Tuck living-room paraphernalia in a great-looking storage ottoman that keeps necessities out of sight yet close at hand. Donna Babylon of Krylon explains how to paint and assemble a decorative faux-suede ottoman with an upholstered top, made of shelving boards, upholstery fabric and foam. Curtain-rod finials are used for the legs, and baseboard molding decorates the bottom perimeter. Materials:
Six 18" x 18" shelving boards (Tip: If the shelving must be cut, place tape on the top surface along the cut line to prevent splintering.)
Four 18" pieces of decorative baseboard with miter-cut edges
Krylon® spray latex paint
Krylon Make-It-Suede® spray paint
Flat black spray paint
Gold spray paint
1 3/4 yards upholstery fabric
18" x 18" square of 2"- or 3"-thick upholstery foam
Decorative-edged scissors
Two hinges
Four curtain finials for ottoman legs
Hammer and nails
Staple gun or upholstery tacks
Wood glue
- Using a color that matches the chosen upholstery, spray-paint all the edges and one side of five of the shelving boards. Allow the boards to dry for 30 minutes. For best coverage, apply spray paint in two or three coats in several different directions (figure A).
- Spray the curtain-rod finials (ottoman legs) and all the mitered 18" baseboard pieces with flat black paint, and set them aside to dry for 30 minutes. Once they're dry, gild all the black pieces with small sprays of gold paint (figure B) and set aside to dry.
- Cover the unpainted side of one board with an 18" by 18" square of upholstery fabric glued or stapled in place. The fabric-covered side will form the inside bottom of the storage ottoman.
- Nail the four remaining painted boards together to form a box shape, with the painted surfaces facing in.
- Wedge the fabric-covered board into the bottom of the box, and secure it with nails. Make sure the fabric-covered side faces the inside of the box (figure C) and the painted side faces out.
- Apply a light coat of Krylon Make-It-Suede spray paint to the outside of the box. Let dry for 30 minutes, and repeat until the box is completely covered.
- Construct the ottoman storage lid by covering the remaining unpainted 18" by 18" shelving board with upholstery foam. Cover the foam with a 24" by 24" square of upholstery fabric stapled or nailed to the underside of the board. Cut a 17" by 17" square of fabric (decorative-edged scissors work well for this), and glue the fabric to the underside of the board, covering the stapled or nailed edges (figure D).
- Attach hinges to the back edge of the upholstered top (figure E). Drill pilot holes before screwing them in place.
- Screw the curtain-rod finials (ottoman legs) onto the bottom of the box (figure F).
- Glue and nail the 18" decorative baseboard pieces to the bottom perimeter of the box, matching the mitered corners carefully (figure G).
- Turn the ottoman upright. Set the upholstered top in place on the box (figure H), and attach with hinges. Drill pilot holes for the hinge's screw holes, then drive the screws.
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