DIY Ottoman under $100

I made this ottoman 2 years ago when moving into my first solo apartment. I was trying to find one online and any large ottoman was pricey. I decided I'd give it a DIY try and see how well I could do. 

I looked on Pinterest trying to figure out the best way to make one and created an attack plan.

Materials I Used

- 2 x 4's

- plywood square

- 4 decorative fence toppers (these will be used as your feet

- decorative wood trim (optional)

- spray adhesive

- foam - I used 4in thick

- muslin

- quilt batting

- staple gun

- fabric

- drill

- screws

Decide how large and what shape you want. Start out by cutting your 2 x 4s into 4 equal lengths (if you want a square) with a 45 degree angle on the end. Nail these together to create your base

Nail a fence topper to each corner to create the feet. 

I used nailed decorative trim on the sides of the 2x4 to give it more of a finished look and painted it all white. 

Take your plywood, this should be cut to be the same size as your 2x4 frame. Cut and arrange the foam on top to completely cover the wood surface. You are creating the cushion part on top.  

I had troubles finding foam the exact size so I pieced it together to cover it. Use your spray adhesive to permanently attach the foam to the wood. 

To eliminate the lines that piecing the foam together created and add a little more height I used a layer of quilting batting. 

I also layered muslin prior to my final fabric to help smooth these lines out even more. I attached it in the same manner as the final fabric that I describe below. 

I ordered this fabric from fabricguru.com. Sometimes it's easier for me to scroll through pictures than wonder around aimlessly at the fabric store. Fabric guru will send you a sample square for a $1 so you can feel and see it before ordering. 

Place your fabric with outside face down. 

Place your ottoman top down, plywood up in the center of your fabric. 

Start on one side and use your staple gun to attach the fabric to the plywood. 

I did the two opposite sides first, then the next two. I wrapped the corners like you would with a present. 

Once all the fabric is stapled you can cut off any excess that you have.

To connect the top to the base use your drill and screws that are long enough to reach through the 2x4 and anchor to the plywood. 

Flip over...

YOU HAVE AN OTTOMAN!

This time around I just recovered it and the design allowed me to reupholster it in about 20 minutes. 

-Madeline

Walk-in closet under $165.00

What do you do when you live in a 3 1/2 bedroom house alone?  Make one of the extra bedrooms into a walk in closet!!

Items purchased:

(2) book shelves: I went with this exact one from IKEA because of look and price point 

 pole and socket kit

wooden pole: I went down to my local hardware store, McLendons and a really nice guy helped me find one and then cut it to the correct length for me. 

Next all you have to do is spend the time struggling to put the bookshelves together and screw the socket set to the sides.

The bookshelves set up prior to me running to buy the socket and pole. 

DONE and unpacked!

When you first walk in to the room you see my craigslist dresser redo

 Surprisingly I want to say this only took me maybe two hours. It was a long day of moving...

I'm still working on jewelry storage, mirror, and maybe a bench!

                                                       

801 Tour

On Sunday I received the keys to 801 finally! Since then I've been slowly moving loads down as well starting to paint EVERYTHING....

But here is a tour of the house as is!  Lots more to come as we paint and I get all moved in.  Sorry for the horrible photos but I had forgotten my real camera at home.

The Dining room that you enter into
from the front door

The Living room to the left when you walk in

Walking through the dining room you enter in the kitchen.  Which is large enough for a breakfast table.  There is lots of work to be done in the kitchen.  The cupboards need to be painted and there is tons of damage on the wall where there was a leak.

Area for breakfast table

The back door looking from the hallway

So man cupboards to paint...

You then walk through the kitchen to the only bathroom in the house.  This also needs lots of love like the kitchen does.  Lots of paint on cupboards and drawers and hopefully new hardware will make this space feel new and different.

Then on the first floor is the largest bedroom.

Then in the small hallway there is a stair case that leads upstairs to smaller bedrooms.  These both are slightly finished but atop the stairs is still raw cedar plank.  I'm hoping to pain this and brighten the upstairs.

If you look closely you can see the cutest gold
dust catchers in the corners of the stairs.

The raw cedar plank walls

The front small upstairs bedroom

The back small upstairs room

In the past week I have (along with help from my Dad) have painted the large bedroom and the living room.  I prepped the dining room so that my dad can tackle that while I'm at work tomorrow.  I'm hoping to also get the small bedroom upstairs painted before I make the big move in this weekend.  I want to be able to kind of set up my closet when I move in and painting that first will make it easier.  I haven't decided if I should do a color in the kitchen.  

Right now everything is being painted with Benjamin Moore's intense white.  It is covering wonderfully and giving it a nice cool white feeling.  At first it was a weird color next to the warm yellow beige white the walls were prior.  I had a small freak out moment thinking "AM I PAINTING MY HOUSE BLUE!?" Once the rooms were completed and the old color covered it feels white. So weird!

Can't wait to move my bed, couch, and other large items on Saturday.  It will be easier to work on the house once I'm in it instead of needing to prep to go work on it and just be there.

new place, new bedroom?

About a year ago I was over the moon when I received my new bed frame. There was even a post titled “My Bed is Here, My Bed is Here.” That was before I realized my jerk cat was going to love it as much as I did and would feel the need to walk across the top and sharpen his claws.  I’ve tried everything that one does to get their animal to stop using a piece of furniture as a scratching post (double sided tape, cayenne pepper, no-no scratch spray, a squirt bottle, etc, etc).  At least now when I pick up the bottle he hops off it but he just goes back on it when he thinks I’m not paying attention.  This has been happening for a year and I have given up and my headboard looks like crap.

my new bed before The Mayor destroyed it...

Once the move happens I will have a new space and will probably want it to feel different. The other week I found a Craigslist score for a brass headboard and couldn’t pass it up.  I’m not sure which is going to stay in my room and which is going to go into the guest room. 

$30 bed frame!!!

But I’ve been pining over the bright, simple, more farm house bedroom feels that have been going on in the Pinterest world lately, maybe one dark navy wall that the head board will be against?  It is such a harsh contrast to the more modern look I originally was going for but new space, new feels? Right?  I had recently purchased a solid blue duvet cover but The Mayor being a tabby leaves his light and dark hairs on everything… so I think I need to move toward a pattern. I’m looking at adopting a dog so soon there will be even more hair to try and hide.

bedroom 2 by blackbeigebrown featuring

Two weeks and I will know how I feel about the actual space and which room is going to get what!

Here are a couple pictures that have been crushing on and hoping to use as inspiration for my new spaces.

thinking about a dark accent wall - jade green, navy, or charcoal gray

keep the bed gold? or paint it?

So many decisions to be made!

Cat Proof Christmas Tree

This was the first year that I braved buying a REAL Christmas tree due to The Mayor's mischievous behavior.  Last year I opted for a "cat safe" tree.  I had looked online for an alternative way of having a tree and getting in the holiday spirit.

There is always the strand lights on the wall to create a tree idea.  However I love my ornaments and this doesn't really allow me to hang them.

I also had stumbled upon this article on Apartment Therapy that actually gave me the idea to try out a pallet Christmas tree.  I know that everyone makes everything out of pallets but this one was easy.  

1. Go and pick up a free pallet (they are super easy to find, espcially on craiglist.)

2. Use a circular saw and make 2 cuts.  

3. Decorate

4. You are done!

(If you cut from the middle out the beam stays in tact and everything stays together)

Last year I ran a strand of lights zig zag up the tree.and hung my ornaments on nails.

It was super easy, cat proof, and looked adorable!!

chairs, chairs, chairs

I've been eyeing a chair for a while for my sewing station.  When I first moved into my apartment I bought a couple of cute teal stools from Ikea.  However I think these stools were made for children. The legs kind of buckle and the seats bend (and I swear I'm not that heavy!).  I haven been waiting for quite sometime to purchase a more permanent chair.  I had been looking at the stylish clear acrylic chair everyone has but after Virginia over at LiveLove DIY said that it was the most uncomfortable chair I decided maybe it wasn't for me.  I finally bit the bullet and ordered a chair last week! It's pretty darn cute and sturdy!  I just need to get a little pillow for it and it will be a lot mroe comfortable.  The chairs below all gave me a little inspiration... if only I could afford any chair below.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7

Upholstery Fabric Spray Paint

 I finally ordered another couple of bottles of upholstery fabric spray paint from Amazon so that I could finish my $20 craigslist chair.  I had done research previously and ended up purchasing Simply Spray in navy.  I had read that you had to buy a lot of this stuff to make it stick but I didn't think that I needed 6 BOTTLES for this one chair!

Mid Project when I ran out of paint... 

     

My new cozy reading corner!

The navy ended up covering really well after going through all 6 bottles.  The fabric is a little stiff but I think it is because I was painting a crushed velvet chair.  A different fabric might not stiffen the same.  If you look closely you can definitely tell it was a DIY but for a chair that is going to sit in a corner for reading it will be perfect.  I'm not sure if this is the route that I would take for another piece of furniture and will just invest in a chair I like from the beginning... someday...

Office Inspiration

I love my apartment in capitol hill but as rents rise in Seattle I think logically this will be my last full year in my first adult apartment. Although I'm super bummed about this I'll be moving into a house that is owned by my family and will give me tons of space to play with.  I still have another 10 months before I move but my mind has been going crazy with the space and freedom I will have! I can't wait for all the projects :)  The new (to me) house will have 2 extra rooms... I'm thinking of turning one into a wardrobe room and the other a guest/office.  There is tons of inspiration for feminine, glamorous office on the internet these days.  I don't want to wish away the rest of my time in the city but I can't wait!

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10

Gold & Glitter

A couple months ago I picked up this great rams head at Retrofit on Capitol Hill.  I can't go into that place with out buying something. However with how beige and white my apartment is (mainly because I love all things nuetral) it looks a little washed out on my wall.

I've seen some recent pins of similar heads that you can purchase pre-gold, mint, etc etc... but apparently I didn't notice those when I bought my all plain white one. 

Time for a DIY Gold & Glitter project.  Luckily I don't need to go out and buy too much stuff when I have project like this since I already own all the different gold paints you can.

First I taped everything off that I didn't want gold.

Spray and Dry

Don't forget to wear gloves like I did!

Next I purchased some gold glitter and spray adhesive.

Unfortunately for me when I do things like this everyone that walks by my apartment building looks at me like I'm some crazy person as I throw gold glitter on a rams head while sitting on the ground...

I'm going to find glitter every where for months!

Voila! He's a little more flashy, now he just needs a name!

M