June 25, 2012by Kristin Jackson21 CommentsDecor

Fur Ottoman: Easiest Project Ever

So… I have been having this thought for a while.  A dirty little burst of creativity that I have been dying to see come to life… but I knew I would get so much flack from it.  After going to Haven this past week (a big ole amazing Blogger Conference) I had to remind myself to let my “Freak Flag FLY!” (thanks YHL) & just be me.  
You want in on my dirty little idea?!?  I wanted to cut up a Vintage Fur Coat.  
So… My Mother In Law gave me this gorgeous vintage fur coat.  A coat I would never wear, nor would I ever go out & buy myself.  So there it sat, in the back of closet, all alone, taking up precious storage space.  But once I saw Wild Chairy’s fur ottoman I knew what I needed to do…  But could I really cut up a fur?
Wild Chairy Fur Stool
I finally mustered up the courage to tell the hubs my crazy idea, which usually starts like this:
“Hey Doll.  So… I had this idea…” { insert long pause here } 
Surprisingly, he was completely on board.  After a phone call getting my Mother in Law’s blessing to cut up her coat, the scissors were out!  Let me just tell you, that first cut was TOUGH!
In our mass of found things, we had an end table that had seen better days.  I instantly saw an ottoman.  Don’t you?!
The dimensions were all wrong though.  Luckily, pieces like these are relatively simple to modify.  Just like our Farmhouse Desk we built, we removed the back legs (with the long run of wood in between) & cut out the necessary dimension of wood on the side panels.  The back legs are simply reattached the same way they came off. 
It also would have been too high.  A standard ottoman or seat is roughly 18″ high, so we used our jigsaw & cut off the bottom portion of the leg, which happened to land at a perfect spot.
The base was ready now… No one would ever know this little lady once had higher heels on.
Now comes the crazy easy part… We cut a left over scrap of plywood to fit the interior dimensions of the top, put two pieces of 1″ thick foam on top & covered it with the fur (cut about 3-4″ bigger than the plywood).  Then using my staple gun, I went to town.

The fur is soooo forgiving!  I didn’t even have to worry about the corners.

The top probably took 20 minutes, including cutting out the plywood!  We attached it to the base using small metal L brackets.

Here it is in it’s new home… definitely added a little glam to our bedroom!
I realize fur is taboo… but it was vintage, if I didn’t use it, someone else would.  If you would like a fabulous Faux Fur tutorial please check out The Nester’s version { post here }!
L I N K I N G   U P   T O:
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