Coffee Table Ottoman

I knew I wanted to make this project so I had my eyes on the lookout on Craigslist for the perfect coffee table for the job. We found this one for $20 and it was the shape I needed and had two drawers-I always love more storage! It was a little beat up from the previous owner but was sturdy, so it still fit the bill. I sanded the entire thing down, primed it and then painted it with a couple coats of black paint. I had Paul's help to cut down the legs about 5" so it was at more of a typical coffee table height. Then I added some blue antique looking knobs and got to work on the top. For the top, I measured where I wanted my buttons to be, marked them by making a criss-cross design on the top, and drilled the holes. I then used a spray adhesive to attach my 2" thick organic soy foam to the top. Once that was completed, I poked my upholstery needle up through the foam from the underside of the table, and cut out a little circle of foam right around the needle to allow the button a place to go. I then covered the whole thing with batting and stapled it down. I then laid the fabric over the top and attached the buttons that I made using a button kit from Joanns. I just folded the pleats as I went, but this was the hardest part and isn't a necessary step in the process, I just liked the look. After the buttons were all sewn on, I stapled my fabric around all of the edges! It is much more cozy in our living room now! I am glad I did this project because Paulie and I have never owned a coffee table that we DIDN'T use as an ottoman anyway, so this is perfect! I just added a little tray on top so if anyone needs to set a drink down, there is a place to do it!

Materials needed:

Drill

Dremmel tool (only for cutting down the legs)

Sandpaper

Primer and Paint

Upholstery needle

Upholstery thread/twine

Button making kit from Joanns

2" think foam cut to size

Batting

Spray adhesive

Fabric

Hardware

Wood Floors

Our cabinet painting project was highly motivated by our desire to get rid of our 1980's linoleum and stained carpet. So as soon as we had that project completed, we called our floor guy up to schedule the installation! In the first picture it gives a close-up of the old linoleum and the second picture is what the house looked like once the carpet had been ripped up and it was officially "under construction". Armando, our flooring guy, told us that he could have the project done in one day...well, little did he know that underneath our linoleum, there was plywood that had been stapled on top of our sub floor that had to be removed before the wood floor could be installed. That removal took almost an entire day! For four full days our house was literally a construction zone with dust coating EVERYTHING! We had sheets up to prevent dust from going into the family room, but we spent hours cleaning up once they were finally done with the installation. Our whole main level looks entirely different now and, although it took longer than we expected, we are definitely happy with the results! All of our main living areas are now officially livable to my standards (of course the linoleum was livable, but the 20 year old stained carpet in our formal living room was a little difficult to deal with, so we avoided the room altogether until now). Hopefully Paul and I can do something with our Master Bedroom come summertime!