How To Breathe New Life Into An Old Outdated Ottoman

Maybe you have one languishing away in your TV room, or maybe you found one in a local thrift store. But if you've got your hands on an old ruffled ottoman, there's a great way to turn it into a stylish and eye-catching new piece for your home. TikTok upcycler Maggie McGaugh undertook a challenge to makeover the "ugliest thing at Goodwill" and set her sights on just such an ottoman with an old stained fabric cover and an outdated dust ruffle. Using some vintage curtains and new legs, she transformed the piece into a beautifully elegant, French country style that no one would ever guess was reupholstered.

Please note that before you overhaul any cushioned item, you need to disinfect and sanitize the cushion(s) to kill off any lingering bacteria and odors before trying to give it a facelift. There are a few suitable ways to do this, so first and foremost you'll need to check the manufacturer's recommendation on the tag. Some cushions can be removed and thrown directly into the wash. Others can be spot cleaned, but may not respond well to bleach or similar solvents. And certain cushions can't be wet at all, leaving UV light sanitization as your only remaining option. Whatever the correct method is for your cushion, make sure it's clean, sanitized, and completely dry before you move on to your ottoman makeover.

Use fabric scissors to cut away the old ottoman cover, taking care not to cut into the cushion proper. You'll notice that the fabric used is made of a thick construction — possibly a brocade or a damask, but even canvas, velvet, or a beautiful boucle would qualify. Look for the same kind of fabric, the same quality of thickness, in the drapes you choose as your replacement coverings.

Once you've pulled away the old cover, the ottoman cushion should come away from the base, though there may be some staples or pins holding it in place that you have to remove to separate it completely. You also need to unscrew and detach the old legs from the base. Before moving on, this is another opportunity to check for any errant smells on the cushion that you need to eliminate before going further (if you sanitized it properly before beginning, it should be fine).

Upholstering your furniture is kind of like wrapping a fancy present and kind of like making the bed with hospital corners. For this piece you're going to upholster both the cushion and the base, and the best tool for that is an air-compressed staple gun. If you have upholstery staples, that's great, but standard ones will work too.

Drape the fabric over the piece you're going to cover and wrap it around the underside. You're using curtains to upholster the piece, so make sure the pattern, if any, lays how you want it. For the ottoman base, you only need to cover the top, so the fabric only needs to wrap as far around as the corners and edges. As you wrap, pull tightly and fold over to create a taut surface, stapling down as you go. When you get to the cushion itself, you need to upholster the whole thing, so — like a present — cover half of the bottom, wrap your fabric all the way around the top, then cover the rest of the bottom. Once again, fold and pull the fabric taut and staple it down as you go. Trim away any excess fabric, then place the cushion face down on the floor and settle the base firmly in place on top of it. Now, attach the base to the cushion with staples, upholstery tacks, and maybe even some fabric glue for extra adhesion.

The TikTok tutorial adds four new golden legs to their refurbished ottoman — similar to these mid-century modern options from UKOSNA, available on Amazon for $19.99 — as an update to the profile of the piece. They give it a sleek, lifted silhouette that doesn't look nearly as heavy as it did when the base was covered by the dust ruffle. If your tastes are more gothic, or industrial, or colonial, there are a bevy of options available in all these styles and more with a simple online search.

If your ottoman was tufted or you simply like the tufted look, you can cover some buttons with fabric and add them in for a decorative effect. When the overall piece is decorated as you like it, use a power drill to screw in your new legs, and enjoy your freshly updated ottoman.