DIY Sisal Rope Storage Ottoman

10 Materials
This month our chosen item was sisal/manila rope, and it took me awhile to figure out what to make. I finally came up with a storage ottoman; made from a milk crate!
I started with thick sisal rope from Home Depot, as well as fabric, foam cushion, wood, a milk crate, and a few other items.
I glued an end of the rope to the bottom of the crate, and kept wrapping. I added glue as I went, making sure to pull tight as it dried.
I kept wrapping until I got to the top, and then added more rope on the top of the crate so no green would show through.
I cut some wood to fit just inside the "lip" of the crate. I then traced the wood onto some foam cushion and cut it out.
I then flipped the wood and cushion over onto some fabric, and cut out the fabric about 6 inches bigger on all 4 sides so I could staple it to the back.
Using my staple gun, I pulled each side tight and stapled it down on the back.
I folded the corners like a present and stapled them, too. Then I attached a piece of ribbon so I could easily lift the lid off the crate.
And that was it! While it was time consuming, I'm in love with how it turned out and it was totally worth it!
It's perfectly functional as storage (and currently houses toys!), and a relaxing ottoman!
To see the more detailed tutorial, head on over to my blog below!
Amanda @ Dwelling In Happiness
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Michele Michele on Jul 08, 2016
    I'm in love with the fabric. Where did you find it?
  • Denise Dome Denise Dome on Jan 15, 2019

    It looks like this is a posting from several years ago so I'm wondering how well its holding up & did you use a high heat or low heat glue gun?

  • Kathy Kathy on Feb 25, 2019

    what are the measurements of the wood piece for the top?

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  • Dvd34235466 Dvd34235466 on Feb 06, 2022

    I went even farther and wired two together and have a double seater now sitting at my front coat closet for storage. Holds quite a bit actually. Thank you so much for the inspiration!

  • Dawn Dawn on Apr 19, 2022

    Great idea and work!

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