D-I-Y Tutorial: How To Recover An Ottoman or Turn a Coffee Table into an Ottoman

“Reupholstering Your Ottoman for a Whole New Look!”

One of the great things about mastering basic sewing and re-upholstery is that you can completely reinvent a room without consulting a professional or a loan officer. When I design a room, there are certain pieces that I consider to be “permanent”—you don’t want to fork over $2,500.00 every couple of years to change your sofa—so I recommend making those “permanent pieces” in hardy, neutral materials that will last and morph as your life changes and your style evolves. That creates a stalwart base that allows you to play around with accent pieces like upholstered ottomans, throw pillows, decorative throw blankets, and the beloved “tchotchke”. And the great news is that changing pillows, throws, and recovering ottomans costs about 1/10 of the price of a new sofa.

New look  bank-breaking endeavor.

Let’s get to work!

Challenge level: EASY! 

Approximate time: 30 minutes. (What?!? It’s that easy!?!)

Tools needed:

-Old ottoman or coffee table to recover (wood top is ideal, to ensure easy stapling... Wood or metal legs would both look great for this project!)

-Appropriate length of 1”-2” thick foam, with enough extra to wrap it around the edges of the tables and secure it from below.

-Similar quantities of fabric for the ottoman (and if you’re really thinking ahead, I’d buy extra to make a couple of throw pillows so you have a nice tie-in from the ottoman to the sofa!)

-Heavy-duty staple gun w/ ¼” heavy-duty staples

-Pinking shears

Step 1: (This assumes you are starting w/ an old coffee table. If you’re recovering an upholstered ottoman, start this project @ Step #3.)

-Start by attaching the foam to coffee table by laying the foam in the correct position on the top side of the coffee table so that you have an ample amount (probably an extra 4” on each side) so that you can wrap the foam around the edge of the coffee table and attach it with your staple gun to the underside of the coffee table. Be sure you’re pulling the foam nice and tight as you place a couple of staples on each side. At this point, I like to flip the table over and place it “legs up” on the floor so I can really get in there with a staple gun and make sure I’m pulling the foam nice and taught. You should be stapling every few inches to ensure that it is fixed and will stay put.

Step 2: 

Things can get a little hairy around the corners when you’re attaching the foam, depending on the thickness of the foam that you’ve chosen. I tend to cut a skinny pie slice out of the excess, so when I’m stapling from below, I don’t end up with an area where the foam has doubled up and looks bulky. You want the edges to look uniform all the way around, so if you’ve got to cut a little out, go cautiously and snip away. Just remember—you can always cut out more—but once you’ve cut too much, it’s way harder to back pedal.

Step 3: (If you’re just joining us because you’re recovering an old upholstered ottoman, welcome! For those of you who are recovering a coffee table, at this point your foam should be uniformly attached around the entire top of your coffee table. Flip your table back over so it is “legs down” and we’ll get started on Step #3.)

Now you can lay your chosen fabric on top of the foam/cushion and get it in position. One thing to consider before you start stapling: Make sure you’ve chosen a fabric that’s dark enough or dense enough that you won’t see the color of the foam or the old fabric through it. If you are committed to a light color fabric (which could be a mistake for an ottoman if anyone is actually going to put their feet there…) I’d recommend covering the foam with a basic muslin before you attach your fabric. Any local craft or fabric store can supply you with muslin, or you could even use a thin painting drop cloth if you’re in a pinch.

Step #3 looks a lot like Step #1, except every time I said foam before, you can now insert the word “fabric”. 

-Start by attaching the foam fabric to the coffee table by laying the foam fabric in the correct position on the top side of the coffee table so that you have an ample amount (probably an extra 4” on each side) that you can wrap around the edge of the coffee table and attach it with your staple gun to the underside of the coffee table. Cut off any excess fabric with your pinking shears because it will help keep the fabric from fraying. I love a pair of sharp pinking shears! They’re a “must-have” tool in my book.

Be sure you’re pulling the foam fabric nice and tight as you place a couple of staples on each side, and double check that your fabric is on “straight” if there is any pattern or print that you’re working with. Make any adjustments that you need, and then I like to flip the table over and place it “legs up” on the floor so I can really get in there with a staple gun and make sure I’m pulling the fabric nice and taught. You should be stapling every few inches on the underside of the table or ottoman to ensure that the fabric is fixed and will stay put.

Step 4: I confess, Step #4 looks a lot like Step #2…

Things can get a little hairy around the corners when you’re attaching the fabric, depending on the thickness of the foam fabric that you’ve chosen. I tend to cut a skinny pie slice out of the excess, so when I’m stapling from below, I don’t end up with an area where the foam fabric has doubled up and looks bulky. You want the edges to look uniform all the way around, so if you’ve got to cut a little out, go cautiously and snip away, using your pinking shears to ensure that the fabric doesn’t fray down the pike. Just remember—you can always cut out more—but once you’ve cut too much, it’s way harder to back pedal.

Step 5: I’m embarrassed to say, that’s it. Can you believe it is that easy to recover your ottoman or turn your old coffee table into an upholstered ottoman? True story! And what is even better about this project is that it is so easy and so inexpensive that you can reinvent your ottoman every couple of years and it will totally transform your living room without transforming your bank account.