The Ottoman Empire

When I was in graduate school I was broke. Completely. Utterly. Disastrously. Broke. I think that is one of the reasons that I learned how to do so many things for myself because, really, if I didn't build it, chances were, I wasn't going to get it.

When I was in grad school I also desperately wanted a kilm-covered ottoman that Pottery Barn was selling for a mere $650.00. I'm not sure why I ever started receiving the Pottery Barn catalog, lord knows I couldn't afford to buy anything from it. But I wanted that ottoman. I wanted it so damned bad I could taste it. Every time a new version of the catalog would come I would immediately search through it looking for that ottoman to make sure it hadn't been discontinued. Because you know, then I could buy it.

Well, I never did buy that ottoman. Mainly because I never found myself with $650.00 just lying around. But, I did find that I still needed a coffee table. Come on, I was a grad student, not a complete heathen. So, I decided that I would MAKE an ottoman, and I would make it for a hell of a lot less than $650.00. Not only did I make it, I made it so sturdy that I still have it 10 years later, recovered for the third time to match the current decor.

Here is my version:

Here is what you need:

1 piece of 3/4 inch plywood, 36 inches by 48 inches. They will cut it at the store for you, you don't need a saw
4 ready-made legs, you can buy these in the same part of the store where you get trim and and parts for stair rails
Sandpaper and stain for the legs. Try to get a 1-step stain and finish in one. It doesn't have to be super-perfect, they're not really going to show that much
4 clinch nut plates
20 1 inch Philips screws
2 yards of upholstery fabric
2 yards quilt batting
Upholstery foam, 6-8 inches thick, measuring 36 inches by 48 inches
Staple gun
Electric drill with Philips head driver

Once you have all your materials assembled, the ottoman is super-easy to assemble. Other than staining the legs, it only takes a few minutes to put together.

The first thing you need to do is sand and finish your legs. When you buy your legs, make sure they already have screws inserted in them. I used a foam brush to apply the stain and polyurethane. I also used water-soluble poly. This makes me a heathen, just ask my father. However, I have now been using this ottoman for 10 years and it has lived through 4 moves, so I think it was just fine.


Next, clear a place on the floor and begin to lay out your materials. Lay out your upholstery fabric (upside down) on the floor. Then top that with your batting. On top of that, center your block of foam. Then, on your foam, place your piece of plywood.

Now starts the fun part, stapling the fabric.

Starting on one side, grasp the center of one side of the fabric and batting and pull it up on top the plywood. Staple. Repeat on the opposite side. Then do on the last two sides until you have four staples in place.

Now start stapling the fabric around the ottoman, tucking in the fabric on the ends like you are wrapping a birthday present.


When you are finished stapling the fabric, lay out your clinch nut plates and using the electric drill, start driving in the screws. The screws are short so there is no reason to drill guide holes. They will go right through the layers of fabric, also. If you don't use the clinch nut plates and just insert the legs directly into the plywood, eventually the holes will strip out and the ottoman will not be strong enough for someone to sit on. Once the clinch nut plates are in place, insert the legs.


The fabric is easily removable and can be changed as your decor changes. Mine currently matches my red and gold living room, but it has been a variety of other colors. Not only was it inexpensive to create, it is easy to completely change the look for just the cost of a new 2 yards of fabric.


Since I finished grad school and have a job, I could totally afford $650.00 for an ottoman, but now I don't even want it. So there, Pottery Barn.