How to DIY Blake’s Belted Chair

When I saw this chair at The Haymaker Shop, it was love at first sight. As a die hard DIYer I started thinking about how I could make a version of this chair myself …

Chicago carpenter and designer Blake Sloane created this unique chair using a pile of old leather belts that he wove into a seat of a thrift store chair. Seems easy enough to DIY, right?

The first challenge will be to find a chair that could use this treatment. An old wood chair with a cane seat would be perfect and, if you lack carpentry skills, one that is still sturdy would be nice, too. It would be a shame to invest all this work in a rickety old chair.

The next challenge is to collect enough leather belts to create the seat. Blake used twelve belts of different widths to create the seat on his chair. Start searching the thrift stores now — or perhaps you could find a collection of belts in an ebay auction so that you could get the whole lot at once.

Once you’ve collected your chair and belts, it’s time to put it all together. Blake attached his belts to the chair using a screw and washer, as you can see in the image below.

I think the easiest way to create the seat of belts would be to attach one set going in one direction and then go back and weave the other set in. So, for instance, take six belts and attach them all to the chair, going from side to side. Once those belts are attached, go back and weave in the belts that will run from front to back. After each belt is woven in, attach it to the underside of the chair. Take a cue from Blake and include one colorful belt in the seat.

Of course, looking at all of the work involved in DIYing this chair, I’m starting to think that I’d rather just shell out the $135 and buy Blake’s chair at Haymaker!

Images: Jason Loper