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The benefits of houseplants are many, as are plant shelf ideas. Along with adding a touch of living color, texture, and shape to a room, plants even have some health advantages. Studies show houseplants may lower blood pressure, improve air quality, and enhance overall mood. But as any plant parent knows, once a green thumb kicks into overdrive, furniture and floor space for housing an ever-growing assortment of greenery runs out quickly.
Never fear—as long as there’s still available vertical space, a houseplant collection can continue to flourish. A DIY plant shelf or purchased shelves allow plants to be displayed without taking up too much room. Use the following 14 plant shelf ideas to fertilize your green thumb’s creativity, and then get growing with a few more houseplants.
1. Mini Succulent Shelf
With a mere 5.5-inch by 7.5-inch wall space in a sunny spot, this simple wooden plant shelf available at Etsy can show off a prized succulent or other small houseplant. Perch one potted plant on the handmade shelf and use the small hook underneath to suspend a second hanging plant. Choose from six different colors of wood stain for the preassembled shelf.
2. DIY Plant Shelves
Bob Vila’s Senior Product Manager Caitlin Castelaz faced a challenge familiar to many cat owners: how could she discourage her curious feline from jumping up onto the radiator and burning itself? The answer: a DIY plant shelf. The project on the left is constructed out of a leftover board cut to size and a pair of brackets. Of course, a cat or radiator isn’t required for this simple plant shelf—create your own like the complementary set Caitlin made on the right to hang anywhere that’s in need of some greenery.
3. Windowsill Shelf
If you have the perfect sunny window for a houseplant but no windowsill to hold it, then this no-tools-needed, easy-to-install window shelf available at Etsy is the solution. Available in five sizes, the reclaimed pine shelf perches in place via small nonscratch legs—no screws, nails, glue, or suction cups required. Once in position, use it to show off a few small plants. You might even find that it’s your cat’s new favorite basking spot.
4. Multi-Tiered Plant Stand
It’s a little boho, a touch retro, a bit rustic, and a whole lot of style. Tuck this multi-tiered wooden plant stand available at Etsy into any space in need of a boost of pizzazz; numerous plants can be displayed on its six shelves. The plant stand is made of weather-resistant wood, so it can even be kept outdoors on a patio or balcony. Like some of our favorite plant stands, it’s available with or without wheels.
5. DIY Ladder Plant Shelf
With an open afternoon, a couple of 1×6 boards, and basic tools, you can create a ladder plant stand to show off several pots of greenery together. This is a great project for a DIY newbie, but it will still provide plenty of oohs and aahs after sharing photos of the finished plant ladder online. Prop it up against any open wall near a window and set a houseplant or two into each of the three wire baskets for maximum impact.
6. Hexagon Floating Shelves
Turn a section of wall into a personal honeycomb with unique interlocking hexagon floating plant shelves available at Etsy. The design is retro yet modern, potentially adding a lot of flare to any room. The shelves are 3.5 inches deep, so they can hold small plants or other curios. Each wooden unit is custom-made in six finishes and several different configurations.
7. DIY Window Plant Shelf
Bob Vila Editor in Chief Kathleen Corlett created this handy DIY window plant shelf, which fits right inside the existing window frame. “For my plant shelf, I took a few 6-inch-wide boards left over from an old project and stained them to match the color of my window trim. To secure the lower shelf, I cut a dado (a rectangular slot) into each side of the window frame, then slid the shelf into place and fastened it with wood glue and finishing nails.”
8. Minimalist Floating Plant Shelf
For a no-frills, minimalist decorating style, these simple round wooden floating shelves available at Etsy are the perfect touch of home décor. Made of oak with a beeswax polish, the shelves anchor to the wall without obvious attachments, giving them a floating appearance. It’s an especially effective way to display a striking succulent or cactus, or top the shelf with a favorite leafy plant. Choose from four different sizes. All include the required anchors and screws, along with hanging instructions.
9. Farmhouse Plant Bench
This rustic plant bench with hairpin legs available at Etsy is perfect for the modern farmhouse, and it’s also a good fit for any casual or rustic decorating style—especially when it’s showing off a few houseplants in attractive containers. Handmade from pine and steel, the 29.5-inch by 11.25-inch bench is available in eight different wood finishes and six different lengths.
10. DIY Pipe Shelf for Plants
Bob Vila Executive Editor Jenny Stanley created this contemporary-yet-rustic plant shelf. “I built two shelves like this for my kitchen makeover a couple of years ago and loved them so much I needed more. First, I cut, sanded, and finished a 1×8 board to match my kitchen shelves, and then I mounted two plumbing pipe flanges to wall studs. The brackets are 1/2-inch plumbing pipes cut to 8 inches and are threaded on both ends, which makes assembly super easy. I added pipe caps to the exposed ends and screwed pipe straps under the wood shelf to hold it in place. I love how the shelves in my kitchen and this one in the living room match. It really helps to tie the spaces together.”
11. IKEA-Hack Greenhouse Kit
If you take both your houseplants and your IKEA seriously, combine the two by turning an IKEA MILSBO Glass-Door Cabinet into a small indoor greenhouse. After purchasing the IKEA cabinet, this handy greenhouse modification kit available at Etsy can be used to tackle the conversion. The kit includes grow lights, shelving, fans, and various fasteners to complete the project. IKEA furniture hacks like this one are popular not just for the Instagram bragging rights, but since they also provide a handy spot to grow herbs, start seeds, or show off houseplants.
12. DIY Corner Plant Stand
When it comes to decorating, corners are often wasted real estate. But why not use that space to show off some houseplants? A simple DIY plant stand can perch greenery in any neglected corner. No elaborate supplies are needed, either—just a few small pieces of lumber and basic tools. The project can be assembled in an afternoon and shown off the same evening.
13. Four-Tiered Hanging Shelf
Houseplants are like potato chips: you can’t stop at just one. Show off an expanding indoor collection with this four-tiered wooden plant shelf available at Etsy. It includes hanging hooks and drywall anchors, so it can be easily positioned to hang in front of a window for maximum sun exposure. Alternatively, use it to decorate a wall in need of a little something extra. Choose from seven colors of wood stain and 10 different shelf sizes.
14. Wrought-Iron Plant Brackets
Encircle plant containers with a ring of wrought iron attached to a sturdy bracket. These plant brackets available at Amazon—a set of three—can be hung wherever you’d like to show off some greenery, whether that be indoors or on a patio or balcony. Each of the brackets can hold a plant pot up to 5 7/16-inches in diameter. The brackets are also available in five other sizes, and their simple design complements just about any decorating scheme.