I love taking furniture meant for different purposes and upcycling it into another use. That is exactly what Jess and Monica from East Coast Creative did with this IKEA Lack table. At $10 for the table it makes it a very affordable option for a custom ottoman.
Hey there! It’s Jess and Monica from East Coast Creative! We’re back with another super simple, easy-on-the-wallet project that is cute, functional and totally customizable. Gotta love that.
We’re both huge fans of Ikea. I mean, really, who doesn’t love cheap, Swedish, hard-to-pronounce and even-harder-to-put-together furniture? I purchased this chair for the my living room, but the scale of it just wasn’t right. It really needed something to help fill the space, and I thought an ottoman would do the trick nicely. While at IKEA, I came across this LACK side table which is only 10 bucks (depending on the finish you choose), and knew it would work as an ottoman that could fill the void in my living room. Round up the following supplies supplies and let’s get started!
Lack side table
1 1/2 yards of fabric
1 1/2 yards of quilt batting- Look for a coupon or a sale on this!
Foam (mine is 2 inches thick)- Don’t buy without a coupon!
Staple Gun
Spray adhesive
Paint (optional)
Chop saw (optional)
1. Lay the table top upside down on the foam and trace it using a Sharpie.
2. Cut the foam with an electric carving knife. I saw the girls at JoAnn’s doing this, and let me tell you, the foam cuts like butter when you do it this way! If you don’t have one, try an X-acto knife or razor.
3. Spray one side of the foam with adhesive and press it firmly onto the table top.
4. Grab your helper and lay the foam-covered table top onto the quilt batting and trim the excess. Make sure you leave enough batting around the edges to cover the sides of the table. (Adorable little helper is optional.)
5. Using your staple gun, fold one corner in towards the middle of the table and staple into place. Work your way around the table pulling tight on the batting and stapling as you go. Use a hammer to wack any stubborn staples into place.
6. Iron your fabric so you don’t have to deal with any annoying wrinkles. Or ignore this step if wrinkles don’t drive you nuts. If they don’t, I envy you. Please tell me your secret.
7. Determine the placement of your fabric and trim the excess, but be generous with your cuts so that you have enough to go all the way around. Working the same way as with the batting, start with the corner and fold towards the middle upholstering the table top. Staple in place. Work your way around, pulling the fabric tight. Every once in a while, flip the top over so you can make adjustments to the placement of the fabric if necessary (and it will be necessary, trust me!)
8. This step is completely optional, as well. I wanted the ottoman to be a bit lower than the height of the seat of the chair, so I used a chop saw to cut about 3 inches off of all four legs. Surprise! Ikea table legs are hollow! I guess that’s how they keep the price at $10. *Wink*
9. To achieve a similar finish to the chair, I used two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk paint in French Linen, then lightly spray painted them with Valspar Satin in La Fonda.
That’s it! For under $25, I have an adorable ottoman that helps ground the chair in my living room, adds additional seating (yes! You can sit on it!), and a comfy place to put your feet up at the end of the day. I call that a win-win.
To see these other projects in the living room, click below:
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Looks great, but I wouldn’t let people sit on it if I were you. We used to have those in our house and let people sit on them… until they broke. Whoops. The tops are just made from strips of corrugated cardboard, so they aren’t super sturdy (as you probably gathered from the hollow legs).
Either way, it is adorable! I love the fabric you chose!
Haha, oh no! So far, we haven’t had any trouble, but I’ll make sure to not let someone I dont know really well to sit on them. Thanks for the heads up!
Very clever! What a great idea. :^)
What a lovely ottoman!!! I need a new one for my rocking chair and this may be perfect! Think a trip to Ikea necessary at half term school holidays! 🙂
Yes, nice job for sure. Where did you get the fabric for it??
I got the fabric at JoAnns. I find it kind of hit or miss there, but this time I lucked out! 🙂
I love the fabric, the ottoman turned out so lovely. (what a cute little helper!)
Debbie 🙂
You did such an amazing job. I love the fabric you chose, too.
great job..just think if one really wanted to, maybe put 2 tables together and make a larger ottoman..
How did you get the legs back on? I’m assuming you screw them into the bottom, but the holes end up getting covered when you staple the fabric on……so do you cut a hole in the fabric so you don’t lose track of where they are? Regardless, SO ADORABLE! I’m gonna make, like, 5. Now. Thanks!
Hey Erin-
I marked where the holes were with a black marker and then poked through the fabric using the screw. Worked perfectly! 🙂
Jess
Hmm… I wonder if you could do that to one of these for a sweet bench -> http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00095036/
I am sure you could. Let me know if you try it.
Love this!!!! We’ve got the lack coffee table and have been wanting a cushioned ottoman to replace it. I wonder if I could do the same tutorial on that piece: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00104291/ It would certainly solve our problem in the interim!
I bet it would totally work. Try it and let us know how it works out.
How did you keep your paint from beading up on the plastic laminate legs?
Priming them first will allow the paint to go on uniform.
I did the exact same thing as you did, with the IKEA Lack Coffee Table. It worked perfectly! Thank you for the tutorial and inspiration!
Love the ottoman! Just wondering how its holding up
This project was actually completed by my past contributors, Monica and Jess from East Coast Creative. If you contact them directly through their site, I know they’d be happy to update you. Thanks for reading!
thank you so much for posting this tutorial. i have been looking for an ottoman for months but i’m not willing to spend the money for any of the ones i really loved. now i was able to make one that i really loved for under $20! but i think the print i chose has some members of my house thinking its for them…
Ha! Glad it’s getting some use. 🙂
The instructions missing the last couple of steps and the picture of the back after you place the fabric on. How do you attach the legs if the fabric will cover the holes???