Upcycled Wire Spool Ottoman

by ScavengerChic

Sometimes, when I least expect it, a project will just appear to me out of a dumpster. I wasn't looking...well, I must have looked at some point...but I definitely wasn't looking on purpose. I was on my way to one of my favorite stores...no, not the shoe store...the Home Depot, when I spot this great wire spool just peeking out of the top of a dumpster.

upcycled wire spool ottoman, diy, repurposing upcycling, reupholster

Actually they had quite a few, they must have been doing some major rewiring, but all I wanted was one. I had never worked with a wire spool before, but I know it has been done.

After sitting in my garage for a few weeks, I was ready to turn this spool into an ottoman.

I gathered up a few supplies I had around the house that I thought I could use to construct the ottoman. A 4x4 for the feet, the wooden back of an old picture frame whose glass had broken and some leftover mdf from a previous project.

The feet were made from four, 3 inch pieces of the 4x4. The 4 corners were trimmed with a chop saw then sanded smooth.

The feet were positioned on the bottom of the spool then screwed on from the inside of the spool.

For structure, I used 1 inch strips of mdf and the back of the picture frame nailed all around the outside of the spool. You may want to get these even closer than I have here... I found out when I pulled the fabric taut, that you can see a bit of the edges on the bottom.

The feet were then finished with 2 coats of a dark walnut Varathane... Polyurethane and stain in one easy step.

For the top, I used a 2 inch piece of foam. Turn your spool over to use the top of the wire spool as a pattern.

The foam was cut out and the top edge trimmed just a bit so it doesn't have a hard edge.

The ottoman was wrapped with quilt batting and that was tacked into place with a stapler.

Cut another piece of fabric a few inches taller than your ottoman and a couple inches longer than the circumference.

I also used the top of the spool as a pattern to cut out the fabric for the top of the ottoman. This time the fabric was about an inch wider than the spool for a nice seam allowance.

With the wrong side out , pin the fabric into place exactly how tight you'll want the fabric on the ottoman. These pins will be your sewing line.