upholstered ottoman coffee table1

Let’s just say I’ve been a little antsy to share this pallet ottoman tutorial with you. You see, a few weeks ago, a big roomy ottoman popped up on Pinterest with a comment that it was a pallet ottoman. Not so!!!  It was a West Elm ottoman that someone evidently thought could be easily copied using a wooden pallet. Here was the rub though; there was no upholstered pallet ottoman tutorial to be found anywhere.  (Can you hear the cavalry coming? ) Of course I can make create a tutorial for all of  you who want to upcycle a dumped pallet into a sophisticated, oversized, upholstered coffee table. EASY, PEASY!!! This is the one from West Elm.

westelmcoffeetable

I already had one big, beefy wooden pallet in my shop just waiting to be turned into a hip, industrial rolling table. But that one was too good to cover up, so I tromped through the snow in the parking lot of my shop and, after dropping the pallet on my left toe, (they are heavier than you might think!) I dragged it into my “cave” to dry out. After going back and forth on fabric choices, I was ready to get started. For the full tutorial, go to IndyStar.com and read my DIY Journal for January 19, 2013.

Here’s what it looks like right before it’s time for legs.

upholstered ottoman coffee table2

Now, since my column is limited to 300 words, let me add a few more words to let you know some my behind the scenes thoughts. This fabulous, giant coffee table would have cost me a lot less if I would have just settled for fabric I already had on hand. Not to be, I needed something fresher for your eyes and this small ikat print was just the right texture and weight.  Next, you can add any kind of feet you want, traditional, modern, casters, modern metal legs or any salvaged leg you might find. Keep the cost down-that’s the whole point here. And finally, pallets are  more sturdily built than you might think. It turns out that what you think are nails holding it together, are really nails that are threaded.  I don’t know how hard it is to pound those kind of nails in, but let me tell you, it was nearly impossible to pull them out!