Home Decor and DIY: West Elm Inspired Wooden Plant Stands

West Elm Inspired Wooden Plant Stands

Hello! It’s been awhile since I’ve done a knock off project so when my friend Aniko invited me to get together with a small group of really talented ladies to do a West Elm knock off summer series I was really excited!

This month we each picked something from West Elm’s outdoor section to inspire some amazing outdoor decor. So I’m sharing my West Elm Inspired Wooden Plant Stands here, and at the bottom of this post you’ll find links to 4 more amazing West Elm knock off projects for your outdoor space! Sound good?

West Elm Inspired DIY Wooden Plant Stands

I’ve had these wooden plant stands in the back of my mind for awhile so when I was browsing the outdoor decor on West Elm’s site and saw their outdoor plant stands, I thought I’d go ahead and use the ones I love as inspiration and just use them outside. #rulebreaker

A lot of times when I’m doing a knock off, I get too hung up on the details. Truth is, I’m not a carpenter. There were details on the inspiration plant stands that I wasn’t going to be able to get by using a simple materials list and I really wanted this project to be one that almost anyone can do. So I simplified my plan and still was able to create some very pretty and simple wooden plant stands that have instantly made my potted plants look beautiful and added a ton of style to my outdoor living space. This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Full disclosure can be found here.

They don’t have the exact details of the inspiration but at less than $10 a stand compared to over $125 for the original I’ll take mine any day!

Materials and Tools:

drill
kreg jig pocket hole system
1/4 inch wooden dowels
1×2 pine (I bought a 6 foot piece for both stands.)
3/4 x 3/4 square hardwood (You’ll find these in various lengths in the middle of the hardwood lumber aisle at Home Depot.)
Stain- I used MinWax in Dark Walnut

How to Build Wooden Plant Stands

You will cut 4 legs and 1 platform (the platform will consist of 3 pieces.)

I cut my legs the same height as the pot that the stand would hold and the width of the platform was the same as the widest part of my pot.

Cut your legs from the 3/4 x 3/4 square hardwood and set aside.

Make an “x” with your 1x2s as the platform for your plant stands.

For each plant stand, cut one 1×2 the length of the widest portion of your pot. For example, my small pot was 10 inches wide at the top (the widest part) so the length of my first 1×2 is 10 inches.

For the second piece of your “x”, cut another 1×2 the same length minus the width of your 1×2. (Don’t assume that it is actually one inch. Use a piece of the wood to get an exact measurement.)

These 3 pieces will create the “x” for the base or platform of your plant stand.

On the long piece, find your center and drill 2 holes all the way through along the center line for your dowels. Because you are dealing with a thin piece of wood it is best to start with a small drill bit and work your way up to the size you need so you don’t split your wood.

The placement of the platform (the x you just made) on the legs will depend on the size and shape of your pot. At this point you will want to hold your platform with one leg on 2 opposite sides in place and have a buddy hold your pot in place so you can see where you want the top part of each leg to touch your pot. As you raise and lower the platform you will see that the point of contact between the top of the legs and the pot changes.

Once you like the look, mark the bottom edge of the platform on one leg.

Then line all of the legs up and mark all of them.

Now it’s time to drill the pocket holes.

Once you are done, it’s time to assemble!

Using wood glue on your dowels, assemble your plant stand.

Clamp your stand together and let it set overnight.

Then you can add a coat of your favorite wood stain (this is MinWax in Dark Walnut,) and a finishing coat to make it weather resistant if you want to.