Good to Know: A Planter Roundup
Hey peeps! I’m back and here on behalf of all the plant parents! One of the most common questions I get is “where do you get your planters?” Well, I’m here today to give a permanent resting place for my answer!
First, I snag planters from all over: mass market, hand made, vintage, big box, etc. But when I’m actively on the hunt for new planters, these are the first places I check.
Before I get into dishing those locations, I want to talk about the what’s, why’s and how’s of me and my planters. As an interior designer, aesthetics almost always take precedence over any other factor. I will always choose the look of a planter before the function. It usually takes less work to make a pretty planter more functional than to make a functional one better looking. I always keep the following in mind:
If the planter doesn’t have drainage holes, you can drill holes in the bottom with the proper drill bit.
If you can’t or don’t want to drill a hole, you can create the effects of proper drainage by putting clay pebbles or gravel in the bottom of your pots. For bigger planters, try water bottles, packing peanuts, wood chips or landscape rocks in their bottoms before filling will potting soil.
You can add plant risers or plant stands underneath planters to elevate them for height or just to keep them from ruining table top surfaces or floors.
Always try to keep your plants in their nursery pot. It will make watering, repotting or changing out your pots sooooo much easier.
When shopping for planters, keep your aesthetic in mind. When I start my search for new planters, I look for styles that are classic, modern, unique, terracotta, brass, black and/or white. It makes for a much more cohesive look and I can shop knowing that no matter where I put them in my home, they will fit right in!
Now, with that out of the way, let’s get on to the goods! Here’s all the places where I can almost always find planters that fit the bill!
Home Depot | Lowe’s | IKEA
These are my go-tos for classic and inexpensive; especially, terracotta pots. They all offer them is a vast array of sizes with matching saucers/trays. The best thing is that they’re almost always in stock, so when I need something quick, I can just run by one of them and have something immediately. Sometimes, you can find other great looking planters in these stores, but they’re usually a pleasant surprise.
I like to display a lot of my terracotta planters together in more of a display. There’s lots of impact in numbers! Most of what’s seen here are from Home Depot, Lowe’s and IKEA with a few specialty pieces mixed in.
Shown L to R: West Elm black mini vase (old), IKEA terracotta pot (old), Bloomist Studio Planter (found here), Souk Bohemian hand-crafted cup (old), Lowe’s low white planter (old)
Shown: IKEA black planter (old)
Amazon | Target | Walmart | Homegoods/TJMaxx
These are my go-to places for inexpensive planters with a bit more style. Usually, I get them in solid black or white, but every now and then, I may catch a few that are a black and white combo or even accented by wood. Now, with the exception of Amazon, these are all a bit hit and miss, especially shopping them online. You either find some with a lot of style, but for whatever reason, doesn’t ship or you get them ordered only to find out later that they can’t ship it, or you try your hand in-store and the selection is just awful or nonexistent. You just never know!
Shown: Target ribbed planter (old)
Urban Outfitters | West Elm | CB2 | Bloomist
Now, these are where I go to look for those special, unique, character-filled planters that are going to be placed somewhere prominent or will hold a plant that I want to highlight. They’re all incredible when it comes to style; modern, unique, character-filled, life-giving! BUT, they can definitely be on the pricier side. Not to mention, how long the shipping takes from a lot of them, especially right now with COVID delays (I’m talking about you, CB2). Most of the time, though, they have the goods that are totally worth the wait.
Shown from L to R: Home Depot terracotta pot and saucer, Target terracotta pot (found here), Bloomist Jikoku pot on charcoal wood base (found here), Homegoods black and white planter (old)
Shown from L to R: Urban Outfitters black metal planter (old), Target black footed planter (old), Lowe’s white textured planter (old)
Shown: Urban Outfitters brass planters (old)
Honorable mentions: Etsy | Ebay | Goodwill | Thrift Stores
If you have the time and patience or are like me and just like to stock up on planters to have on hand, because you never know when a new plant baby will arrive, these places can really bring it when it comes to uniqueness and affordability. My best advice is to never be on the lookout for anything specific when searching these sources. It’s best to just stumble across amazing finds or just let the good things find you.
Now that you know my go-to places to shop for planters, I wanted to make sure I gave you a head start on your search! I’ve gone ahead and put together a list of planters that I’ve either already purchased or have on my current to-buy list and wanted to share it with all of you! There’s a total mix from all of the sources I mentioned above, so there’s a good mix of price point and styles! Just click the ones that speak to you and add it will take you to their site for purchase! Shop to your plant parenting heart’s content!
*Special Note: the amazing people at Bloomist gave me a discount code to pass along to you guys, so you can now get 15% off your purchase by using the code NUBI15!