This Leather Vase DIY Looks Like a Boutique Find

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Image Credit: Maya Marin

DIY in a Day brings you step-by-step instructions for easy projects that will spruce up your space — within 24 hours (or less!).

If you love clean lines and simple shapes, here's a quick and easy home decor DIY project that you can make in under an hour. Inspired by high-end boutique leather vases, this project is the perfect introduction to working with leather and rivets — or in this particular example, faux leather and rivets. Whether you go genuine or faux, the process is the same, and the results are equally stunning.

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Things You'll Need

  • Cylindrical vase, any material, any size

  • Enough upholstery or apparel leather hide, or faux leather fabric (in desired shade) to wrap around the vase shaft with about a 1-inch overlap where the sides meet. You'll use this to create a removable leather sleeve to surround the vase. (Fabric stores like Joann will have a variety of choices.)

  • Small rivets ( 6mm ) in desired finish; 4 for each vase. We recommend these quick and easy rapid rivets.

  • Sharp, heavy duty shears for cutting leather

  • Tape measure

  • Pencil

  • Yard stick or ruler

  • Leather punch tool

  • Rivet setting tools (we used a hammer and this economical rivet setter with anvil)

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Leather sheet, measuring tape, shears, hammer, rivets, glass vase
Image Credit: Maya Marin

Step 1: Measure Your Vase

Using your tape measure, measure the circumference of the vase, adding a 1-inch overlap. This measurement will be the width of your leather piece.

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Hands wrapping measuring tape around a clear glass vase
Image Credit: Maya Marin

Measure the height of your vase. This will be the height (i.e. the short edge) of your leather piece. We added about 1/4 inch extra to slightly increase the height and to ensure that the entire vase was covered, but this is optional.

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Hands using measuring tape on a clear glass vase
Image Credit: Maya Marin

Step 2: Measure and Cut Leather to Size

Use your straight-edge measuring stick and pencil to mark the back side of the leather according to the height and width measurements taken in step 1.

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Hands using ruler and pencil on leather
Image Credit: Maya Marin

Cut out the leather piece using your heavy-duty shears.

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Hands cutting leather with heavy duty shears
Image Credit: Maya Marin

The short edges of the leather rectangle will be joined together by the rivets to create an outer leather sleeve.

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Step 3: Measure and Mark Rivet Placement

Wrap the leather around the vase so that it's snug but not too tight. You'll need to be able to slip the sleeve on and off the vase whenever needed.

Image Credit: Maya Marin

Now you'll mark the placement of your rivets along the edges of your leather piece to be joined. Using your tape measure and pencil, mark four dots along each short edge of the leather piece as follows: one dot one inch from the top of the leather piece (i.e. the long edge) and 1/4 inch in from the joining edge, as shown in the photo below. Then mark a second dot about one inch down from the first. Repeat this at the opposite end so there are four dots total on the joining edge. Now, repeat this step on the opposite short edge so you'll have four corresponding dots on the other joining edge.

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Image Credit: Maya Marin

Step 4: Punch Holes

Use your leather punching tool to punch 2mm holes at each dot marked in Step 3.

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Image Credit: Maya Marin

Ensure that the dots align when you overlap the edges to create your leather sleeve.

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Image Credit: Maya Marin

Step 5: Set Rivets to Attach Edges

Following manufacturer instructions, set the rivets in the holes to join the edges of the sleeve. This will entail inserting the rivet post into two corresponding holes, placing the cap on the post, then using a tool (in this case, a hammer) to set the cap.

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Hands assembling beige leather vase with silver rivets
Image Credit: Maya Marin
Hands folding leather with silver rivet
Image Credit: Maya Marin

We placed a piece of wood inside the sleeve below the anvil to protect the other side of the leather piece from possible indentation, but this is optional.

Hand Beige hammering silver rivets in a leather vase with piece of wood
Image Credit: Maya Marin

Repeat for all four rivets.

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Beige leather vases with silver rivets and piece of wood
Image Credit: Maya Marin

Once the edges are attached, just slip the sleeve over the vase and you're done.

Beige leather vases with silver rivets
Image Credit: Maya Marin

Insert your desired greenery and enjoy! We recommend a single palm branch, a monstera leaf (as shown below), pampas grass, or a single tree branch from your own yard.

Beige leather vases with plants on side table next to peach curtains
Image Credit: Maya Marin

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