Decorating Ideas for Large Modern Indoor Planters

Sticks and Canes and ‘Brellas, Oh My!

• If you live in an area that’s no stranger to rain and snow, visitors may prop up their rain gear against the door or discard an umbrella carelessly, turning it into an obstacle that can floor an unsuspecting arrival. That's why turning a planter into a receptacle for all things tall and wobbly, like umbrellas, canes and yardsticks, makes sense. Decorate the exterior of the planter with stick-ons cut in the shape of opened umbrellas, attach wine labels or scrapbook art, and lacquer the container once it's trimmed. You can also use a stencil and paint to write your family's names on the planter or letter a fun message, like “For Drips Only.”

Topsy-Turvy Tables

• If you love turning things around to create home accessories, invert your planter and decorate it with materials that coordinate with your room decor, morphing the pot into a table base or pedestal. You can wrap the planter in gift paper and seal it with lacquer, slipcover it with fabric, knit a sleeve that fits over the planter or use stickers, decals or faux gems to turn the vessel into a table base. Place a glass tabletop on the planter or glue a decorative tray to the surface and, voila -- that empty planter is now a resting place for a photo, figurine or the remote controls that seem to keep multiplying.

Toying With the Kids

• Unimaginative moms settle for ho-hum plastic buckets with lids for toy storage, but your child deserves something more attractive, so remake a modern planter into a doll or plush animal holder. Big floor planters are heavy and stay put, so you can cram lots of dolls and animals into the opening, hang them over the side for fast retrieval and you don't have to worry about the planter tipping over and dumping toys on the floor. Letter the planter with your child’s name or ask her to pick out fun embellishments like self-adhesive foam cutouts in the shape of flowers or animals. You can also paint the planter with blackboard paint and let her make her own ever-changing decorations using colorful chalk sticks.

Stow the Throws

• Start out with any shape of planter -- especially rectangular or square -- and discover an attractive solution for those stacks of throws that seem to go missing every time you curl up on the couch and realize you need one. Organize the coverlets by neatly rolling up the individual throws and standing them on their ends inside the planter. No more rifling through drawers and closets to find your throws. Here’s a fun way to decorate the planter so it matches its purpose: Wrap and tie a long winter scarf around the periphery of the vessel, and if the planter happens to have legs, put a baby booty or infant-sized glove on each for a cute and creative storage solution for throws.