Making an ottoman from plastic bottles with your own hands is not such a strange idea, considering that plastic has long been used to make various pieces of furniture. Such products best complement the interior of the room and are suitable for connoisseurs of unusual, creative things.
Any beginner can handle making such an unusual ottoman, because its design is very simple. In this article we will look at several simple options for creating DIY products.
DIY ottoman made from plastic bottles
Pouf table with legs
Another lightweight design option that is not very suitable as a durable seat, but will serve as an excellent side table or footstool, is a pouf with legs made from plastic bottles.
Photo: foter.com
- Furniture
How to fit a banquette and ottoman into the interior: 7 ideas for different rooms
Useful tips
Before you begin the process of creating an item, you should study some recommendations:
- First, you need to decide, or better yet, schematically display the design of the future ottoman. This will be required in order to calculate the exact amount of material (bottles). The more massive you plan to make the product, the more bottles you need to take.
- Bottles must first be washed with a special brush, then dried open. This is done in order to remove foreign odors.
- The strength of the plastic can be slightly increased using one trick. So, the bottles should be placed in the freezer for several hours, then you need to tighten the caps of all bottles tightly and leave them at room temperature, due to which the air inside the container will begin to expand.
- In order to make a durable ottoman that does not deform even under strong pressure, it is necessary to fill 1/3 of the container with sand. This manipulation will allow you to get a durable product that will last for many years (the ottoman will be heavier and more reliable).
- An ottoman is a product that will be constantly sat on, so for its manufacture it is better to choose curved bottles, which are much stronger than straight ones.
- If you are going to make three-dimensional objects, then it is better to connect them in fragments using strong adhesive tape. This means that first you should tie together two or three bottles, and then form them into a product. You should not skimp on the connection, because the more tape you use, the better the design will be.
- To make the seat comfortable, the bottle structure is covered with a layer of padding polyester or other soft material on top, and only then can a cover be put on top.
- In order for the product to look aesthetically pleasing, it is important to make the cover exactly the size of the ottoman.
- The color of the product must be chosen in such a way that it looks harmonious with all interior items.
- When creating upholstery, it is necessary to use durable, wear-resistant material that will last a long time. Therefore, do not expect to sew a cover from silk, cotton or other delicate fabrics.
- If pets live in the apartment, then you need to make sure that they do not sharpen their claws and teeth on the ottoman.
Protecting Furniture from Cats
It is recommended to choose durable, shaped bottles for making structures
Decorating the ottoman
In order to give the bottle ottoman an unusual appearance, you can decorate it as you wish. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the following nuances:
- the cover should not fit too tightly to the structure, tightening it, or dangle - this looks untidy;
- the fabric must have a design that matches the overall interior;
- It is not recommended to take fabric that is too thin, as it will quickly become unusable.
For upholstery, use only thick fabric
Choosing upholstery material is a responsible process, so it is necessary to first study all possible options before purchasing.
Table No. 1. Case manufacturing options
Option, photo | Description |
Fabric | This is a budget option for an ottoman cover, which is perfect if the product is planned to be used only in apartment conditions. In this case, it is advisable to choose the most dense, wear-resistant options - matting, jacquard, flock and the like. |
Genuine leather or substitute | This style of ottoman design is suitable for office space, a hallway area or a personal office in an apartment. The leather has good durability and does not wear out over time. As a budget option, it is better to choose eco-leather. |
Patchwork | This technique involves decorating the upholstery with pieces of fabric, as if creating an imitation of a blanket. This pouf gives any room a warm, homely atmosphere. It will fit best into a bedroom or children's room, depending on the choice of material. When designing a product in this style, you can take old jeans and divide them into small pieces. A small pocket for small items can be attached to the case. |
Knitted from knitted threads | Recently, various clothing and interior items are increasingly being made from such threads. This case will look harmonious in almost any interior. In addition, you can associate the product with a color transition. |
From carpet fabric | This ottoman will be an excellent scratching post in an apartment where there are pets. Thanks to the super-durable base of the cover, cats and dogs will definitely not be able to damage it. This option will allow you to keep other pieces of furniture intact. |
Patchwork ottoman
Interesting idea for decorating a children's ottoman
Decorative ruffles can be used as decoration; they are sewn along the entire circumference of the ottoman. This product will look especially good in a child’s room. You can even cut various ruffles from old skirts and dresses.
You can decorate a leather or fabric ottoman with buttons - to do this, you will have to first cover them with material, and then make a screed on the surface.
Bottle chair
An ottoman is a miniature product with which you should start making furniture from bottles. A more complex design is a chair, but if desired, you can quickly build it with your own hands.
You must first prepare a large number of bottles; it is better if there are a supply of them. Otherwise, you will need all the same materials as in the previous case.
You can easily assemble even a large chair from bottles
Step-by-step instruction
Step 1. First you need to cut the plastic bottle, after which the upper part will need to be turned over and placed in the lower one. Then a whole bottle is inserted there and closed with a lid, and the top is closed with the lower part of another container. The result is a very strong and stable structure, which is what is required in the case of a chair. Using the same principle, a fairly large number of preparations should be made, so all family members can be involved in such work. If you wish and have a lot of bottles, you can even build a small sofa.
The process of connecting bottles is shown in a detailed diagram
Step 2. You need to connect the resulting modules in four pieces using tape. As in the previous case, it is better to use more of it, especially when creating massive structures. Next, the modules from the bottles must be connected again, wrapping them with tape on all sides.
Connecting the bottles together
Step 3. Using the same principle, constantly wrapping new layers of tape, you should make the back and armrests of the chair. By the way, instead of adhesive tape, cling film in rolls is perfect for such purposes - you can find it in any supermarket. The advantage of the film is that it connects the modules more tightly than any adhesive tape, and it is much easier to work with.
Assembling the back and armrests
Step 4. In this case, you should also make a soft base from foam rubber or padding polyester - then the product will be more comfortable. The parts are cut out to the shape of the chair and sewn together. Next, you just need to make a cover for the chair and you can use it for its intended purpose.
We cover the chair with a fabric cover
What materials will be needed for work?
A homemade pouf can be made in any desired shape. Its design can be easily changed by disassembling the structure and changing the cover. The most common form is a cylinder; this product is very convenient to use.
The cylinder is a popular pouf shape.
Square, oval, hexagonal, and asymmetrical products are less commonly made. Creating an ottoman does not require large expenses - the necessary tools and suitable materials are available in every home.
Prepare materials for the ottoman.
To make a bench from any plastic bottles with your own hands, you will need the following materials:
- plastic bottles (water, milk, beer) - to make sitting as comfortable as possible, choose curly ones. To create a highchair, containers of five, six or ten liters are used;
- double-sided tape or electrical tape - for fastening bottles together;
- sand - about one-third of the bottles are filled with it for structural stability. If there is no sand, it is permissible to tightly close the plastic containers with lids and freeze them - after thawing, the air in them will expand, the product will come out solid;
- foam rubber, three cm thick - they wrap it around an ottoman to make it soft to sit on;
- fabric - a cover for a high chair is sewn from it. Typically, remnants of upholstery material for upholstered furniture are used. It is advisable to choose a dense, non-staining, beautiful appearance;
- zipper - it is convenient to fasten the case, but it is permissible to use Velcro, buttons, buttons;
- sewing threads;
- thick (preferably corrugated) cardboard or plywood - to create the bottom and top of the object;
- old newspapers;
- decorative elements made of fabric, plastic, wood, non-woven materials, etc.
Advice: for the manufacture of large products, bottles are first connected in threes for strength, then the structure of the pouf itself is made from such “blocks”.
DIY ottoman made from plastic bottles
In order to make the structure yourself, you will need to prepare the necessary materials. This time you won’t have to use carpentry kits, hammers, or screwdrivers. The manufacturing process will involve the following:
- The first thing you need to prepare is, of course, plastic bottles. Their volume should be at least 1.5 liters, and the quantity depends on the dimensions of the desired product (usually one ottoman takes from 12 to 35 bottles, here it is important to calculate the diameter of the product in advance);
- several rolls of adhesive tape (it is advisable to buy extra);
- durable cardboard (you can use any equipment boxes);
- in order to make the ottoman soft, you need to take a padding polyester - it is better if its thickness is about 30-40 centimeters, then the product will be comfortable;
- scissors and sewing kit for making upholstery;
- upholstery material (you can buy a new piece of fabric or use old clothes for such purposes (jeans, jackets);
- for sewing a cover, it is better to choose raincoat fabric; this material is suitable in cases where the ottoman is planned to be used outdoors;
- zipper (plastic or metal), for the ottoman cover.
Despite the various shapes, all bottle ottomans are made according to the same principle, so even an inexperienced craftsman can handle this process.
Option for an ottoman made from plastic bottles
Step-by-step instruction
Step 1. First of all, all plastic containers must be cleaned of dirt.
Bottles must be clean
Step 2. Next, you need to connect two bottles together using tape. It is advisable to wrap them several times, not sparing the adhesive tape, because this will only increase the strength of the product.
It is necessary to connect the bottles in sections
Step 3. In the same way, several sections should be made, which will then be connected to each other. The result should be a lot of blanks. Then combine three bottles at a time. The main thing is that they are located strictly on a flat surface, otherwise the ottoman will turn out crooked. After which you need to make several sections of four bottles each and stop there.
We connect bottles into several sections
Step 4. Next, all these blanks must be connected to each other. The largest sections are installed in the middle, and the rest along the edges. The result is a round structure.
The result should be a circle
Step 5. Now our workpiece can be put aside for a while and take cardboard, the seats will be made from it. To do this, cut out two round parts from cardboard according to the parameters of the ottoman itself. These circles are fixed at the bottom and top.
Cutting circles from cardboard
Important! If you have thin plywood on hand, it is better to use this material instead of cardboard. Only in this case, instead of scissors, you will have to arm yourself with a jigsaw.
Step 6. The bases are tightly taped to the bottles, forming the frame of the future ottoman.
You will need to secure the cardboard parts to the ottoman structure
Step 7. Next, you will need to take a multi-layer padding polyester and cut out three parts from it, two of which will be round in diameter for the pouf and one rectangular for covering the base. All these parts must be connected with a thick thread and a needle around the frame.
We make blanks from padding polyester
We cover the structure with padding polyester
Step 8. After connecting all the parts, you need to upholster the ottoman with thick fabric. In this case, it is necessary to cut out parts by analogy with padding polyester. Then they should be connected to each other using a sewing machine (if you don’t have one, you can sew it by hand).
Marking required
You can sew a zipper on the side, so the cover can be quickly removed. In this case, you should decide in advance on the length of the zipper so that it does not turn out to be too short or too long. Some crafters use another option; they tighten the cover with a cord at the bottom. This way the drawstring will remain invisible.
Sew the parts together
Pull the cover
If desired, you can embroider the product with all kinds of additional elements. Here it is important to show your imagination.