With all this recent talk about plants, it would probably be a good idea to address where to put them! My “indoor garden” has grown so much and while my previous setup near the window was a temporary and quick solution consisting of two old IKEA stools, it became more permanent as almost a year later the cramped and uninspiring situation remained the same.
Well! I finally got sick of my plants looking cluttered and messy and did something about it. I made not one, but THREE of these modern plant stands using wood and ceramic tile. Here’s how it goes.
I used square birch wood sticks to create the stands. The 24 inch sticks were used as is but I cut up 9 of the 36 inch sticks into all the other pieces shown in the bottom photo. Why such random measurements for the connectors, you might be asking? The ceramic tile I picked out to use as the table top is exactly 11 5/8″ square, and since I wanted the tile to sit in between two pairs of legs, that meant the legs in each pair needed to be separated by exactly 11 5/8″. The 10 1/8″ is the difference between 11 5/8″ and the 3/4″ widths of each leg so that the leg pairs would be connected at a combined total distance of 11 5/8″ (10 1/8″ + 3/4″ + 3/4″ = 11 5/8″. Did I lose you?) The point is, these measurements are all based on the size of the table top, so measure accordingly!
*NOTE: save the wood-staining for after you’ve put the stands together because it’s simply easier. I stained the wood first in this case because I needed to take advantage of some precious free-time I had and unfortunately didn’t have a power drill on me at that moment. So, do not do what I did (unless you really want to, of course). Stain the wood later!
Each of the stands were assembled in this way. I first drilled the 10 1/8″ sticks about 1.5 inches up from the base of each pair of legs, then connected the leg pairs by drilling in the 11 5/8″ sticks about an inch higher. I used brass screws and liked the look of them, so I didn’t bother trying to cover them up in any way. As I mentioned earlier, now’s the best time to stain the wood and let it dry.
Next, I drilled in brass corner braces (4 for each stand) about 1.5 inches down from the top of the legs on the sides connected by the 11 5/8″ wood sticks. This is for the ceramic tile to sit perfectly on top of. I applied Gorilla Glue (affiliate link) on top of the brass braces and set the tile on top. I let the glue dry fully before testing it out, and I tell ya, I trust my life with this stuff. Ok, that’s an exaggeration, but seriously, this glue has never failed me!
So there’s one stand, and here’s all three!
I call this plant stand arrangement the Olympic medal ceremony. I’m so so happy with the way these stands elevate (pun intended) my plants and they’re a major upgrade from what I had before.
A little update about my curtains. The previous black and white striped ones I had were so thick and heavy that they blocked a lot of light. So, I replaced them with semi-sheer white curtains to brighten up our living room. They still need to be hemmed, but for now I’m just pretending that they are :). They’ve made such a huge difference! An EXCELLENT and simple way to change things up and brighten the home for Spring!
Did you spot my DIY Geo Planters? And did you also notice the stands re-arranged in the last photo? Can’t decide if I like them better in the Olympic medal ceremony arrangement or in descending order. Which do you prefer?
Oh wow! I love the big impact all 3 make in the window together. You can’t have too many plants!
So cute!!! I love these plant stands! I’ve been thinking of plant stands too for the huge window in my kitchen! By the way,I like your sheer curtains too! ;)
<3
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These are absolutely gorgeous! You did an excellent job :)
Ohhh girl I love these! Especially love how you made them all different heights and the tiles sit lower than the legs. Your plants are sittin’ pretty!
What a great idea, Amy! I love how they turned out. It is so hard to find decent and modern looking plant stands, and yours look great. I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
Whhaaaat?! These are amazing Amy! I’m so jealous of your large window :)
Amy, you are so talented with tools. Great solution for your plant arrangement. I’m going with the Olympic arrangements.
:)
Hope you had a nice Easter!
Oh my gosh Amy I can’t believe you made these, they are awesome! Plus they look so good with all of the pretty plants :) Pinned!
Amy, this is so, so cool! I can’t build anything to save my life but this looks like a project even a total newbie like me can handle :)
Your indoor garden looks great!! Ever since spotting a caterpillar on an orchid years ago I’ve never been brave enough to try again..but I think its time! I just love nature brought indoors!
Wonderful DIY idea! I am pinning these… they would make great bedside tables!.Thanks for sharing!
Simple and sweet! I love your choice of hardware.
Love the varied heights of the stands. A great way to display a collection of small plants.
Oh wow, these are awesome! I like the “Olympic” style arrangement the best, but they are so cool you could arrange however you want! :) I have a similarly well lit window that I would love to fill with plants, can’t wait!
These are seriously awesome and look pretty simple to make! All of your plants and pretty pots look so good on these. Thanks for sharing at The Makers Amy.
You did an excellent job building these! I am going to try them myself. I have a 40 year old philodendron plant that was my late grandmother’s and need a stand for it. This would be perfect! Thanks for posting.
p.s. I love the way the stands look in your “Olympic medal ceremony” arrangement. They make an eye catching grouping.
Hey lady, I just wanted to let you know I featured your diy modern plant stand on the Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop. Thanks for sharing. Hope you have a fabulous week!
Just wanted you to know, I loved this so much, it’s being featured on The DIY’ers! http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-diyers-59.html
STUNNING! They turned out really great!! As usual your photography is amazing
I love these! I want to make a tall one with lots of shelves that I can fill with plants in my little flat. Thanks for the great tutorial! x
How have I not commented on this yet? Sorry to be so late to the party! I love these! And I think it is so smart that you used a tile as the table top! Genius! I’m having a tough time deciding which arrangement I like better, but I think I’m leaning towards the descending from tallest to shortest.
Jealous over this. It’s really really nice.Thanks for sharing.
I think this tutorial shows a wonderful way to display a collection of plants. I can’t wait to get started and make my own plant stand!DIY plant stand making tutorial.
I love the look of these! Where did you get the wood? (the sticks) I would love to make these, but having trouble finding these sizes! Thank you!
I think I got them from either Michaels or JoAnn!