Simple DIY Hanging Plant Shelf

Last Updated on February 22, 2021

This DIY Hanging Plant Shelf is the latest addition to my master bathroom makeover!

One of my 2019 Home Goals is to finish painting the entire interior of my home. We’ve lived here for 4+ years and still have the awful, thin contractor paint in most of the rooms. So I’m trying to bite the bullet and just get all of this painting over with! 

The most recent room I have painted is our master bathroom. And, guys, I went pink! As I was putting my old decor back into the room I realized that this pink could go very wrong, very fast. So, I’m on a mission to make it look cool and that’s where this DIY Hanging Plant Shelf comes in.

Over the bathtub in our master bathroom is a large window that gets amazing light throughout the day. I knew that an easy and cheap way to change the decor in this room would be to add some plants. So, this DIY Hanging Plant Shelf is the first addition to my bathroom garden. 

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This craft uses pre-made items so it’s quick and easy. I love how mine turned out and I can’t wait to see the DIY Hanging Plant Shelves that you’ll create!

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Update 8/25/2019 – I’m still working away on my budget master bathroom makeover and I just finished up this DIY Boho Full Length Mirror! I have a full tutorial, woodworking plans and a printable template for the mudcloth design all ready to you to check out.

What do you need to build a DIY hanging plant shelf?

Supplies

• Unfinished Wooden Plaque – I picked one up for $2.99 at Hobby Lobby
• Jute – I grabbed some for $1 at the Dollar Store
• Wooden Beads – I used these from Amazon
• Large needle for threading beads (these should work)
• Drill
• Hook for hanging from ceiling
• Level

How to build a DIY Hanging Plant Shelf

1. Drill 4 holes into wooden plaque

Drill 4 evenly spaced holes into the unfinished wooden plaque. To space my holes I measured 2″ inches in from the sides and 1″ in from the top and bottom. I marked these spots with an ‘X’ and drilled my holes over the x’s. 

Use a drill bit that is slightly bigger than the width of your jute to make it easy to thread the jute through. I used a 1/8″ drill bit. 

Also, place a piece of scrap wood underneath the plaque when drilling your holes to prevent damage to the surface underneath.

2. Stain plant shelf

After drilling the holes, I sanded the plaque with my Dewalt 1/4 Sheet Sander. I did this to remove the pencil marks and also to make it easier for the wood to accept the stain.

I wanted to keep my shelf looking like natural wood so I stained it with Minwax Natural Wood Stain. I love using Minwax stains because they are easy to apply and easy to clean up. To apply, dip a rag into the stain and rub it into the wood. Simple! Be sure to wear gloves while applying stain. 

Let the plant shelf dry for a couple hours.

3. Prep Your Jute

First, cut 4 strands of jute about 75-80 inches long. This will give you plenty of jute to work with and some wiggle room to make your DIY hanging plant shelf the height that you want. 

Then tie a double or triple knot at one end of each strand of jute. Make sure your knots are bigger than the hole in your beads. 

Now, it’s time to thread the jute through the needle. I used a large eye needle like this one. Using a needle make it so much easier to thread the jute through the plant shelf and beads!

To get the jute onto the needle was a little tricky. I had to unwind the jute a little bit and then get it wet to flatten it out. Once it was flat I was able to guide most of the jute through the eye of the needle, then pull it to get the rest of the jute to come through. 

3. Thread beads

I colorwashed my wooden beads while waiting for the plaque to dry. Click here to learn how to colorwash wooden beads.

Once you have your needle threaded, it’s time to start adding the beads. The bead set I recommend has multiple sizes, but I only used the 4 largest sizes.

I threaded 3 beads onto the string and then threaded the string through the plaque. So there are 3 beads on each string on the bottom of my shelf. I chose to make what would usually be the back of the plaque the top of my DIY hanging plant shelf.

Then, I threaded beads from largest to smallest. For each strand of jute I used 2 of the largest size bead, 5 of the next size, 8 of the next size and 18 of the next size.

Repeat this for all 4 strands of jute.

Once all the beads are on the jute, pull the jute tight and tie a knot just above the top bead.

4. Hang up Hanging Plant Shelf

To hang my shelf I first installed a hook into my ceiling. Make sure the hook is screwed into a stud, especially if you’re planning to put a heavier plant onto your shelf.

Once the hook is in place loosely tie the hanging plant shelf to the hook. Then, place a level on the plant shelf and keep adjusting strings until you have it level. When the shelf is level, tie it a few more times to the hook until you’re confident that you’ve created a strong hold.

You can trim some of the extra jute at the top now if you want. I just left mine hanging.

DIY Hanging Plant Shelf

And that’s it! A super easy DIY hanging plant shelf to display your plants without taking up table or floor space.

I put this big beautiful pothos on mine for pictures, but actually I have a sad looking rescue plant that’s going to hang out here in the sun for a little while I work on nursing it back to health. Not sure what houseplants to keep in your home? Check out this houseplants for beginners post!