When you are redecorating part of your home or simply want to spice up a certain area, you may be looking for unique ideas. One of the most underutilized decorating designs is the use of upholstered panels in doors. This type of design adds character and an instant focal point. Where can you use it? Well, just about anywhere and on any door. A great place to use this technique is on a den door. Adding a leather upholstered insert in a den door is the perfect way to create a custom look that will add character to your home.

The Basics
An upholstered insert is basically a raised panel set in the door. In the case of a leather panel, it is a custom cut piece of leather spread across a frame and stuffed with upholstery filling. It adds a great deal of character to a door. While it may be difficult to find pre-made panels, they can be easily made and set in the door.

Customization
When you are using leather as the insert material, you have a wide range of style options. Leather comes in many different shades and variations. One clever way to accent your den door is to add a customized piece of leather to the insert. You can have a design worked into the leather to showcase your favorite sports team, the name of the room (especially good if the den is a man cave), or any other design that intrigues you. There are leather working artists who can create these panels for you from a length of leather, or you can try your hand at leather working yourself.

How-To
Adding a leather upholstered insert is not as difficult as it may initially seem. To begin, measure the length and width of the area on the door that you want to cover. Purchase a length of leather that is twice as large as those measurements for the front and back and over by 4-5 inches on each side. Next, get batting and a length of thin plywood to act as a frame. Staple the batting to the plywood to create the thickness that you desire. Place the leather, right side down, on a table and center the plywood, batting side down, on top of it. Pulling the leather tight as you go, wrap it around the back of the plywood and staple it in place. When the leather it tightly adhered to the frame, trim off and tuck in any excess. Next, position the frame against the door and nail or screw it in place from the back of the door. You can also adhere it to the door with strong glue if you prefer.

Be as formal or as informal as you want when designing the look of the panel. You can also opt for several small panels, as opposed to one large panel if that look is more appealing to you. Be consistent with your design and make sure that the panel compliments the den\’s decor.

Author Bio: Home design expert, Alyssa Davis of Metal-Wall-Art.com, is particularly skilled in designing with sun metal sculpture and iron wall art.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: leather upholstered insert,den door,leather working,insert material,leather spread across