10 Charming Ways to Use Plant Pots as Home Decor

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You can use plant pots in charming ways as home decor instead of for their intended purpose.

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Plant pots can be much more than containers for houseplants. They can become part of your home’s decor.

A pretty pot can add color, texture, pattern, and even a little nostalgia to shelves or an otherwise ordinary corner.

Ways to Decorate With Plant Pots Without Plants

1. Stack them

Turn empty terra-cotta pots upside down and stack two or three together. A stack of mismatched pots can look charming in a garden-inspired corner, on a porch, or beside a potting bench.

2. Fill them with decorative objects

An empty pot can become a little container for:

• Wooden spoons
• Garden tools
• Paintbrushes
• Vintage utensils
• Rolled-up linens
• Walking sticks or small branches
• Decorative flags

3. Use them as candle holders

Larger pots can create a lovely outdoor candle display. Place a candle inside a suitable heat-safe holder rather than directly against the pot. This is especially true with terra-cotta, as the baked clay is naturally porous.

4. Create a vintage vignette

A decorative vignette could include an empty plant pot beside a stack of gardening books, an old watering can, a small framed picture, or a vintage garden ornament. It gives the arrangement a natural, collected look.

5. Display them on shelves

Small empty pots work well on bookshelves, hutches, kitchen shelves, or bathroom shelves. Turn some upside down and leave others upright to create different heights.

6. Use them as baskets for small things

A wide, shallow pot can hold things like pinecones, decorative balls, shells, wooden beads, or other pretty objects.

7. Make a seasonal display

Empty pots can easily change with the seasons. Fill them with:

• Fall: pinecones, faux pumpkins, dried leaves
• Winter: ornaments, pinecones, battery-operated lights
• Spring: faux flowers or decorative eggs
• Summer: seashells, garden ornaments, or colorful balls

8. Turn them upside down as pedestals

An overturned pot can become a little pedestal for a statue, bowl, lantern, or decorative object. Two pots of different sizes can create interesting levels.

9. Put them beside your fireplace

A collection of larger empty pots can add texture to a hearth or fireplace corner. Terra-cotta works especially well with cottage, farmhouse, rustic, and European-inspired decor.

10. Use pretty pots simply for their shape

Sometimes you don’t need to put anything in them. A beautifully weathered terra-cotta pot, painted ceramic planter, or vintage floral pot can be an object of interest on its own.

Plant pots can be surprisingly charming in the kitchen and bathroom even when they’re completely empty. They bring in the texture and character of garden decor while giving you useful places to tuck away everyday things.

How to Use Plant Pots In the Kitchen

• Hold wooden utensils: A pretty terra-cotta or ceramic pot makes an attractive utensil holder for wooden spoons, spatulas, and whisks.
• Display kitchen linens: Roll or fold dish towels and place them inside a wide, decorative pot. This works especially well with vintage or cottage-style kitchens.
• Use one for cookbooks: Place a small stack of cookbooks inside a large, sturdy pot, or use a pot beside the books as part of a kitchen vignette.
• Create a countertop vignette: Pair an empty plant pot with a cutting board, cookbook, candle, vintage crock, or small piece of artwork.
• Store baking utensils: A larger pot can hold rolling pins, pastry brushes, wooden spoons, or other frequently used baking tools.
• Hold napkins: A low, wide planter can become a casual napkin holder for the kitchen table or breakfast nook.
• Turn it upside down: An attractive pot doesn’t have to hold anything. Turn it upside down to create a little pedestal for a bowl, vintage kitchen object, or decorative pitcher.

How to Use Plant Pots in the Bathroom

• Store rolled washcloths: A small basket-style or ceramic pot filled with neatly rolled washcloths can look both useful and pretty.
• Hold extra hand towels: A larger planter can work as an unexpected towel container, particularly in a guest bathroom.
• Organize brushes: Use a small decorative pot for toothbrushes, hairbrushes, combs, or makeup brushes.
• Hold bathroom essentials: Arrange cotton rounds, washcloths, rolled hand towels, or packaged soaps inside a wide pot.
• Make a pretty countertop display: Place an empty pot beside a soap dispenser, candle, framed print, and small tray. It creates a garden-inspired vignette without needing a plant.
• Store toilet paper: A large, deep decorative pot can hold a few extra rolls. Choose one with a wide opening so the rolls are easy to reach.
• Hold towels beside the tub: Use a large floor pot as an unusual open container for rolled bath towels. This is especially attractive in a cottage, farmhouse, or vintage-inspired bathroom.

The best part is that the pots themselves become the decor. You don’t need a plant in every beautiful container to bring a little garden character into your home.

Amazon Decorative Plant Pots

I really liked these red-and-white plant pots I found on Amazon. They’re so cheerful and pretty. But I didn’t want to just use them for their intended purpose. Just because it’s a plant pot doesn’t mean you have to put a plant in it.

I figured they’d look perfect in my red-and-white kitchen. And I was right.

When you’re considering buying plant pots, think about other uses. You get more bang for your buck when you use an item in more ways than one.

The Charm of Empty Pots

There is something wonderfully old-fashioned about a collection of empty flowerpots. They suggest a garden even when no plant is in sight.

A few worn terra-cotta pots tucked beneath a table or sitting on a shelf can make a home feel as though someone has just come in from the garden.

Because they don’t have to match perfectly, you can mix thrifted pots, vintage planters, handmade pottery, and inexpensive terra-cotta pots to create that collected-over-time look.