DIY Floating Dress Up Clothing Rack

I’m finally sitting down to share all the details on the floating dress up clothing rack that TJ and I built for Nori’s room. Out of all the DIY projects I’ve attempted over the years, this may be one of my favorite one’s yet! I created it to serve as a “dress up” corner for imaginative play, but it also works great as a rack to hold her wardrobe as well! What I love most is that the height of the hanging straps is completely adjustable. As your child grows, you can readjust the straps by making them hang higher. I love that Nori will have this to use for years to come! I included detailed steps along with photos below, but if you have any questions or need additional clarification, feel free to leave a comment!

Let’s get started!

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Materials:

• Shelf (I used a 47.8″ shelf)
• Leather straps (the exact one I used is sold out, but I linked a similar option)
• Rivets
• Leather Hole Puncher
• (4) Brackets (I used 7″ x 9″ brackets)
• (8) Drywall anchors
• (8) 1″ screws
• (8) 1-1/2″ screws
• Dowel (I used a 7/8″ x 48″ dowel)
• Power drill
• Tape measure or ruler
• Painters tape (optional)
• Hammer
• (1) nail (to create pilot holes)
• Pencil

*Before beginning, take note of the weight limits for your shelf, brackets and drywall anchors*

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Step 1 – Hang the brackets:

• Locate where you would like the shelf to sit. I opt’d for a height that was slightly above my head (I’m 5’7 for reference). Hold the shelf against the wall and draw a faint line underneath it. Alternatively, you could use painters tap to mark where the shelf will go.
• Using your tape measure or ruler, measure out the distance you would like between each bracket. Keep in mind the length of the shelf when determining how far you’d like to space them out. For mine, the two end brackets are spaced 5″ away from the ends of the shelf. The two middle brackets are 12.5″ apart on both sides.
• Once you’ve determined the spacing, place the brackets underneath the line (or painters tape) and lightly mark the inside of the top and bottom holes.
• Using a hammer, create “pilot holes” by hammering a nail into the hole marks that you drew. Next, hand screw the drywall anchors into the pilot holes.
• Line one of the brackets up to the anchors and drill a 1-1/2″ screw through the bracket hole into the top and bottom anchors.
• Repeat above step until all brackets are hung.

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Step 2 – Secure the shelf:

• Lay the shelf onto the brackets. Secure the shelf by drilling a 1″ screw into the top inner hole (closest to the wall).
• For the two center brackets *ONLY*, drill a screw into the top outer holes.

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Step 3 – Hang the leather straps:

• Measure how long you’d like the leather straps to hang (this is completely personal preference). For me, I wanted them long enough so that Nori could reach the hanging clothes herself, but not too low where the clothes touched the floor. Once you’ve determined the length of the straps, cut two identical pieces.
• Punch a small hole onto the top of each strap and insert a 1″ screw into the hole.
• Line the screw into the top outer hole of the outer bracket. Note: make sure the leather side is facing outwards and the smooth side is facing inwards.
• Slowly drill the screw into the hole. Note: this is the trickiest step. The leather strap tends to spin while you’re screwing it in, so be sure to have a steady grip and drill slowly.
• Repeat above step for the other outer bracket.

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• Grab the bottom of one of the leather straps and wrap it around the dowel to determine how wide the loop should be. Once you’ve determine the width, use the leather hole puncher to punch a hole onto the top of the loop and a second hole at the bottom of the loop. For the top hole, I used the smallest setting on the leather hole punch. For the bottom hole, I used the largest setting. The size needed for your holes may vary depending on your rivet size.
• Note: the bottom hole will need to be widened to fit the rivet. I punched two holes side-by-side (see image below)

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• Insert a rivet into the top hole (leather side). Flip the leather strap over and screw in the rivet backing.
• Next, take the rivet backing and insert it into the bottom punched hole to create a loop.
• Repeat above steps for the other leather strap.
• Insert the dowel inside both loops.

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That’s it! If you need a visual, here is a sped up video of TJ and I building the dress up rack.

In total, I’d say it took about an hour for us to complete (mainly from me having to run out twice to grab more materials haha). If you decide to try this out, I’d love for you to tag me so I can see your work!

Xo,

Brooke