DIY Stylish Leather Magazine Rack: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you’re like me and my family, you cherish the joy of reading magazines. In our digital age, the allure of a paper subscription remains strong. To keep our beloved magazines organized and easily accessible in the living room, I embarked on a fun DIY project: creating a simple yet stylish wood and leather magazine rack. This guide will walk you through each step, allowing you to create your own magazine haven.

Inspiration Behind the DIY Leather Magazine Rack

My initial research led me to admire the elegant combination of leather and brass/gold in magazine racks, similar to this one. I considered repurposing a vintage folding tray table for this project, but quickly realized that its height was unsuitable. Luggage racks were also too tall and didn’t have the right width for my desired magazine storage.

Serendipity struck during a garage sale when I stumbled upon a clothes drying rack. It wasn’t what I initially envisioned, but I had a feeling it could be transformed into the perfect base for my DIY magazine rack.

Surprisingly, the drying rack appeared to be the most affordable type you can find at discount stores. I was fortunate to snag it at a garage sale price, but I’ll include a link to a new option in the materials list below.

Materials You’ll Need for Your DIY Magazine Rack

Before you begin, gather these essential materials:

• Wooden clothes drying rack. A great option can be found on Amazon.
• Leather, vinyl, or upholstery fabric. I opted for this faux leather from Joann’s, which beautifully mimics the look and feel of real leather.
• Hot glue gun or sewing machine: Choose the method you’re most comfortable with.
• Gold spray paint: To add a touch of elegance.
• Hand saw or multi-tool: For cutting the drying rack.
• Chain or string: For securing the sides.
• Cutting pliers (optional): If using a chain.
• Thumbtacks: For attaching the chain or string.
• Scissors
• Ruler

Step 1: Disassemble and Prepare the Drying Rack

Begin by taking apart your drying rack, setting the dowels aside. The next step involves cutting the rack. After some trial and error, here’s the most efficient method I found:

The bottom half of the rack will serve as the side pieces of the magazine rack. You’ll want to cut underneath the grommet at a 90-degree angle. To achieve a precise 90-degree angle, we need to allow for greater movement within the accordion rack. To accomplish this, FIRST cut the rack at the locations marked with pink Xs in the image.

Step 2: Make Precise Cuts for the Sides

Once you’ve made the initial cuts to free up the rack, you can adjust the wood to make a clean 90-degree cut beneath the grommet. Cut one side, then flip the rack over and repeat on the other side.

Initially, I considered keeping the grommets, as the dowel rods were designed to fit within them. However, this proved challenging because the grommets extended through both pieces of wood. Ultimately, I decided that drilling new holes would be faster than removing/cutting the grommets and sanding down the freshly cut dowel rods to fit.

This is what one side should look like after cutting. You will need two of these. The middle grommet will act as your connecting point. Because we removed the top grommets, the distance from the grommet to the end of the wood will differ on each side. This asymmetry is actually beneficial for the structure of the magazine rack.

Use the longer side as the base of the magazine rack and the shorter side as the top. This will allow the leather/fabric of the magazine rack to hang slightly lower.

Step 3: Repeat on the Opposite Side

Repeat Steps 1 and 2 on the opposite side of the drying rack. Ensure that both sides are the same length for a balanced magazine rack.

Step 4: Drill Holes for the Dowel Rods

You should now have two X-shaped pieces, which will form the sides of your magazine rack. Drill holes at each end of one side of the rack. To ensure alignment, stack the sides together and drill through both simultaneously. Then, place the side with drilled holes on top of the side without holes and mark the locations for the holes (not pictured). Drill the holes on the second side of the magazine rack. Accurate measurements are crucial to ensure that the dowel rods will be level when inserted.

Step 5: Measure the Dowel Rods

It’s time to measure the dowel rods. I used a magazine to estimate the desired length, opting for a slightly larger size to accommodate coffee table books. The length is entirely up to you.

I wanted the exposed portion of my magazine rack to be 17 inches wide. When measuring, remember to account for the fact that you’ll be cutting off the sanded ends. Because I removed the grommets in Step 2, I needed both ends of the dowel to be the same thickness. Cut these off before measuring (not pictured).

The two dowel rods will have different lengths because one will be inserted into the inside of the rack, while the other will be inserted into the outside. I wanted the dowel rods to extend completely through the wood, flush with the outside of the rack. The depth of my wood was 1/4 inch.

The bottom dowel was straightforward: I needed to cut it to 17.5 inches.

The top dowel needed to be 1 inch longer because it had to extend the length of two of the 0.25-inch thick pieces on each side, totaling 0.5 inches more on each side. I cut it to 18 inches [17 inches + 0.5 + 0.5 = 18 inches].

Summary: Whatever your measurement, cut one dowel 1/2 inch longer than the other.

Step 6: Cut the Dowel Rods

Cut your dowel rods to the appropriate lengths. The picture shows three rods, but you only need two. Use a clamp to secure them while cutting. I used my multi-tool, but a hacksaw or chop saw would also work.

Step 7: Secure the Sides

To prevent the magazine rack from collapsing, you need to secure the sides. I used snippers to cut an old necklace I had.

Step 8: Attach the Chain or String

I used thumbtacks to secure the chain. Any chain will work, or you can use a small strip of leather/fabric or string.

To ensure that each side opens the same amount, measure the distance from the grommet when placing the thumbtacks.

Step 9: Insert and Secure the Dowel Rods

Insert your dowel rods and secure them with glue. Apply a small amount of hot glue to the inside of the hole before inserting the dowel rod.

For a more finished look, add thumbtacks to the outside of the rack where the dowel is visible.

Step 10: Spray Paint the Magazine Rack

Spray paint your magazine rack in your desired color. I chose gold to mimic my inspiration.

Note: You can spray paint the parts separately and assemble the finished rack after the leather/fabric portion is sewn.

Step 11: Cut the Leather or Fabric

Now it’s time to cut your leather or fabric. I was unable to find a large enough piece of cognac leather in the remnant pile at my local leather store, so I chose a caramel-colored vinyl faux leather. I’m consistently impressed by how realistic vinyl has become. I found mine at Joann Fabric.

Cut the fabric into two pieces. My inspiration piece had the finished side of the leather visible on both sides of the magazine rack. If you’re using real leather, this step is optional. You might prefer the look of the softer side of the leather on the inside.

If you want the finished side visible on both the outside and inside, cut two pieces. I used two pieces because the unfinished side of faux leather isn’t aesthetically pleasing. Your measurements will depend on the size of your magazine rack. Here are the sizes of the two pieces I cut:

The exposed part of my inserted dowel is 17 inches. I added 1/4 inch to each side of the exposed dowel. The smaller piece will be cut to the exact width of the finished product. You will fold the edges of the larger piece over this smaller piece.

Step 12: Assemble the Leather/Fabric Pieces

Place the two “wrong sides” of the fabric/leather together, with the smaller piece in the middle. You should have about two inches of leather to fold over on the top and bottom, and one inch to fold over on each side.

Step 13: Fold and Secure the Sides

Fold the sides in by 1/2 inch and sew or glue them in place.

For the next steps, you can choose to sew or use glue. If you plan to store heavy books in the rack, sewing is recommended. If, like me, you’ll only be holding 3-5 magazines, hot glue or super glue will be sturdy enough.

Step 14: Finish the Sides

Fold the folded side another 1/2 inch to finish off the edges.

Step 15: Attach the Fabric to the Dowel Rods

Take the top edge and fold it over the dowel rod, securing it with glue. Since I cut straight lines on my vinyl, I didn’t need to fold it over twice on the top.

Note: If you haven’t assembled your magazine rack yet, this is where you would attach the fabric to the dowel rods before assembling the stand.

You’re done! All you need are some magazines.

The magazine rack is surprisingly sturdy and can hold more magazines than shown here.

I’m thrilled with how this little project turned out. Who would have guessed it started as an old drying rack!

I love a good repurposing project. The drying rack had enough parts to create several of these, so I might make a few more!