DIY Rope Art | Tutorial

Today, I’m sharing a project that will be installed in a model home that I designed – I photographed on the floor because I didn’t want to take the time to measure and hang just for photos – though I’m pretty obsessed, so maybe I’ll make a pair for myself!

Repeated again to make quarters.

To make the final cut, we removed the square insert from the Ikea frame (pictured in photo below) held it in the corner and marked the edges – it should sit perfectly flush inside the insert. We just cut the outer edges (without the rope)

Next, the plywood/rope will be glued to the back of the Ikea frame – we placed a heavy duty adhesive on the inside side of the back of the Ikea frame – we roughly centered it and then placed the insert from the frame around the plywood/rope to make sure it was perfectly centered. The insert does not need to be glued to the back – it will float in the frame. We placed weights on it to make sure it dried evenly (check to make sure it didn’t shift!)

(Tip: before attaching to the back of the frame, take notice of the hanger and keep the wood grain of the plywood in the same direction – lay all four pieces of the circle out together before gluing)

You’ll notice below that the back of the Ikea frame sits out slightly – it will rest on the insert.

To frame – place the insert back in the frame and make sure all the tabs are straight – vacuum the rope (it will probably still leave a little mess when framing, but that didn’t bother me) and place the back on the frame – you will have to wiggle the frame a little – I suggest getting two sides in and then gently tug the other sides until it is flush.

It’s hard to get a sense of the scale without seeing it with furniture, so Charlotte graciously offered to model (for a treat!)

We used Manila rope (left) and Sisal rope (right) a cotton clothesline would be a good option too!

That’s it!

I hope you’ll give this a try or that it will inspire you to use something basic and turn it into something unique!