Mini Storage Ottoman

A few years back I managed to stumble on this adorable orange chair at a thrift store for a whopping $25! I’ve never been much into the color but the fabric was great and even looked like the upholstery might be new. I did think about re-upholstering it but it seemed like such a waste so I decided to work it into our decor as is. It worked great! I didn’t realize how much we had that it seemed to fit with and it’s so bright and cheery.

So now that my sassy orange chair has settled in to the furniture family I thought it was time to give her a little friend. She’s actually quite comfortable at first but the seat isn’t very deep and sitting in the chair can get a bit stiff after a while. I figured adding a footrest or ottoman was in order.

I had this unfinished wooden cube that I had bought from AC Moore a while back. So I added an upholstered lid with a hinge for storage and we’re in business!

I quick-stained the cube to coordinate with the wood trim on the chair using waterbased Minwax Woodsheen stain in Colonial Walnut. I’m not very adept at staining and this takes the fear out of a wood project for me. It’s basically idiot proof. Then, I measured the top/opening, taking into consideration which side would be the back for the hinge. Hubby but a piece of scrap wood to fit the top for me. I don’t think the type of wood matters here except that you want something thick and sturdy that hasn’t been exposed to water or the outside elements, or you’ll want to seal it.

Now for the upholstery. . . I used a low-loft batting that I had on hand (View in browser to see video)

I stapled the topper fabric all the way around by pulling it smooth and moving back and forth from one side to the other until it was firmly attached in place.

To give the inside a more finished look, I used a large piece of chipboard (poster board would work just as well), covered it in a coordinating fabric, taped it in place, and then I attached it to the lid using brass upholstery tacks.

For the hinge, I used a surface mount, 12 inch continuous hinge. I attached it to the lid (inside), using a drill, first and then place the lid on top of the box and attached it to the box the same way.