DIY Plant Stand – Mid Century Modern

A super simple and quick to make DIY plant stand – not a single nail required! I can barely flick through a home style magazine these days without clapping eyes on a wooden plant stand. It seems that unless your house plants are elevated a least a few inches off the floor, they’re simply not on trend.   

Mid century modern isn’t generally my thing, but I have to admit there’s something about these plant stands that I think is really cool. So why haven’t I bought one already, you’re thinking? Well, the trouble is every time I see said plant stands there’s a nagging doubt. Yes, they look nice, but I’m pretty sure I can make my own for less than half the price. Surely a DIY plant stand would save me a small fortune?

Inspired by this plant stand from Maison du monde for £35.99 I thought I would make my own version. To put my own spin on it I decided to add splash of paint and create dip dye legs.

So this bank holiday weekend, I thought I would give it a go. I’d already purchased a new plant for my office on a recent trip to Ikea.

DIY Plant Stand Tutorial

What you need

• Pine wood –  I used two 15mm x 25mm x 90mm
• Painters tape
• Chalk paint
• Wood glue
• Saw
• Sanding paper
• Chisel
• Plant pot

Directions

1# Cut four legs from the wood. The length of your legs will depend on the size of your pot. I recommend making the legs a few cm longer than your pot. In my case, my pot was 12 cm high, so I cut the legs at 15cm.

2# Next you need to make the support to sit under your pot. Measure the width of your pot (if it’s a tapering pot ensure you take this into account when measuring). Cut two pieces of wood to this length. Now a quick disclaimer, my woodworking knowledge is on the slim side. I am good at googling though! Google tells me that the type of joint you need to create with these two pieced of wood is a cross half lap joint.

I think this video explains how to make the joint well. I must admit, my husband helped out with this bit and did so using a pencil and ruler rather than a set square – oh and no vice either!

When the joint is complete, apply some glue to the join and then stick the wood together.

3# If you want to create dip dye effect legs, measure to the same length on each leg and then mask off the area below to ensure that you get clean lines. Get to work covering those feet and allow to dry. Paint a second coat if required and remove the painters tape.

Tip# Use the plant pot to keep the legs upright while they dry.

4# Decide where you would like your plant pot to sit and then use a pencil to make a mark at this distance on each on each leg. Take one leg, apply glue below the line and then stick the outer part of the support cross on. Once the glue is dry, repeat for each leg, I used a small paint pot to apply pressure while it dried.

5# Turn your DIY plant stand up the right way, add your plant pot (that hopefully fits in nicely) and pop your plant in.

It cost me less than £10 for the materials, given that I already had the paint, so I’m super happy with this little project. One leg is a tad short, but hey – that’s part of the DIY charm surely?

House plants that are hard to kill (unless you’re me)

Now if like me, you’re not exactly the most green fingered, I’ve put together a list of house plants that are really hard to kill. Although I have to admit I have managed to neglect an Aloe Vera to death – I am not proud of that fact. Hopefully, this should help you to choose the perfect plant for your DIY plant stand.

• Spider plant
• Dragon tree
• Rubber plant
• Succulents
• Philodendron
• Fiddle leaf fig
• Jade plant
• Peace Lily

Most of these plants only require watering once a week, but failing that there are lots of great faux plants.

Want more DIY ideas? Save yourself a fortune with these fab projects. 

What are your tips for keeping house plants healthy? Let me know in the comments below. 

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