NEW OTTOMAN FABRIC AND GOLD LEAF TRAY

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I did it again. I decided it was time for a change in our living room. After searching once again for the prefect fabric, I finally recovered our ottoman for the second time. I’m about to start decorating for Christmas this coming weekend, for all of my blog hops and tours that are coming up in the next month, and I’ve talked before about changing it up in here for something more neutral. This season, I wanted a different look for Christmas than last year, where I kept the blues as a dominant color – you can see last year’s tour here.

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new-ottoman13The blue ottoman that you’ve all grown so used to seeing, needed to go. At least for now… So let’s talk about the new ottoman fabric and gold leaf tray you see sitting on top. I’m sharing a DIY tutorial and sources at the bottom of this post, so if you’re feeling adventurous and want to add a little glam, it’s perfect for you!
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My biggest challenge for this new upholstery was the cost. I knew I wanted something neutral, so it would take a backseat to the rest of the decor I’ll be bringing in. Neutral fabric is not hard to come by, however the perfect pattern was simply not something I was able to find without spending more than I wanted. I wanted to pay the absolute minimum to get this done, since I know I’ll change it up again.new-ottoman8I still love the blue batik print motif (shown below) and I wanted to use something that I could easily remove in the Spring or Summer, hence the reason I wanted to keep the cost down. This shot is from my Fall home tour, which you can see more of here. I played off the blues for Fall and wanted pops of rich, saturated color around our home.living-room-fall-decor4

I still have my blue accents right now, and I’m contemplating how I’ll be using them for the holidays. I LOVE my blue and white collection as most of you know, so I don’t want to remove it completely. However, I am most definitely feeling it’s time for some changes and I’d like to downplay them a little bit.new-ottoman11Speaking of changes, do you notice something different in the background? Look closely and you’ll see that my beloved ikat drapes are no longer hanging in the dining room. That’s right, changes are happening in there as well!  I’ve shared the evolution of our dining room throughout many posts. These white drapes are the ones I had originally used in the space when we first moved in six years ago. That room has seen many changes since then – I’ve gone from simple and clean to an eclectic mix of pattern on pattern on pattern. With the changes I’m making, I’ve decided to pare it back somewhat, so make sure you keep your eyes open for some updates coming very soon!
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Getting back to the ottoman, if I had found the perfect fabric that I wanted to invest in, I could have sewn a cover and used velcro to secure it underneath. Instead, I opted to use a tablecloth, which is what I did the first time I recovered it (see more of that here), and I was fortunate to find the perfect color and pattern.new-ottoman9I used a staple gun to fasten it underneath, and carefully folded the corners to get a nice tight fit. new-ottoman7It’s not perfect, and still needs a few nips and tucks here and there. I made sure to secure the staples about an inch away from the existing staples holding the blue fabric, to ensure easy removal later.new-ottoman6

I’ve had every intention of painting the feet a high gloss black for a sophisticated edge (which were also changed from the original ones), and I still plan to eventually get around to it! Maybe after the holidays…I have a lot to do in the coming weeks!
new-ottoman5I definitely feel I made the right decision with this neutral fabric and the more I look at it, I wonder if it will stay around longer than I’d anticipated. I’ll have to see what I want to do after the holidays. The fun part about it is that I spent very little to create this look and I won’t feel bad about removing it or changing it up again.
new-ottoman3Tell me what you think! Do you like the new ottoman or the old one? I love to hear your thoughts.

new-ottoman2Keep scrolling further for my gold leaf tray makeover…

GET THE LOOK OF OUR LIVING ROOM :

 

HERE’S A QUICK AND EASY HOW-TO :

glt

gold-leaf-tray-how-tohow-tonew-ottoman4 gold-leaf-tray7My first experience with gold leaf was more or less a successful one. I can tell you it was tricky to keep the gold leaf paper from tearing or wrinkling during the process. If you’re sure to handle it very carefully, you will be fine. Using the wax paper is key, as the gold leaf will stick to your fingers. Some papers come with wax paper already included with the sheets. This one did not, I used my own wax paper here, and I simply cut it to the appropriate size. I then placed it on the leaf paper to pick it up – it sticks directly to it and makes it easy to handle. Sometimes it was not sticking, so it got a little difficult, but I managed.
gold-leaf-tray6I decided to use the paint to touch it up between all the sheets that I’d stuck down, as well as around the edges of the tray, on both sides. The booklet I purchased had 25 sheets, and I would have needed two to complete the job. I opted for the paint to finish it off instead. You can see the leaf texture on the tray between the books. gold-leaf-tray5

gold-leaf-tray4I tried to create a textured look with the paint as well, for a consistent finish all around.gold-leaf-tray3A few touch ups are still needed on some of the edges.gold-leaf-tray2Over all, I’m very happy with how this project turned out. I purchased my tray on liquidation a few years ago for about $25. I spent another $40 on materials. For $65 I now have a very chic addition to our living room, which I love.gold-leaf-tray

I love to use design books and objects on this tray. In fact, I use trays all over the house for various displays. They are such a fabulous accessory to have, you can read more about how I like to use them in different ways here. Trust me when I tell you, once you start using them, you will keep wanting more! Everything looks much more elegant and purposeful on a tray. Tell me what you think and if you’ve ever tried to leaf something. I want to know how it went!

SHOP TRAYS HERE :

SHOP GOLD LEAF SUPPLIES HERE :

SHOP THE LOOK OF OUR TRAY HERE :

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22 Comments

  1. tamaraanka says:

    Jen you are the sweetest! Than you so much my friend!! Thanks for stopping by! xo

  2. Great post Tamara! I absolutely love your new ottoman fabric and your tray! xoxo

  3. tamaraanka says:

    Ali thank you so much for coming to pop in and say hi, I love that you’re here! You need to try leafing, it’s really not that hard at all! And I love that you love my ottoman fabric! I love it too, it adds tons of brightness to our room :) I’m always up for a good DIY update haha! Thanks for stopping in! xox

  4. tamaraanka says:

    Thanks so much Kel!! I’m so happy you like it! You need to try to leaf something too! I find it really makes a big difference in our space! xo

  5. tamaraanka says:

    Bree you are pretty darn good at everything, I can’t imagine at all that you’re awful at a DIY! I love that you love this one though! Thanks so much for popping in today! Muah!!

  6. tamaraanka says:

    Star thank you!! I loved the blue too, I really did! But I needed to mix it up in here a little bit once again haha! Its definitely a little tricky with the leaf and I think also that because the tray is a flat surface, it made it a little easier! Christmas is happening in here today! Thanks for visiting sweets! xoxo

  7. tamaraanka says:

    Thanks so much Isabel! Really easy to do an worth it!! Thanks as always for stopping by! xo

  8. tamaraanka says:

    Thank you so much! It was a very easy update to do and I’m really happy with the neutrality! Thanks for popping in to say hello :) xo

  9. tamaraanka says:

    Thank you so much my friend! I’m thrilled that you like it! I’ pretty happy with how the tray came out – a bit tricky but overall pretty easy! Thanks for stopping by Summer! xo

  10. Thank you for introducing me to gold leafing! Your tray turned out beautifully and I am inspired to give it a try! Loving the fabric chosen for the Ottoman too! Please continue sharing your DIY projects, I absolutely love them!!

  11. Tam, I love the ottoman and the tray! What an awesome palette for Christmas!! That gold leaf is killer, too!!

  12. Tam you’re amazing!!! I love both the ottoman and the tray!! Please come help me with some DIY projects though…I’m aweful?. Always leave here feeling so inspired my friend:). Xoxo

  13. Wow!! I LOVE the new fabric on the ottoman. I always loved the blue but wow does this brighten up the space! Thumbs up on the gold leafing. I tried it on a mirror. Total disaster! Looking forward to your Christmas decor!?✨✨

  14. Good job on the gold leaf tray!! i love it and might just have to update my old trays. thank you xox
    Izab

  15. The reupholstered large ottoman/coffee table is definitely my favorite! Beautiful.

  16. Tamara!!! I’m soooo proud of you my friend! The ottoman is perfect and I love that material you used! The tray is gorgeous!!!! What a fun DIY! It looks like a ZGallerie tray. Awesome transformation and post. Can’t wait to see what other changes you have up your sleeve ☺️?

  17. tamaraanka says:

    Thank you Becky! I’m very happy with how it turned out! You should try it to! Thanks for popping in!

  18. tamaraanka says:

    Mysha thank you! You can definitely knock this out, you’re the DIY queen!

  19. so great Tam! I really need to do this!

  20. Becky Seebach says:

    LOVE the ottoman fabric! Keep! LOVE the gold tray! Keep!

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