Project

Leather Headboard

These tactile squares are surprisingly versatile. The rich, buttery one-eighth-inch-thick sealed cowhide tiles we mounted in this master bedroom could also cover a tray, a desktop, or (now we're talking) a walk-in closet's floor.

Photography: Pernille Loof

Source: Martha Stewart Living, October 2017

Introduction

Note: Apply them to a substrate (like plywood) first, then to the surface you want to cover.

For more ideas, scroll through our entire collection of DIY Headboards and Leather Projects.

materials

4-by-8 foot birch plywood sheet

Leather tiles

Contact cement (Pictured: Wilsonart H20 contact adhesive $56, cabinetmakerwarehouse.com)

Two French cleat brackets (Pictured: Ook 200-pound French cleats, $19 each, homedepot.com)

Quarter-round molding

steps

Adhere tiles to plywood sheet using contact cement.
Hang the plywood with two French cleat brackets.
Line it up 18 inches from the floor or with the bottom of your mattress, then frame it with whitewashed quarter round molding.