DIY Leather Drawer Pulls with Labels

Learn how to make DIY Leather Drawer Pulls with labels for a child’s bedroom. A small dresser with curved drawers is updated with DIY leather drawer pulls.

I’m a firm believer in not rushing the decorating process. I don’t force decision-making. I’ll shop for the right piece of furniture for months. I’m okay with imperfection and unfinished projects in the meantime.

There is a small yellow dresser that I painted years ago. When we moved it back into the house, the top drawer pull broke. Yes. Literally, right after I refinished it.

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No big deal, right? Buy new pulls. Not so easy.

The drawers are curved, and the pulls are also curved, a perfect fit for this particular piece. But a “perfect fit” makes it difficult to find a replacement.

In this house, the dresser never really found a home until it landed in my son’s bedroom when we put our house on the market. Now that it has a home, it was time to tackle the missing drawer pulls, with a DIY Leather Drawer Pull project.

How to Make DIY Leather Drawer Pulls

Supplies

• Craft Leather
• Rotary Cutter & Mat
• Wood Burning Tool
• Alphabet Hot Stamps
• Leather Hole Punch
• Screw, Washer & Bolt

Instructions

1. Cut the Leather

Cut the craft leather to length with a rotary cutter.

Note: When choosing leather, a rough suede-like leather or a matte leather will burn better than a gloss-finish leather.

2. Press the Letters

Place the hot stamps on the leather for alignment. Using the wood burning tool, imprint one letter at a time. I prefer to start with the middle letters and work out.

3. Punch Holes

Measure your drawer, and punch holes in the leather where the drawer pull will attach.

4. Attach the Drawer Pull

Use a screw, washer, and bolt to attach each side of the leather pull.

As a note, I used a gold marker to add a touch of shimmer to the burned letters.

This small dresser has undergone a dramatic transformation. It matched my style when we got it nearly 10 years ago, and now it’s a perfect fit in my little boy’s bedroom as a night stand.

The leather adds a masculine detail to a dresser with feminine lines, and the yellow color feels modern and playful. Decorating slowly is okay… if I had forced the process, I may not have ever thought to use leather.

Instead, I would probably have just filled holes and added knobs. Of course, that’s not a bad choice, but it wouldn’t have felt as custom and whimsical as leather drawer pulls.

How do you decorate? Do you like to take it slowly, or finish a project quickly? There are definitely benefits to both methods. Sometimes, we have to finish projects {due to deadlines, functionality, etc.}; but if I’m unsure and it can wait — I’ll choose that option.

More DIY Drawer Pulls

• Copper Drawer Pulls
• Animal Drawer Pulls
• Rope Drawer Pulls
• Painted Drawer Pulls
• Gemstone Drawer Pulls