How I made an ottoman

A step by step guide

Hey! I should first of all disclose this as an AD as I was very kindly gifted the foam by GB Foam. I have used other suppliers in the past and they were never precise enough with the cutting so I now always use these guys as they cut it perfectly which is important as I don’t want to be dealing with a wonky box. They have kindly shared a discount code STUDIOKP15 with me if you also fancy making something.

Ok let’s get into it.

Step 1: make the wooden box. I don’t have any tools so I paid a joiner to do it for me!

Mine was made out of ply and a 2x2 frame so that it could take the weight of someone sitting or standing on it, just incase. I wanted something big so my box was 120x160x35cm- don’t forget, the thickness of the foam will also add extra to your dimensions and the feet will add height too. I went with a 5cm high density foam and it was perfect.

Step 2- add your foam

Get it cut perfectly to size to save you the hassle. Glue it on to the frame with either a spray adhesive or a tube of adhesive. It doesn’t need to be super strong as the fabric will ultimately hold it in place. You don’t add any foam to the underside.

Step 3: add the fabric

I went with this fabric as wanted a subtle pattern but not something too busy.

I needed a friend to help me with this part as it’s pretty big and heavy. I used a staple gun to secure the fabric on the timber underside of the box. Pulling it tight enough but not so tight it causes indents in the foam. You need to check the width of the fabric to see how it will fit if your box is very big like mine- I had to use 2 pieces of fabric with a join in the middle which was a bit of a faff but fine if you have a sewing machine. The corners were actually pretty easy to do, just tightly folding the fabric to make a 90 degree crease.

Step 4: add the feet

I used these from Amazon and they were easy to screw in

Btw, If you want something removable and washable, then you could easily get someone to make a loose fitting cover for this. If you do go down this route, I’d recommend getting stockinette put round the foam (an option you can select when purchasing) as it will make it easier to take on and off. I may end up doing this in time if I get lots of dirty fingers on it but securing it with a staple gun is def the easiest way!

Let me know if you have any questions x