Leather Strap Shelving That’s Actually Strong and Sturdy

For an alternative to traditional shelving brackets, here’s a DIY that you should try. These leather strap hangers are a fun alternative to shelving brackets—and they’re surprisingly sturdy and easy to make! 

When I was sourcing the shelving brackets for my son’s room, I wanted something a bit more interesting-looking than the usual metal and plastic bracket options. After nearly being swayed by some wooden brackets on Etsy that were $40 a piece, I pressed eject and decided to DIY something. (What else is new?)

Leather Straps Instead of Shelving Brackets

I wish I could take credit for this idea, but I can’t. While I couldn’t pinpoint the exact origins of the leather strap design, a quick browser search showed this project recreated by numerous DIYers in a variety of colors and styles.

However, there was one thing stood out to me when I looked at these designs: they didn’t look very strong. I could only ever spot one fastener attaching each hanging strap to the wall. I knew I would need to change that. Especially because I was making them for a kids room; the configuration would need additional screws for safety. 

So I got to work making my own DIY leather strap shelving, looking for ways to improve the design for strength and safety. The whole project took a little over an hour and ended up being a stylish focal point in the room.

Here’s how to make your own leather strap shelving for your next shelf project:

1. Selecting Materials
2. Design and Planning
3. Cut and Prep Shelving
4. Cut and Pre-drill Leather
5. Mark Screw Placement on the Wall
6. Attach the Straps to the Wall
7. Slide in and Position the Shelves
8. Secure the Shelves to the Straps

Step-by-Step: How to Make DIY Leather Strap Shelving

Step 1: Selecting Materials

Leather

First things first: the leather. As the strength of the shelves was my primary thought, I opted for genuine leather strips that were 1” wide and 2mm thick. The leather strips that I bought were 72 inches long, so in order to make four straps (each 34 inches long), I ended up needing two rolls of it.

If you’re interested in faux or vegan leather options instead of real leather, there are other options available. This faux leather available in 1″ strips could work for this project in place of real leather.

Decorative Screw Caps

I knew that I would be adding extra screws to secure the straps to the wall, so I sourced these really beautiful brass screw caps to conceal the screw heads. That way, more screws would actually be adding to the beauty of the piece instead of detracting from it.

The brass screw caps have a threaded washer which sits under the screw head. Simply feed your screw through the washer before you screw it into the wood. Then, twist the cap onto the threaded washer, completely concealing the screw head. 

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Wood Shelving

When choosing wood for your shelving, there are solid wood and engineered wood options you can consider.

If you are going for solid wood, look for a straight, sturdy board that won’t warp over time. Solid hardwoods like oak or maple offer durability and a polished look, while softer woods like pine can be a budget-friendly option with a bit more rustic charm. Usually solid wood needs to be stained or sealed, and sometimes even sanded before applying a finish, so be aware that these materials might require a bit of extra prep work.

There are also engineered options like MDF (medium density fiberboard) that often comes primed or with a melamine coating. While MDF is an affordable and widely available option for shelving, one downside is that when you cut it, it leaves an unfinished edge where you can see the inside of the fiberboard. To fix this, you can use a stick on, or iron-on edging to cover the unfinished edge.

For my shelves, I used melamine-coated MDF, which I later edged with iron-on oak veneer. I used the oak veneer because I already had some from another project. But something like this birch veneer for plywood/particle board would have worked perfectly as well.

Step 2: Design & Planning

The next step is to decide how many shelves you want to hang, roughly how long they’ll be, and where you’ll be hanging them. For my son’s room, I decided two shelves would be perfect, providing enough display storage, without feeling overwhelming in the small space.

Next, locate your wall studs. It’s important that shelves are always anchored into a structural component of the wall. Locating your wall studs should be done at the design stage as it provides an opportunity to tweak your layout and the length of the shelving so it can line up with the studs. For an easy way to find a stud, check out my previous post on finding a wall stud using a magnet. If you have lath and plaster, or if your walls are concrete or brick (no studs), click here for more information.

Mark the location of your walls studs with pencil for later reference. Because your leather straps will need to be fastened to the studs, check that the placement of the straps makes sense with your shelving design.

Step 3: Cut and Prep Shelving

Once you’ve decided on the dimension for your shelves, cut your shelf boards to length using a miter saw. My shelves ended up being 38 inches in length with a depth of 7.5 inches. I made them from melamine-coated MDF, which I later edged with iron-on oak veneer.

If you’re using solid wood, make sure your boards are smooth and fully sanded before staining or sealing your wood. If you’re using melamine/MDF like I did, you might also want to finish the cut edge with wood edging before you move on to the next steps.

Step 4: Cut and Pre-drill Leather

The easiest way to determine the length of your leather straps is to take a scrap piece of your shelf and use it to mock up the hanging strap placement. This helps you visualize how tall you want the leather triangle to be. Once you’ve settled on the height, cut four identical leather straps.

I ended up cutting my leather strips to 34 inches in length. I also did an angle cut on each end of the straps to give it a more decorative look. Because the tail end of the leather strip gets brought up to the top end, the angle cut at end creates the look of a chevron or a V.

To ease the screw through the leather, it is best to predrill a hole through the leather before you go to hang it.

Each strap should have two holes at the top where it will be screwed into the wall. These two screws will help distribute the weight and keep the strap secure. Drill the first hole about 1 inch from the top, and a second hole about 1 inch below that.

Use your first piece of pre-drilled leather as a guide for the rest of the leather strip (or drill all 4 at once in a stack if you feel confident enough). This ensures that all the pilot holes are in the exact same spot for each. Then, repeat this for the tail end of the leather, ensuring that two holes are placed in the end of the leather strap exactly where they will meet the top of the strap so the screw can easily pass through the two layers of leather.

Step 5: Mark Screw Placement on the Wall

When hanging shelves, the best and easiest way to mark your shelf placement is by using a level, not a tape measure. Especially in old houses where floors and ceilings might be slanted, measuring up from the floor or down from the ceiling will not guarantee a straight shelf.

Instead, use a long level and place it vertically along the mark you had previously made for your wall stud. Choose the height where you want your first shelf to sit. Since the screw for the leather strap will be higher than the shelf itself, measure upward about 10″ (or the distance on your leather strap between where the shelf will sit and the top screw hole). Make a small pencil mark. Double check that this mark is still in line with the wall stud.

If you are planning to add a second shelf above or below, hold your level vertically against the wall, lining it up with your first mark. Adjust the level until it is perfectly straight (the bubble is centered showing it is vertically level) Then, select your next point along the vertical line where you would like your next shelf to be and mark the top screw hole again, about 10 inches above where each shelf will actually sit.

Once your vertical marks are in place, it’s time to position the second hanger for each shelf. Use a long level horizontally to transfer your markings to the stud where you will be placing your second leather strap. Mark this point. Double check that the markings for the second straps also fall directly on a stud.

Step 6: Attach the Straps to the Wall

Before screwing your straps to the wall, it’s a good idea to first hold your up your leather straps using a small piece of scrap shelving to visually double-check your layout. When you’re happy with the placement, use a 2″ screw, feeding it though the top and bottom pilot holes you made in the leather so that the leather straps form a U shape. Screw into the marking you made on the wall until it is tight. If you decide to use the screw covers like I did, make sure you add the threaded washers to your screws before screwing them in.

Before adding the second screw, use the level to ensure the strap is hanging straight vertically. Repeat for all four straps.

Step 7: Slide in and Position the Shelves

Once the straps are up, slide your shelf boards through. Adjust them so they sit perpendicular to the wall and centered between the straps.

Step 8: Secure the Shelves to the Straps

To keep everything in place, use a screw to secure the leather strap to the underside of the shelving. While this step is optional, I would recommend it to prevent the shelf from shifting.

Start by making sure the shelf is perfectly centered, with the same amount of overhang on each side of the leather straps. Use a torpedo level (or short level) to make sure it isn’t slanting forward or backward.

Then, drill a shallow pilot hole through the leather strap and into the underside of each shelf (be careful not to drill through the face of the shelf!). Using a short screw that wont go through the top face of the shelf, screw the leather strap to the shelf. I used 1/2″ screws for a shelf thickness of 5/8″.

If you are using decorative caps, be sure to feed your threaded washer onto the screw before screwing it in.

Twist on the decorative brass screw caps over the threaded washers to cover the screw heads. Then do one last check for level. If your wall markings and strap cuts were precise, everything should be perfectly aligned and ready to use.

Final Thoughts

This project turned out to be one of my favorite little upgrades—the leather strap shelving looks amazing and the whole project took just a little over an hour.

Because these shelves are in my child’s room, safety was key. Properly locating a wall stud or structural elements to secure the straps to, and adding additional screws makes a difference. If you’re thinking of doing a longer shelf, consider adding a third strap in the center for extra support.

When mounted with at least two screws per strap into the stud, it makes for a strong and secure assembly. However, leather strap shelving naturally has a bit more flex than traditional shelving brackets. So if you’re planning to hang heavier or breakable items on the shelves, consider tethering them to the wall with wire. I did this with a couple picture frames that I set on the shelf, attaching them with a piece of wire to a nail on the wall. It’s a small step that gives added peace of mind, especially in a kid’s space.

All in all, this was a simple and rewarding project I’d definitely repeat elsewhere in the house. I love how it adds both warmth and character in place of tradition brackets. These shelves are classic, whimsical—and most importantly, safe.