DIY Video: How to Make a $20 Cabinet Pull for $2

I’ve been renting my flat in San Francisco for a few years now, and ever since I moved in, I’ve been bothered (make that incensed) by the cabinet hardware in the kitchen. The real dilemma? Twenty-four cabinets, combined with an obsessive love for leather pulls priced at $20 each (do the math and that’s a $480 investment). The good news is that I figured out a way to get the cabinet pulls of my dreams and still have enough money to eat lunch.

Want to give it a try? See my DIY video for step-by-step instructions (you’ll need to source the materials outlined below).

Above: The finished product, inspired by a sophisticated pull spotted on Remodelista.

Here’s What You Need:

• Vegetable-tanned Leather Hide, $20 on Etsy (a single hide yields 30 cabinet pulls).

• Matte Behr Interior Paint in white; $11.23 at Home Depot.

• Nuts and Carriage Bolts; $5.44 for a pack of 20 at Home Depot.

• General Tool 818 Scratch Awl; $6.60 at Amazon.

• Paint Brushes; $1.15 each at Home Depot.

N.B. If you want to see project that started Alexa’s obsession, go to Leather Handles from Nu.

Finally, get more ideas on how to evaluate and choose kitchen cabinetry and hardware in our Remodeling 101 Guide: Kitchen Cabinets & Hardware.