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Wondering how to make a DIY Ottoman with Tufted Buttons? Learn how to make a DIY ottoman for your living room with this tutorial!

This summer, I found some tutorials for making DIY ottomans on Pinterest. Some said to use palettes, fabric and legs, and others used an old end table and wrapped it in fabric.

In the fall, I came across an end table at a garage sale and with the help of my carpenter dad, we attempted to make an ottoman out of the end table.

It worked. But it was extremely heavy because the table was big and bulky, we didn’t use enough foam so it isn’t very comfortable to sit on, and the corners looked disheveled and messy.

We figured there was a better way to make a second ottoman [I wanted one for my office and one for the living room], so we tried a different way.

How to make a DIY ottoman with tufted buttons:

Step 1: Make ottoman bottom and legs. Drill button holes.

First, we decided on the size we’d like the finished ottoman to be.

Then, we cut a simple board for the bottom of the ottoman and my dad made 4 legs of the desired length.

My dad, the amazing detail-oriented carpenter rounded the edges of the bottom board and created beautiful tapered legs for the ottoman. But your board can be rectangular, and your legs can be simple and plain. You can make legs or buy legs, it doesn’t matter.

We also decided if we wanted to add buttons or not, and if so, how many button holes we would need. We drilled 9 holes here [see photos further down], but I ended up only putting 6 buttons on.

Step 2: Cut foam to size.

Next, we cut foam to the desired size.

This foam came from the inside of my parent’s couch when they had it re-stuffed. I was lucky that I didn’t have to buy foam, but you can get this at craft stores or Amazon.

The thicker the better – you want the finished product to be squishy and comfy. If you have to layer your foam to make it thick enough, that’s fine.

Step 3: Paint bottom and legs.

Next, I primed and painted the bottom board, and then all four legs.

Step 4: Glue foam to bottom board.

We used hot glue to secure the foam to the bottom board.

Step 5: Wrap foam in batting.

I took batting and wrapped it around the foam, stapling it to the bottom of the board. This helped to create a nice rounded shape for the ottoman.

Step 6: Cover ottoman cushion with fabric.

Option one: the no-sew method —

When we made the first ottoman, we cut a large square piece of fabric, wrapped it around the cushion, and stapled the four sides of the fabric to the bottom board of the ottoman. Then, we tried to make the corners look as nice as possible and stapled the fabric to the bottom of the ottoman. But they looked lumpy and somewhat disheveled no matter what we tried. If you don’t sew, that method is just fine. It is just a little more DIY looking.

However, if you can sew a straight line, this next method really worked well and the finished result looks way more professional and less DIY.

Option two: the sew method —

We measured and then cut two pieces of fabric: one for the top [that matched the rectangular top surface of the ottoman] and then one very long, skinny rectangle that covered all four sides of the ottoman. We cut rounded edges onto the top rectangular piece which helped to create a smooth, rounded finished look on the finished ottoman.

Make sure you measure accurately because this has to fit over the ottoman and should be snug without being too tight. You don’t want it to be too loose either. You also want enough fabric to staple under the ottoman board at the end.

In the photo below, the piece of fabric hanging on the right side of the ottoman is the rectangular piece that matches the size of the ottoman cushion, and it has four rounded edges.

The piece on the left is long enough to wrap around all four sides of the ottoman cushion, and it’s tall enough to include a seam allowance and extra material to staple to the bottom of the finished ottoman.

Step 8: Enjoy your finished ottoman!