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January 8th, 2009
before and after: olga’s ottoman coffee table


just like the rest of you, i love to see a before & after that involves work beyond new fabric and paint. paint and upholstery are great changes, but it’s always special to see someone take things to the next level. and this project from olga at ginger & gold is definitely a next level overhaul. she turned this sad, sad floral ottoman into a unique coffee table by removing the fabric and working with the box frame underneath. the result is full of character and definitely reminds me to look at thrift store furniture more closely to try and imagine what it could be. click here to read more about olga’s project and see detailed shots.


43 comments
Kristan said:
January 8th, 2009 - 1:07 pm

“this sad, sad floral ottoman”

LOL! So true…

Anyway, it’s not what I’d put in my own home, but it’s a FABULOUS transformation, and really illustrates what a creative mind can do with an object. Because goodness knows I could never have gone from point A to point B like this!

January 8th, 2009 - 1:07 pm

That is insanely amazing. It would never have even occurred to me to look UNDER the gross upholstery! Wow…and wow again.

January 8th, 2009 - 1:10 pm

WOW! I’m not sure I have an eye that could see so deeply beyond the outer ugliness…this b & a is truly impressive.

jodi said:
January 8th, 2009 - 1:27 pm

that is excellent!

M said:
January 8th, 2009 - 1:37 pm

REALLY cool, but I don’t really see what the point of using the old ottoman was. It really isn’t a before and after. It’s more of a “look at this sad, floral ottoman after I remove every speck of what it once was and turn it into something totally different.”

But, in all seriousness, I totally want that. Olga has an incredibly talent for this stuff.

January 8th, 2009 - 1:46 pm

As a chronic re-doer with fabric and paint, I am impressed with her ability to pull that off. Very clever! I need to use this as inspiration to think a little “non-standard” occasionally.

January 8th, 2009 - 1:48 pm

Wow and Zowie! That doesn’t even look like it came from its mother! Great job! Who would’ve thought

Mouse said:
January 8th, 2009 - 1:51 pm

So much more interesting than slapping on some new fabric! Great idea.

Meagan said:
January 8th, 2009 - 1:55 pm

I know this isn’t really the point of the before and after, but I adore that yellow handbag and am wondering where Ms. Olga got it.

CLF said:
January 8th, 2009 - 2:17 pm

What a fresh before & after!

Olga said:
January 8th, 2009 - 2:44 pm

Thank you all soo much guys! I loved reading the comments.

Meagan, that handbag is a Kathy Van Zeeland. I looked around and my particular bag is not being sold right now, it’s about a year old, but she has others that are very similar. Check ebay for lots and lots.

michelle said:
January 8th, 2009 - 2:55 pm

i’m floored. I’ve seen many an ugly ottoman and never knew the potential underneath!

January 8th, 2009 - 3:09 pm

This is great! I have my own sad, sad paisley ottoman, which I had “recovered” with a staple gun and an old chenille bedspread…but now I think I see a new purpose in it’s future!

miranda said:
January 8th, 2009 - 3:19 pm

i love this. this is the best before and after i’ve ever seen!

Sara said:
January 8th, 2009 - 3:27 pm

This is a fantastic “hack”!! I love it!

porter said:
January 8th, 2009 - 4:10 pm

I love it!!

Josephine said:
January 8th, 2009 - 4:38 pm

Grace - you’ve outdone yourself today with all these before and afters! All VERY inspiring ;-)

grace said:
January 8th, 2009 - 4:41 pm

YOU guys have outdone yourself- i can’t take credit for this great work. i’m just glad to have a place to show it off. i’m always so inspired by everyone’s craftyness.

grace ;)

valerie said:
January 8th, 2009 - 5:22 pm

this is absolutely the best before and after ever. nice work!

Hazel said:
January 8th, 2009 - 6:22 pm

In the 80s the pictures would have been reversed. It’s not my taste but I love the idea behind it.

If only I lived in a loft….

January 8th, 2009 - 6:48 pm

Very cool

January 8th, 2009 - 8:10 pm

Freaking AWESOME! I fell invigorated to go to the thrift stores!

January 8th, 2009 - 9:54 pm

whoa! this is by far my favorite before/ after

debbie said:
January 8th, 2009 - 10:33 pm

so so cool

Rabeika Messina said:
January 8th, 2009 - 10:51 pm

(Looks at ‘before’ picture)
Oh, God, my eyes! No! No! No!
(Covers eyes. Uncovers them and keeps looking, for this is as good a train wreck as she’s ever seen one. Or like a picture of Lisa Rinna’s current lips.)
No! No! Have mercy! No!

Lindsey said:
January 8th, 2009 - 10:53 pm

How crazy! I cannot believe what that used to look like.
I would have never guessed.

January 9th, 2009 - 2:35 am

Fantastic! My tastes are usually pretty modern and this fits the bill. I’m quite impressed with the outside-the-box thinking–heck, whoever said you have to put more fabric back on when you take the old stuff off?

nina said:
January 9th, 2009 - 5:43 am

Wow, this is cool… she really made something new out of it!

enhabiten said:
January 9th, 2009 - 8:07 am

so so clever. i love to salvage stuff no one else would go near…but that before ottoman, i don’t think i’d ever have gone there!!!so ew.
and rabeika: lol very hard on the lisa rinna lips!

January 9th, 2009 - 8:12 am

Oh how wonderfully unexpected! Truly inspirational!

Nancy said:
January 9th, 2009 - 9:37 am

A. maz. ing. I LOVE it! How unique and floral defying!

January 9th, 2009 - 10:07 am

wow - that is amazing and so creative. Would have never even thought to go under the upholstery!

Kat said:
January 9th, 2009 - 10:44 am

Wow! That’s original and imaginative!
(btw that floral motive looked an 80’s nightmare! :) )

Zoe said:
January 9th, 2009 - 12:26 pm

wow this is like the first before and after that isn’t just a reupholster job or a simple paint job. refreshingly creative.

January 9th, 2009 - 4:12 pm

VERY clever! I wonder if the lettering was already on there.

Natalie said:
January 9th, 2009 - 4:58 pm

This is sooo cool. Love the type treatment on the side of the wood. Very nice work!

Geri said:
January 10th, 2009 - 1:53 pm

Fantastic ~ We happen to have pieces of this plywood lying around…I want to make one! Manufacture them and sell them ~ made in North America! Also love your artwork, BTW.

Eliot said:
January 11th, 2009 - 7:30 pm

This reminds me of my friend’s coffee table which he made out of a painting transport crate. See it here: http://justflewin.blogspot.com/2008/09/new-coffee-table.html It makes a great bachelor pad coffee table.

lauren said:
January 11th, 2009 - 10:40 pm

what a wonderful surprise from the usual before and afters!!

fabi said:
January 12th, 2009 - 9:44 am

absolutely great! this is really cool and only great imagination could have thought of it. well done!!!

Cara said:
January 15th, 2009 - 2:25 pm

I have to jump on the complimentary bandwagon here and say that this is my absolute favorite before & after. (Well, this and the octopus chair and a telephone table…) But WOW. I want that coffee table. Anyone have a gross floral ottoman lying around?

January 15th, 2009 - 4:20 pm

that is really wicked. lucky that those cool numbers were beneath that awful fabric!

Olga said:
January 15th, 2009 - 7:14 pm

Hi Kattyface,

Actually those numbers weren’t underneath the fabric, I stencilled them on after cutting the stencils from paper.

Thanks for such lovely comments all of you wonderful people, and thank you so much Grace for posting my project.

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