Aubrey's Ottoman Adventure

Aubrey's Ottoman Adventure

Check out this picture. Nice room right? Everything you could possibly want in a living room is there – fireplace, leather reading chair, television… But wait a second, what is that eye sore in the middle of the room?

That my friends, is my DIY ottoman from five years ago. I had a coffee table from college that needed a little rehab. While it worked spectacularly for those late night cram sessions, it was looking a bit beat up for my adult life. One old mattress pad, some killer fabric and a staple gun made all my design dreams come true.

But then came the fiancé with his need for a foot rest, a seven year old that hasn’t quiet mastered the juice box, a cat that needed a new scratching post, and of course, the puppy that needed an expensive chew toy. To say the least, my beloved, gorgeous, home-made ottoman had seen better days.

That’s when I got inspired.

Why not have a beautiful, cost-effective ottoman that could withstand my family’s lifestyle? I would need a durable fabric for the man of the house and animals. A “wipeable” component would also be highly useful when the kiddo decides to “eat on the TV tray.” Then it hit me – A SHOWER CURTAIN.

            Wipeable – Check

            Durable – Check

            Affordable – Check

            Cute design that can be changed out regularly – Check         

And I was off to Target! 

After choosing my desired “fabric” I went home and got to work! Here were my supplies:

Step 1: I had to get rid of that nasty fabric and quick, so I grabbed my pliers and got to pulling!  Once all the staples were removed, I patched my existing padding where needed.

Step 2: I like doing things the easy way. In other words, not measuring. For this project, I used my old fabric to “measure” and cut my shower curtain to the needed dimensions. The first time I reupholstered the table, I laid the table top-down onto the fabric directly and cut around.

Step 3: Once all the parts had been cut and positioned, it was time for the staple gun. I always start on one of the long sides or the table making sure to line up the pattern (if your fabric has one) and pulling the fabric taught on either side. This way your initial side is smooth and straight as a base for the rest of the table. Then I moved on to one of the shorter sides, again lining up the pattern and pulling the fabric taught away from the already stapled parts.

Step 4: I repeated Step 3 on the remaining two sides. Remember to always pull the fabric as tight as you can make it before stapling, and if needed, re-secure a side or section. Staples are cheap, puckers in your fabric just look cheap.

Step 5: Now it was time. The dreaded corners. For some reason, corners always give me the most trouble! See what works best for your table and padding, but don’t worry if you don’t get it right the first time. My corners took a lot of trimming, re-positioning and re-stapling before I got them perfect.

Step 6: Flip that bad boy over and soak up all of your glorious work! Feel accomplished, feel proud, and if you feel the need to do a final sweep with the lint roller, do that too!