My Restoration Project

Restore the Awe...............

Sometimes you can visualise something in your head but are unable to find that item you see in your mind.
Don't let this stop you, as you can create, and have something that is truly personal to you.

I decided I wanted an Ottoman, a handy place to store my vast collection of shoes! I wanted something classic but individual to me. I started with the usual hunt for one,online stores, Ebay and second hand shops, but alas it just didn't seem to exist.

Then I went to a car boot sale and there sitting next to someones car was a Lloyd loom ottoman. Now a great deal of vision was required.It had a terrible paint job, thick coats of Matt white paint,clearly painted over years worth of previous paint. And the top had been recovered in a horrible pale blue vinyl fabric.

My Ottoman at the very beggining

I got the ottoman home,and decided to restore it to the ottoman of my dreams.
Preparation and love is the key. I needed to sand as much of the old paint off as was possible and also remove the horrible vinyl fabric from the top.

So I removed the blue vinyl, and underneath was some beautiful gold flocked fabric, but where the vinyl had been glued on top it was ruined. Also when I started to sand away the paint, I discovered the ottoman was in fact gold!!

Mr Pug decieded he would help me too, an extra set of paws is always handy!!

Mr Pug helping.

I had an image in my head of a beatiful,heavily embroidered fabric, covered in flowers in a mixture ivory,duck egg blue and dusky rose.

I went to a massive fabric warehouse and looked at rolls after rolls of fabric. Evey kind imaginable.

Rolls after rolls of fabrics.

But I couldn't find one I like, I think the problem was I was trying to find something that was in my mind.

But Never give up!!!!

I went to a second hand clothes store and there hanging up was the material that was in my mind, well I say mateiral when infact it was a silk kimono style 1970's dress!!! But why could that not become my fabric for my ottoman. There was enough fabric as it was a floor length dress and the embroidery was intricate,clasic and perfect for an ottoman in the bedroom.

My perfect fabric for my ottoman

I continued to sand my ottoman,and then I brought some white Matt spray paint,I sprayed it all over, it required two thin coats.

I decided to the keep the orginal horse hair foam that goes on the top underneath the fabric.

As I did not want to use new foam and make it look really heavily padded.

I set to work cutting the dress to allow enough fabric to cover the top, and then using a staple gun attaced it to the top.

And Voila the Ottoman of my dreams.

My finished perfect ottoman.

So if you know there is an item you want for your home but just can't seem to find,change something to make it look how you want. Don't limit your imagination or creativity as you can have an item that is truely personal to you.