3 photos of different angles of diy modern wood planter

DIY Modern Wood Planter

This DIY Modern Wood Planter is the perfect modern touch for your space!

completed diy modern wood planter with snake plant

I’ve been on a mission to add massive color to my home lately, especially on the walls. It started with my watercolor inspired wall circle and, recently I added this big yellow oval at the base of my stairs. After decorating and redecorating the space a million times, I just couldn’t get it to look quite right. My sister suggested that I try putting something on ground to balance it out.

Ding Ding! Once she said that it I realized that it needed a plant stand and some greenery. I don’t have enough room here for a table, but I could totally add a planter or two. And, that’s where the idea for this DIY Modern Wood Planter came from.

diy modern wood planter in front of wall with big yellow oval and colorful baskets

My favorite part about this modern wood planter is the way the stripes go all the way around the box. This was something I’d never done before and I’m so impressed with how it turned it out – and how easy it was to create! 

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Modern Wood Planter Woodworking Plans

You can get the complete woodworking plans for this modern wood planter in my plan shop.

All of the woodworking plans in my shop include a lumber list, cut list and supply list. They also feature digitally rendered images and detailed instructions that walk you through each step of the build. I use easy-to-understand language that’s perfect for beginners.

I’ll go over some of the details of this project here. You can grab the full instructions in the printable woodworking plans in my woodworking plans shop.

DIY Modern Wood Planter Materials

Make Your DIY Modern Wood Planter

Modern Wood Planter Building Tips

Cut stripes with table saw

My favorite part about this modern wood planter are the inset stripes. I wanted to keep mine simple so I only did three, but you can modify this plan to create as many as your heart desires.

To get my table saw ready to cut the 1/4″ deep stripes, I set the riving knife to be level with the table saw surface. This will allow for partial depth cuts. The riving knife is the metal piece behind the blade on your table saw that acts like a splitter to keep the wood from pinching the blade. This is a safety feature to help prevent kickback. I had to bust out my manual to figure out how to do this, but it turned out to be super easy. Remember to unplug your table saw before you adjust your riving knife – safety first, people!

adjust riving knife on table saw

After the table saw is set up, set your blade to about 1/4″ high and adjust your fence to the distance you’d like for your first stripe. Run all of the boards for your DIY Modern Wood Planter through. Then, reset the fence for the next stripe and run all the boards through. And again and again until you’re satisfied with the look of your stripes.

cut stripes into 1x10s with a table saw

Miter sides to 45 degrees

After you’ve cut your stripes, it’s time to reset your table saw again. Adjust the riving knife back to its original position. Then, change the angle of your blade to 45 degrees.

cut sides of 1x10 boards to a 45 degree angle with a table saw

Run the long sides of your boards through the table saw to create a 45 degree angle on the sides. Cutting the sides at 45 degrees is the key to making your stripes flow around the wood planter.

Add shelf supports

After the sides were finished, I used some scrap 1×2 pieces to add supports to the inside of two of the sides. Slats will go on top of the supports when the wood planter is completed to create a shelf for the plant. I used wood glue and a brad nailer to secure the supports. You could also just wood glue and clamps.

using a brad nailer to secure 1x2 supports for the plant shelf

Stain

Next, I went ahead and stained my 1×10 pieces. I prefer to stain most of my woodworking projects before I assemble them. I find that it’s a lot easier to stain first and glue later. This way I don’t have to worry about having a splotchy finish because of dripped glue.

applying stain with a rag to the sides of the diy modern wood planter

Assemble

Once the stain is dry, it’s time to assemble the DIY Modern Wood Planter. I have never created a box using angled edges, so I winged this part a bit. Here’s what worked best for me.

Use glue on edges of diy modern wood planter for assembly

I applied glue to the 45 degree edges using my Glu Bot. (I love this thing!) Then I secured the corners of the box with a pin nailer. After the box was assembled using glue and pin nails, I used wood clamps to keep the corners tight while the glue dried.

use a pin nailer to secure sides of diy modern wood planter

I let the glue dry for several hours and then removed the clamps. Some of the pin nails were sticking out of the wood so I hammered them in using a small pin punch like this one.

When assembling your modern wood planter, be sure that the two sides with the supports are opposite of each other. 

Add shelf slats

The last step is to set the slats on top of the wood supports inside the planter. I didn’t bother securing the slats down. Add your plant on top and you’re done!

top of DIY Modern Wood Planter

DIY Modern Wood Planter

This quick build was just the right addition to my decor in this colorful little spot of my home. With different wood stain or paint you can transform it to be perfect for your home too!

diy modern wood planter with snake plant against a white wall with a yellow oval painted on

Looking for more amazing planters?

Check out this reversible planter box by TwoFeetFirst! I love how this planter is reversible so you can turn it around whenever you get bored of one side or the other.

You can also check out this planter box on wheels by SunnySideDesign! I love how you can easily move it around because it’s on wheels and it doubles as an umbrella stand! How cool!

I want to hear from you!

If you build a DIY Modern Wood Planter, please share it with me! You can find me as @MamaNeedsaProject on Instagram and Facebook.

Happy Building!