Here’s a story I’ve been eager to share for a while. We finally completed a project I’d been planning for over a year: transforming two five-year-old side tables from Target into padded ottomans for the foot of our bed. We hadn’t used those tables since our first house, and they turned out to be perfect candidates to become small steps for Burger to reach our extra-tall bed.
We started by placing the side tables in front of the bed to see how they looked. The color matched the hand-me-down dresser we have, and the X-shaped leg detail was exactly the kind of shape we like. They looked fine as-is, but we thought a thick charcoal cushion on top with some foam would help them tie into the rug and the room more naturally. The added cushion would also make them softer and more functional as ottomans.
To prepare them for upholstery, we removed the tabletops from the X-legs. The tops were attached with nails and glue, so instead of trying to pry them off, we used a flat cutting attachment on a multitool to separate the tops cleanly from the bases. It sounds extreme, but it was the simplest way to free the tops so we could add foam and fabric for upholstery.
For the cushions, I used one-inch foam purchased at JoAnn. A 50% off coupon made it affordable—enough foam for both tabletops for just about $9. I traced each tabletop onto the foam with a marker, then cut the foam to size with ordinary scissors. Next I sprayed the back of each foam piece with spray adhesive outside and then pressed the foam onto the tabletops so the foam would stay put while upholstering.
We used one yard of dark charcoal corduroy fabric to cover both tops. I cut fabric squares roughly four inches larger than the tabletop on all sides to allow enough material to wrap around the foam and wood edges and be stapled into place underneath. I pulled the fabric taut, tacked a few staples along the underside to hold the position, checked alignment and the fabric’s pattern, then added more staples to secure everything neatly.
Corners always take a little patience. I folded the fabric into tidy triangles in the same way I would wrap a present, overlapping one small triangle over the other for a clean, finished edge. Once all sides were stapled and the corners were tidy, the upholstered tops looked like compact cushions ready to be reattached to their bases.
We took the legs to the basement and sanded any rough edges left from cutting the tops off to eliminate sharp points. Where sanding removed a bit of stain, I touched up the wood with a brown marker so the finish looked consistent. To reattach the legs to the newly upholstered tops, I pre-drilled small pilot holes at an angle so nails would pass from the underside of each leg into the tabletop. We used two 2″ nails per leg—eight nails total—to create a secure connection between each base and its top.
The whole project cost less than $12 per ottoman in materials and took around two hours from start to finish. Most of that time was spent comfortably working while catching up on a TV show, so it’s a quick weekend project for someone with basic tools and a little patience.
Functionally, the ottomans work perfectly as steps for Burger, and they also add a lighter, more flexible piece at the foot of the bed that can be moved around the house when needed. They’re light and comfortable, and both our kids have used them for quality control—without any structural issues. If you expect heavier use or have heavier tabletop pieces, consider using small screws instead of nails for extra strength; in our case the nail heads remained subtle and effective with our X-leg configuration.
I even sat on them briefly without any problems, so they feel sturdy enough for occasional use. Their main job is to help Burger get into bed, and they handle that—and the occasional pile of laundry—without complaint.
Have you converted any furniture lately with fabric, paint, foam, or hardware? Side-table-to-ottoman conversions are a great way to reuse pieces you already own and adapt them to new needs. These tables originally came from a past Target collection; they were affordable and well-suited to a simple makeover. Small projects like this can stretch your furniture’s usefulness and give a room a refreshed look without a big investment.