A Cute Table Becomes a Great Ottoman

Here's how to take a hand-me-down and turn it into a plush piece of furniture.

Many coffee tables become clutter magnets for piles of old magazines and remote controls. But with some great-looking fabric and a teeny bit of elbow grease, your table could be a cushioned piece that doubles as an ottoman and a surface to display a pretty tray of fresh flowers.

This coffee table once belonged to the homeowner's grandmother. Though she treasured the hand-me-down for its history, the table didn't fit in with her decor. She needed a softer look in the space. "Plus, I really wanted a place to put up my feet at the end of the day," the homeowner says. The solution? She softened her piece with fabric to create an ottoman and coffee table in one-at a third of the cost of a new one.

"I thought I might want to use the table later, so rather than ruin the piece by upholstering right on top of the wood surface, I had plywood cut to fit the top," she explains. A professional upholsterer added a layer of foam padding and then a pretty fabric, all directly on top of the plywood. Decorative tacks were secured to give the ottoman's top a tufted look; brass nail heads adorn the short skirt. The upholstered plywood piece fits directly over the coffee table and stays put with double-sided self-fastening strips, such as Velcro, that can be easily taken off in a pinch.

Use fabric to improve the look of your inherited furniture. If you have a striped sofa, try a paisley print on the piece you're covering. For neutral rooms, be bold and go with a red, patterned fabric. Add simple accessories, and your passed-down furniture will be better than new.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Jun 2005
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