shabby Nest




A Little Knick Knack




52 comments:

  1. I LOVE it, Amy! Great job! I am considering taking on this project, but using legs and wood from the HW store. I especially love the fabric....and it's easy changeable if you want to switch up your decor.

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  2. Oooh, I love it! I had to "pin" you! The fabric is so fun. I hate figuring out the corners as well, but you did a wonderful job! I hope you can join my link party going on now with your project! www.alittleknickknack.com

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  3. I love it so much that I would order one from you!! If you ever make an extra...

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  4. Looks amazing! I'm such a sucker for that chipper print too :D

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  5. Awesome! I love your fabric choice and that you totally repurposed a table. Love it.

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  6. I think it looks great! Love the fabric you chose - really great punch of color and pattern. I have been wanting one of those uber-huge ottomans for a LONG time, but can't bring myself to purchase one since I'm convinced I can come up with a better DIY solution. Yours turned out beautifully!

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  7. It came out great! I love the fabric too. I've been keeping my eye out on craigslist and yard sales for a table to do this to.

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  8. Looks awesome Amy! Can't wait to see it in person!

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  9. fabulous! i love the fabric you chose, and now i am really pissed that i threw out a perfectly fine recoverable coffee table! this was before blogging anyway, when i didn't know about repurposing things. plus it was free. kicking myself, for sure!

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  10. i love it!! can i ask how much the entire project ended up costing? i have been soooo looking for a table to make one!!!

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  11. This turned out rather fabulous! I love the fabric you chose!

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  12. Your ottoman turned out beautiful! I have an ottoman I am due to reupholster myself and am newly inspired to do so after I saw your end result. Love it!

    I would love for you to link your post up at my Savvy HomeMade blog party on Monday at HomeSavvyAtoZ.com.

    P.S. I am a follower!

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  13. That came out beautiful. Love the fabric you picked. I am your latest follower. Hope you stop by and say hi.

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  14. Love love the fabric! I've always wanted to do this to a coffee table, now I just need to dig it out of the garage...thanks for sharing this!

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  15. Wow, Amy. It's so bright & cheery. I've always wanted to try this. It turned out great.

    Warmly, Michelle

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  16. Hi Everyone! Thank you so much for your encouraging comments! :) Here's the breakdown of the costs. The table was $25, the fabric was also about $25, the brown paint was about $5, and the most expensive part was the foam and batting, which ran me about $60 WITH a Joann's coupon. All in all, it was less than $150. I had NO idea that batting and foam cost that much. If I had, I probably would have been on the lookout for an ottoman that was already upholstered. Then I could have just painted it and switched out the fabric. :)

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  17. Your ottoman looks great! I've been cruising CL, trying to find the perfect ottoman to re-upholster - but now I may have to look for a coffee table!

    On a side note - if you need foam for a project in the future, you can always head to Ross and pick up a mattress pad for less than $20.00.

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  18. @ Calina -- Using a mattress pad for foam = brillz. Why didn't I think of that? Kicking myself.

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  19. Hi Amy! Thank you so much for linking up and partying at Home Savvy A to Z this week!

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  20. Beautiful! Thank you for sharing! Wanted to let you know that I am sharing this tutorial with my lovelies today! Feel free to check it out!

    Thank you again~ Have a {Marvelous} Monday!

    Stephanie

    Shop: www.polkadotbungalow.etsy.com
    Blog: www.polkadotbungalow.blogspot.com
    Facebook: Polka Dot Bungalow

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  21. Where did you get the batting? I bought the coffee table and went to buy the battling and could've choked at the cost, wondering if I am missing something.

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  22. HI Carrie! The batting is pretty cheap, but the foam is ridiculous!!!! I got it at Joann's, but with a 40% off coupon. Still expensive with the coupon -- around $60. A *brilliant* commenter suggested going to Ross or Marshalls and buying a mattress pad and using that...super cheap, and I think you'd get the same effect. Good luck!

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  23. Looks great! Was the fabric from Joann's too? Thanks!

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  24. Thanks! The fabric was from fabric.com...it's a Premier Print. Very inexpensive!!! ;)

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  25. this is so amazing!! i need to do this. i love the fabric!

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  26. Love Love Love the idea. Did I say i loved it.

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  27. This is so great - I love yes people. "Yes, I can make my own ottoman." By the by - your house looks great, too. I had to scroll back up to find evidence that you took a picture of a messy house. Not there. Thanks for sharing this with us!

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  28. How many yards of fabric did you end up using?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Elizabeth! I used three yards. At $8 per yard, it was very cost efficient! :)

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  29. I just found this on pinterest and it's awesome! I have an old coffee table that I have a love/hate with. I love the skeleton, but HATE the glass squares on top that catch crumbs & dirt and never come clean. So I'm going to try ditching the glass, buying a piece of plywood and attaching it with maybe wood glue and nails and then trying your method of covering. I was considering tossing it, so thanks for the inspiration!

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  30. Awesome job! Inspiring

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  31. The diy upholstered ottoman coffe table is excellent. Read more about it

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  32. I love it! Really inspired me to do one too! Love fabric.com too, shame I live in Europe!

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  33. Looking for the same patterned fabric but maybe in a coral to make this. Any ideas.? Love.it

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  34. Ireland loves it definetly going to give it a go. I have a coffee table from the early 90's that i hate.

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  35. where did you get that yellow fabric??

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  36. Hi Guys! Thanks for commenting. The fabric was from fabric.com, made by Premier Prints. They have many colorways!

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  37. Gorgeous! Great job... and thanks for sharing.

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  41. Great ottoman! If you don't mind, what are the measurements (height, width, depth)?

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  44. Thank you for this post! This is doable for me.

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  45. Looks awesome! Love, love the fabric. If you decide to rework the corners, you can sew them after curing each corner @ a 90 degree angle, allowing for a seam. At the same time, you could add an additional layer of batting. Great job!

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  46. Looks awesome! Love, love the fabric. If you decide to rework the corners, you can sew them after curing each corner @ a 90 degree angle, allowing for a seam. At the same time, you could add an additional layer of batting. Great job!

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