We have a collection of upholstered ottomans and benches here at the Fine Craft Guild. Some for just your feet, some as a soft-furnishing coffee table, some to look pretty at the end of your bed.
The ottoman today had been transformed to also be a room storage unit for sofa throws and blankets.

This ottoman looks like it comes from a high-end furniture store. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Jessica from Running with Scissors did a complete ‘from drap to dazzle’ transformation that most of us can only dream about. However, Jessica offers us step-by-step instructions in her instructions on how to make an upholstered ottoman just like this! And that includes ‘how to make a base for the tufting’, ‘how to make measuring grid for your buttons’ etc. She breaks the upholstery project down into two parts: tufting the lid, and upholstering the base and transforming it into storage.
I am showing you just two photos, a before and after, but there are more on her blog to be seen. She also make a slipcover for accompanying arm chair.
DIY Ottoman Upholstery – The ‘Before’ Picture

Here’s the ottoman she inherited. Can you believe it?!
photo credit | upholstery tutorial: Running-w-scissors.com
More
(e.g. learn to make this ottoman from scratch!)