This post is sponsored by Velvet Finishes and Boho Luxe Home provided the fabric for this project. All opinions are 100% mine. Affiliate links included in this post.
This project isn’t anything groundbreaking. If you’ve ventured on Pinterest anytime since it’s invention, then I’m sure you’ve seen a few versions of how to turn a coffee table into an ottoman – this one is just my take on it.
I found this little table at a thrift store and in all honesty probably fell in love with the caster wheels more than anything. I had high hopes I could clean them up.
The biggest problem with this piece was the top of it. Most of the top except just around the edges had one of those faux leather inlays and it was in rough condition. Fixing that problem was what led to my idea of putting an upholstered cushion on the top of the table to make it an ottoman coffee table – and it can also serve as extra seating.
DIY Ottoman Coffee Table
Supplies & Tools Needed:
- Coffee Table
- Ready Spray Primer
- Paint – I used Velvet Finishes Tranquil paired with their Metallic Gold Glaze.
- Protect Topcoat (optional)
- Good Paintbrush
- Tack Cloth
- Lint Free Cloth / T-Shirt Scraps
- Piece of plywood cut to the size you want the upholstered portion of your table to be. This will vary depending on your table type and dimensions.
- Upholstery Foam
- Batting
- Upholstery Fabric – I used Vintage Gypsum from Boho Luxe Home.
- Staple Gun – I use this one and love it. Makes the job so much faster and easier.
- Heavy Duty Velcro
Steps
Step 1
If the coffee table you are using is dirty or has shiny finish, you’ll want to clean it up and degloss it first. I also removed those metal accent pieces from the table at this time as well. I just felt those dated it a bit too much and they would have been a huge pain to paint around. To remove those, I just cut them with pliers in a couple of places and then they just pulled right out.
Mine was’t too terribly shiny, but it was very gross. I used Ready to both clean and degloss at the same time.
Ready is by far one of my most favorite furniture painting products because it’s such an easy deglosser and cleaner to use. You just spray it on, let it sit a minute or two, then wipe it clean with a paper towel.
Gross, right? And that paper towel was just from around the top edges of the coffee table.
If you don’t have a shiny finish on your piece and you plan on using Velvet Finishes paint for your project, then you can skip the Ready as Velvet Finishes paint already has a primer built-in. You just have to use the Ready when your piece is glossy to begin with or when you want to clean it first.
Wipe down your table with a tack cloth before moving on to make sure you remove any bits of dirt or dust left on it.
Step 2
After you’ve cleaned and deglossed your piece if needed, you can start painting.
I opted to go with Velvet Finishes Tranquil for this piece. The blue hue worked well with all the different colors in the upholstery fabric. Since it’s not too bright of a blue, I think it also helped to anchor the piece with all the pattern that was going on in the material. Tranquil is one of my most favorite Velvet Finishes colors because there isn’t much it doesn’t pair great with.
I just brushed it right on with a paintbrush and gave the whole piece two coats.
Sidenote: This is the second project I’ve got out of that one container of Tranquil and there’s still a good bit left. This stuff covers really well.
Step 3
I wanted to add a little more dimension to the table base, rather than it just being a flat color. Since the upholstery was going to be busy, I felt that adding a bit something more to the base would also help to even things out.
I saw this as my chance to try out a new Velvet Finishes product – their metallic gold Enhance glaze.
For the most part, this works just like the regular Velvet Finishes dark glaze, it’s just thicker.
You’ll want to work in small sections, as this does dry fast. I used a small paintbrush to apply the glaze just along the edges and crevices of the table.
After applying a little glaze to a portion of the table, I came back with a t-shirt scrap and wiped off the excess glaze, while at the same time pushing the glaze into that crevice.
This made it to where the gold really helped to accentuate those lines.
Step 4
Because this is a coffee table that can also be used to kick your feet up on or sit on, I wanted to add a little more extra protection to it besides the topcoat that already comes in Velvet Finishes paint.
To do that, I gave the whole piece a coat of Protect. One coat is all you need and you can simply brush it on or use a foam brush if you wish.
Step 5
Once you’ve cut your plywood piece down to the size you want your upholstery portion to be, cut a piece of upholstery foam to the size of the plywood. Cover that with batting and then with your upholstery material.
Flip it over, pull everything tight and staple all along the edges. My plywood piece is about two inches smaller all the way around than my table top. I needed to cover up that old vinyl / leather top so I used that as my guide.
To attach the upholstered top to the coffee table, I used heavy duty velcro, putting a strip on each side of the cushion/table.
If you’ve got a solid coffee table that doesn’t have the drawer or openings like mine does, then alternatively, you could get under the table, and use a drill to screw from the bottom of the coffee table up into the plywood cushion top.
I love how beautifully this piece turned out. It has the perfect punch of pattern and color.
I was able to clean up the drawer knobs and caster feet with Bar Keeper’s Friend.
And that upholstery – I think I fell in love with it even more once it was paired with the Tranquil paint! This is just one of the gorgeous colorful prints that Boho Luxe Home offers!
And the touch of gold detailing I did with the glaze adds the perfect amount of depth, I think.
What do you think about this piece?
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