Home Decor and DIY: DIY Wood Box Centerpiece

DIY Wood Box Centerpiece

As soon as we finished building our massive farmhouse dining table, I knew that we would need some kind of centerpiece to cozy up the space. I didn’t want anything too big that would clutter the whole table, but something that would fit in with our farmhouse vibe and allow me to display some pretty seasonal flowers or other decorative items whenever the mood strikes.

This rustic Wood Box Centerpiece is perfect for displaying flowers and other decorative items on your table. Get the easy step-by-step tutorial for making your own box at LoveGrowsWild.com — Save

I thought about doing some kind of lazy susan or a shallow basket at first, but I ended up going with a simple wood box because a) it’s super versatile and can be used in all kinds of different ways and b) it was really easy to make!

I built the long, narrow box out of 1 x 6 boards and gave it a rustic, distressed look with a combination of stain, chalk paint, and some “old” drawer pulls.

Supplies:

3 – 1 x 6 cut to 22.5″

2 – 1 x 6 cut to 7″

miter saw and/or circular saw

Kreg Jig

tape measure

drill

1 1/4″ Kreg Jig Screws

palm sander

paint or stain of choice

2 – drawer pulls

* These dimensions will give you a box that is 2′ long by 7″ wide.

Instructions:

First, cut all your 1 x 6 pieces then drill pocket holes with the Kreg Jig as I’ve shown below. The top two pieces are the short sides, the next two pieces with pocket holes in each corner are the long sides, and the bottom piece will be the bottom of the box.

Use 1 1/4″ screws to attach the short sides to the long sides through the pre-drilled pocket holes.

Then drop the bottom piece inside the box you’ve created and add screws to secure. I set some cups inside the box to prop up the bottom while I was drilling so that everything stayed flush. Sand all the edges down smooth and wipe the box to remove any dust.

After the box is built, you can add whatever finish you like. I wanted mine to have chippy white paint on top with a darker stain on the wood underneath. I started with a coat of Minwax Dark Walnut, then painted over the stain with Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint in Old White.

Usually when I distress something, I use sandpaper, but I wanted more of a rough, chippy look on this centerpiece, so I tried using a scraper/putty knife this time and LOVED the results. I just ran the scraper up and down the edges of the box, and the chalk paint chipped right off, exposing the dark wood underneath. I think this method gives you a lot more control over the distressing, and you can do a very clean, straight edge or make jagged, rough lines like I chose to do here. Once all the edges were done, I made some marks, dings, and scratches on the sides of the box to make it look not so “freshly painted”. If you have any knots in the wood, make sure to scrape over those… it will add a lot of character!

Once you’re happy with the distressing, add a drawer pull to each of the short sides. I picked up these antique-looking pulls from Menard’s for just a few bucks each.

The best part about projects like this is that there’s no right or wrong way to do it. The more you distress it, the better it looks. You really can’t mess it up! It’s really easy to adjust the dimensions of the box too, if you need a different size.

I’ve had mason jars filled with baby’s breath sitting in this box for the past few weeks (love!!), but I’m excited to add some different flowers for spring… leaves, twigs, and acorns for fall… evergreen branches and ornaments for Christmas… the possibilities are endless!

I’d love to hear your ideas… What would YOU put in a centerpiece box like this?

Are you making this project? I’d LOVE to see it! Post a photo of your creation on Instagram and use the hashtag #MyLGWProject. It may just get featured!