Easy Ottoman DIY

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Looking for a home decor project? Here’s how to make an easy ottoman.

I like the concept of an ottoman. It’s a footstool, but it’s also extra seating. Who doesn’t like to put their feet up while watching TV? If it’s stable enough, it can even be used as an end table or coffee table. This easy ottoman is a versatile piece of furniture in your family room.

The Difference Between an Ottoman and a Pouf

While one could say that a pouf is a type of ottoman, an ottoman is definitely not a pouf.

Generally, an ottoman is firmer than a pouf, as a pouf is softer. Think of a pouf as a large pillow that can be used as a footstool or extra seating. It’s similar but different.

My original plan when I started thinking about this project was to make a pouf. I really liked the ones at West Elm but didn’t want to spend that much money. So of course, my initial thought was – I can make that myself!

The main difference between my ottoman and the pouf is the filler.

Poufs tend to have that beanbag feel. They are filled with polypropylene beads. But let me tell you – it takes a lot, I mean A LOT of polypropylene beads to fill one of these poufs. We’re talking over $100 worth, according to Amazon. There were even mixed reviews on Amazon as well. Some of these beads get squished easily so the pouf doesn’t hold its shape well.

If I wanted to go this route, the most economical way would be to find a reasonably priced used beanbag chair and to use that as the base of filler. That way you may need to only top it up perhaps if it wasn’t enough.

Okay, so this is one of those projects where I started with one thing in mind and ended up with something different. But that’s okay. It’s all part of the creative process.

I may come back to making a pouf this way, but I went a different route. Sometimes that’s the interesting thing about crafting – you start with one idea in mind and then you end up somewhere else!

My Ottoman Insert

For me to make this new and from scratch, the most economical way for me to do it was using foam.

Lucky for me, I have my “foam guy” and during the cold snowy weather, I was able to have a phone conversation with him about my project. I was able to order a cube of foam, cut exactly to the dimensions I wanted, in the proper density which allowed my ottoman to not only be used as a footstool but to be sat upon as well.

I originally liked the idea of the round ottoman, much like the round pouf, but did find that the round shape added to the cost. You have to buy the larger size and then the corners are cut, giving it its round shape. Since this was my first time, I wanted to go cheap and so stuck to a rectangular cube.

What You Need to Make an Easy Ottoman

Here’s what you need to make an easy ottoman, and when you read about how I made it, it really is easy.

• foam cube – I copied the size of the West Elm one and so it was 16 inches square, by 17 inches high. This is the perfect height for our sofa. Be sure to talk to your foam guy about getting the right density so that it isn’t too soft.
• home decor fabric – I am fortunate to have found a couple of places locally that sell deadstock fabric. This is fabric leftover from the garment manufacturing industry or film sets. I found a great piece of home decor fabric in a neutral colour that worked perfectly. I just have to be careful as they can be odd widths. Luckily, I had just enough!
• serger – I find that home decor fabric, or at least the one I was using, really frays a lot and so using my serger was a must.

This project turned out easier than I thought – especially since I was first envisioning the pouf. All I had to do was cover the foam. If using the polypropylene beads I would have made an interior bag to contain them all so that I could make the cover removable, but with a foam block, that extra step was not necessary.

In fact, to make a cover, I didn’t even cover all sides! The bottom is uncovered. I thought about various ways to completely enclose it, using velcro or a zipper but to be honest, the foam is quite dense so it is not easily manipulated. Leaving the bottom uncovered was much easier! If using the polypropylene beads, it would have been easier to manipulate so you would be able to fully cover it.

First, Cut the Pieces You Need

So, to break it down I only needed 4 sides and one top. That’s 5 pieces, 4 of which are the same.

I added a 1-inch seam allowance to all my measurements. Just like carpenters, measure twice, cut once! Since I had limited fabric, I had to make every cut count. That said, my first cut was wrong but I wrote down the measurements wrong! Lucky for me, since I ended up not covering the bottom, I had enough fabric. Phew! I did, however, expect to piece something together for the bottom, but didn’t end up having to.

So the sides measure 16 wide by 17 tall. Therefore, each piece of fabric should be cut 17 wide by 18 tall. However, I liked the look of the seam part way down on the West Elm one and so I wanted to copy that. Generally, things like that are done in thirds. So in this case, the top would be two-thirds the height and the bottom would be one-third.

Now 17 inches (the height) can’t nicely be divided into thirds so I just rounded it to the nearest number for ease of measuring. So the top 2/3’s would be 11 inches and the bottom third would be 6 inches. I just had to make sure it added up to 17.

I added an inch for seam allowance – this accommodates the seam, as well as gives you a bit of fabric for hemming. So for my sides, I cut the following:

• 12 inches tall by 17 inches wide – this is the top two thirds; cut 4 times for 4 sides
• 7 inches tall by 17 inches wide – this is the bottom third; cut 4 times for 4 sides

Then for the top, which is 16 inches square, I cut the following:

• 17 inches square – this hasa 1 inch seam allowance included.

The home decor fabric that I used had a dense weave. Therefore, while most pieces were cut according to the grainline, in order to save fabric, I cut those smaller pieces (the bottom third bits for the sides), perpendicular. You’d never know.

Since you are essentially cutting a bunch of rectangles, the easiest way to do this is with a rotary cutter, quilting ruler, and self-healing mat.

Sewing the Cover for Your Ottoman

First, sew the pieces to make the sides. So for each side, there are 2 pieces – the 12-inch piece and the 7-inch piece. Do this 4 times.

Once these were done, I fitted them on my foam, using clips just to double-check that I had done my measurements correctly.

Now all that was left to do was to sew everything together. I sewed the 4 sides together first, making a tube. Then I sewed the top on.

In order to reduce bulk and not have any bulges around that seam line, I alternated the seams so that it would lay flatter.

I fitted my foam cube again. It was a bit snug, but that’s good.

Now all that was left was to hem it. I used clips to turn it under so that I knew how much I needed to do. It’s just like hemming a dress!

I didn’t want a line of sewing at the bottom, so I had to figure out a way to hem it so that it didn’t show. In order to do this, I used Heat’N Bond Adhesive.

This is an iron-on, so the no-sew type of adhesive, used for hemming. It comes in different widths and different strengths. I used the wider version intended for heavier fabrics.

It’s like a double-sided tape that you iron on. Just be sure that you don’t iron it directly – it should be sandwiched between your fabric. Otherwise, the adhesive will get all over your iron.

Look at that! I was actually quite impressed with how quickly this came together. To be honest the fretting over the measurements (fearing I would get it wrong and not have enough fabric) took longer!

This easy ottoman looks great and works so well as a footstool and for extra seating.

Now even though this was not the project in mind when I started, I’m still happy with it. It’s okay to envision something and come out with something different. I’m still thinking about making a pouf. I will likely do that as a future project, but for now, we are going to enjoy this easy ottoman.

Want to remember how to make this easy ottoman? Be sure to save this to your favourite Pinterest board.