How To: Cushioned Coffee Table

This summer while shopping in T.J. Maxx, we came across this bench for about $90. I really liked it, but didn't want to spend the money on it and didn't want to have to transport it to FL. We also wanted to replace our current coffee table in our living room so we wanted something bigger than this one.

After looking around A LOT at local yard sales, consignment shops and the like (we used this search as a way to get to know our new town) we found this table at Salvation Army for $80. Now, this was the best table we had found so far, but $80 was way too much. We had seen another table that we were considering that one of the sales ladies declared was "too much" and had marked down. Before walking out we decided to see if the would spontaneously mark down the table we actually wanted. Nate's much better at doing stuff like this so I asked him to go talk to the manager. Lucky for us, they were either in a really good mood or really like moving merchandise, so they gave the table to us for $40. 

Once we had this awesome deal home, it was time to customize it. We wanted to keep the coffee table functionality, but we also wanted something that was comfortable to use as an ottoman. One of the things that we didn't like about the old table was that it would cut off the circulation to your legs (it also weighed a ton so it was hard to move around).

To get the best of both worlds, we used spray adhesive to attach 1 inch of foam to the top of the table. By not using a lot of foam, we can still put things on top of it without them tipping over but it is very comfortable to put up your feet.

Now this is my favorite part of our new table. We covered the foam with fabric I picked up at Hobby Lobby back in NY. I loved the pattern and the fact that it incorporated all the colors of my living room so even though it was a little pricey, I decided that it was worth it. We stretched the fabric over the top of the foam and stapled it under the lip of the table. We decided to not cover any of the base of the table because we wanted to have access to the drawer in the table

To add a little bit of detail to the table, I added buttons to the top (this also makes it so the fabric doesn't move around) and we used upholstery nails around the border. 

To do the buttons, I used a button kit with the left over fabric so that the buttons would be a subtle detail. I then drilled very small holes through the bottom and used a long needle and large buttons on the bottom to attach the fabric buttons to the top. 

For a few weeks, the upholstery nails were the bain of my existence. I, apparently, am unable to hammer these guys in without bending them and creating something that looks really ugly. Luckily, Nate has the magic touch and after me trying and trying, was able to hammer all of them in in a nice straight, not awful, line.

Here is my best attempt to get some of the living room in the pic so you can see how all the colors go together.

Cost Breakdown:

Coffee Table: $40
Foam: $12
Fabric: $17
Spray Adhesive: $4.79
Button kit and large buttons: $3.94
Upholstery Nails: 97 cents/ box (5 boxes) = $4.85
We had everything else (needles, staples, thread)

Total: $82.58

So we came in just under the $90 price tag at T.J. Maxx and we got the size of table and the fabric that we wanted.