Painted Ottomans

I’m very excited to show you my latest project!!  Now that the baby is very mobile and likes to put any thing and everything in his mouth, I have been on the hunt for the perfect ottoman to put in front of the fireplace in hopes to keep him away from it!  I was talking to Margo one day and she mentioned that she had just seen the coolest bench that was painted with Chalk Paint and Gold Leaf and she was planning on doing the same with a foot ottoman for her house.  She sent me a picture of her finished project and I LOVED it so of course I tried it on the ottoman I found!  Here is a picture of her project.  She didn’t take a before picture but she purchased this storage ottoman at Homegoods and said the original fabric was a medium shade of green…

First, she painted it with 3 coats of Old Ochre Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan that she bought from LD Linens & Decor. 3 coats were necessary to completely cover the original green of the fabric.  Then, she used  Liquid Leaf in Gold that she bought from Hobby Lobby for the cross on the top.  Last, she sealed it with Annie Sloan Clear Wax.

Here is a before picture of the ottoman I bought at my favorite consignment store, Patina Interiors for $40. It just so happens to also be a medium shade of green…

First, I started by spraying it with Solumel by Melaleuca to disinfect the fabric and also wet it.  ( I LOVE the smell of this stain remover/cleaner!!!  It smells like 100 fresh squeezed lemons in a bottle and it is SO cheap-5cents/oz!!!)
Then, I painted the entire top cushion with 2 coats of Paris Gray Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan.  I only did the top because I wasn’t sure of the colors yet.  The first coat didn’t cover all of the green, so I waited for the fabric to dry (takes longer than when painting furniture) and painted another coat.  I started with this color because our living room as a lot of blue/gray in it so I thought a light blue/gray ottoman with Silver Leaf accent on top would look the best.  So, after both coats of Paris Gray dried, I used a ruler with a built in level to draw a side ways cross design on the top.  Then I filled it in with Liquid Leaf Paint in Silver from Hobby Lobby .  *Side note-this paint is very strong and should only be used in a WELL ventilated areas or while wearing a mask (I was outside).  It should never touch the skin so if you are a messy painter, wear gloves!*

Here is a picture of the top part after I finished.

Here is a close up of the Paris Gray Chalk Paint and Silver Liquid Leaf Cross.  I painted the book you see in this picture with French Linen by Annie Sloan and Liquid Leaf in Classic Gold, just to gage what the colors would look like together and I liked them much more than the blue and silver! (going to do a post about painting decorative books later)

I loved the 2 colors together (Paris Gray and Silver) but it didn’t achieve the look I was going for after I placed the ottoman in front of the fire place.  So, I decided to repaint it with French Linen and Classic Gold.  Here are some finished pictures and detail shots…

Now that I am finished painting the ottoman for the second time, I kind of want to go back and paint it white and plain gold like Margo’s!!!  My mantle is white with decorative plain gold books on top and the chair that the ottoman is going to sit next to is white so it would match better but I was hesitant to use white in the first place because of the baby! However, I’m really considering going back and repainting it since I haven’t waxed it yet?!? Third time is a charm right?!?! ugh. Maybe after I get my tree up or one night when I can’t sleep?

Anyways, hopefully I’ve sparked an idea in you. If so, email me a picture of your finished product. This was a really easy project and you don’t have to be a good painter to do it!

• Margo’s ottoman-Homegoods painted with Old Ochre ASCP & Liquid Leaf Gold
• My ottoman-Patina Interiors painted first with Paris Gray ASCP & Liquid Leaf Silver, painted second with French Linen ASCP & Liquid Leaf Classic Gold
• Wooden Tray-Target
• Tea cup and saucer-Paul Michael Company
• Mercury Glass Candle-Louisiana Purchases Monroe, LA
• Topiary- got it years ago, don’t remember where

UPDATE*** October- 2016
I decided to paint the ottoman one more time.  I know, I know eye roll.  My thought process was as follows: I painted it a gray color at first because I knew our toddler wasn’t ready for anything that could show dirt.  I figured gray would do a good job at hiding dirt and smudges from those tiny, grubby finger prints.  And I was right!  It held up nicely!  Now that our son is older and rarely goes over to this area of the living room (notice how I said rarely not never) , I knew we were more ready for a neutral color.  So, I painted the ottoman in “Vintage White” by CeCe Caldwell’s and I LOVE IT!!! It blends in perfectly with the fireplace mantel which is painted Moderate White by Sherwin Williams.   I sealed it again with polyurethane and it now looks like a brand new piece of furniture!