bullfrogs & bulldogs | DIY Upholstered Tufted Ottoman

Good Morning! I’m so very excited about this latest project I just finished for our living room. One of my goals with our living room revamp is to brighten things up and add lighter pieces. I have also being dying to build something and upholster it and use upholster tacks. I love the look of them. They add a hint of vintage and sophistication to any piece.

I’ve been drooling over other tufted ottomans out there but the price tag on them is sometimes ridiculous. I think a good piece of furniture is definitely worth it but when you can make it yourself, it’s even better!

I had a little help from D’s cousin who put the frame together. I’m not all that good with a drill and saw yet nor does D really trust me alone with one. I suppose when I stop cutting myself every time I cook, then we just might see.

I wouldn’t say this was the easiest project and I didn’t get any photos of me tufting it because it took both D and I to do so but I will do my best to explain how.

As the photo shows above the steps went a little something like this:

But first…

Materials Needed:

A piece of Plywood for the top {I used a 33″x33″}

8 1×4 pieces of wood for the sides. I used 4 for the in to hold the frame together and the other 4 I covered with a layer of batting and fabric.

12 buttons

Fabric of your choice. I suggest something durable

3-4″ foam and enough batting to cover the foam and the outer pieces of 1×4′s

staple gun

Upholstery thread and 6″ upholstery needle

Upholstery tacks {Only if you want this detail}

1. We had to build out a frame for the ottoman that would potentially hold someones weight.

2. Then I found some legs at Home Depot and I stained them a dark walnut.

3. Joel, D’s cousin drilled holes in the wood where my buttons were going to go to make it easier to get the needle and upholstery thread in.

4. I used a 3″ foam and covered it all with batting (not shown).

5. I purchased a button making kit at JoAnn’s Fabric and covered them with the same fabric I used for the ottoman which was a natural muslin.

6. The outer 1x4s was covered in a layer of batting and then a layer of the muslin fabric.

The actually tufting required a lot of patience on my part. First I would string the upholstery thread on the 6″ needle and from the bottom, I would poke it up through the hole in the wood and through the foam. From there I would attach it to a button and have D hold it down while I used the staple gun to secure the thread on the bottom end. You ALSO have to use a hammer to get the staples deeper into the wood to actually hold the thread. This part was pretty fun!

Once all twelve buttons were in place D and I placed the outer fabric covered 1×4′s where they were suppose to go (Joel labeled each one so it would be easier to attach) and drilled them into place.

Lastly, the upholstery tacks. This part was not so fun. These little guys are pretty sensitive and I broke about one whole box before D helped me figure out a better solution. Prior to actually hammering in the tacks, I used a small nail and hammered that in to where the tack was going to go. I removed the nail and covered the hole with the fabric and hammered the tack into that spot. Made for a lot easier of a process. Trust me! I also just used a small piece of leftover fabric on all four corners to cover up the spot where the two pieces of wood met. It wasn’t very attractive and I love the way the corners turned out!