Kick Your Feet Up On Me: DIY Round Ottoman

Are there DIYaholic Anonymous meetings out there? Because I think I may need an intervention. In keeping with the high I get from creating new stuff for my home, I recently made an ottoman. I'd been weighing how to create more seating space in my home and considered buying an armchair. Building an ottoman was a great (and cheaper!) alternative. You can buy or build some with storage for cheaper than I made mine, but how unique will they be?! I determined my expenses would be less or equal to the cost of a new footstool. The great thing about DIY is that you can customize the style, shape and color of your project. (Yes, that is a justification for my habit.) AND I also won by getting some new tools and supplies to use with future projects (hello, staple gun!).

The supplies vary on what type of footstool you will build, the desired height, width and of course, fabric. I located several tutorials on how to build an ottoman, so peep these links for help:

Curbly: How To Upholster a Round Stool

Better Homes and Gardens: Do It Yourself Ottoman

Instead of using the green (and expensive!) foam at the fabric stores, I chose NuFoam densified batting that was 4 inches thick. I probably could’ve used something with less thickness, but wanted to ensure enough cushioning. This wasn’t cheap either but I did catch it on sale:

I scored some upholstery fabric in a clearance bin priced at about $7, for a little over a yard. This was perfect, as I had enough for the ottoman and to make a matching footrest for my desk. It’s a velvety, rich gray fabric that feels great on bare feet. I considered a cream or ecru fabric, but any dirt shows up less on gray. 🙂

For the wooden legs on the ottoman, I used Minwax PolyShades in Classic Black, Glossy. I found this to be a great product although to get solid coverage, I had to paint 3-4 coats. Still, it was a time-saver since there’s no need to also paint sealer on the wood, as it’s included in the stain. I was a bit lazy and didn’t sand in between coats either. I figured who cares since legs would hardly be noticeable. They’re not as smooth as they could be, but I’m very pleased.

I chose a traditional style for the legs, since I prefer a combination of decor styles in my home. Its circular shape lends to the mid-century vibe I have going in my decor. I love how this reminds me of an alien spaceship. But most of all, I love that no one else has an ottoman like mine!

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