repurposed wood crate entry decor

decorating with succulents and cacti is a hot design trend right now...
these easy-care, high-impact plants are making appearances 
in mod boho bedrooms and rustic farmhouse dining rooms,
as well as on back decks & front porches everywhere.

last summer, i was inspired by a very creative display idea at a store, 
so i re-created a budget version of it in our front entry, using succulents.
i never shared this project in a blog post, so it's time to make up for that.
(plus, it ties in beautifully to a whole new series of posts i'm prepping for August!)

continue reading for the details

i was browsing a garden & decor store when a display set stopped me in my tracks:

this outdoor display at the beautiful Rogers' Gardens Nursery in Corona del Mar, California was just... divine.
the basic structure was made from old wood crates and wine boxes - 

it reminded me of a similar crate display that i had built in my barn years ago, 
as a backdrop for our vintage shows:

(there's a post about that project here)

so i commenced to find some old fruit crates to replicate this look.

my muses were on my side, because i found a bunch of 'em for sale for five bucks each nearby!

a quick trip to get them, and i was ready to begin the project.

i already had a few other wood pieces that i knew i could use, too...

the 'construction' of the crate wall on the front porch wasn't hard - 

just a puzzle. like tetris! what fits where???

1. the base is the long wood bench that's been in this entry vestibule since just after we moved in.

2. under it, there is one wood crate on its side, flanked by two square woven baskets on their sides.

3. on top of the bench, two vertical crates are joined by an unseen piece of wood -

which is supported by a tiny square wood box on top of a horizontal crate.

4. that unseen wood slat supports the crates above: two crates, one horizontal and one vertical.

5. on top of the vertical crate, there's a heart-shaped wooden planter on its side

and a narrow wood crate on end.

on top of the horizontal crate, there's another smaller one.

6. and on top of that one, there's a vintage soda bottle crate, on end.

after i figured out how to stack them, i had to secure them...

so i took the whole puzzle apart and started over! 

as i reassembled it, i used wire to connect the crates to the bench base and to one another.

all the way at the top, i connected the soda bottle crate to a screw that is in the wall.

then came the fun of adding in the details:

the plants and succulents you see here are all fake...

from rubber and plastic cacti to fabric spider plants and styrofoam-ish foliage,

it's all sun-free, water-free, maintenance free!

some are from Dollar Tree, some from JoAnn Stores, some from local thrift shops.

the terra cotta pots are a mix of new tiny ones from Dollar Tree,

new large ones from the 99 Cents Only Store, and some that Mom has had for years.

my Mom has also had that grapevine wreath for years - i made it for her in 1982!

this project cost me $30 for the crates and $20 for faux succulents and a few pots. 
everything else i already had on hand.

all in all, i was really happy with how it all turned out!

i completed this project in summer 2019... but never blogged about it.

for summer 2020, i've used the same crates to create a brand new look at our front door.

 take a peek at our tiki-tastic decor!

the succulents used here and also in my backyard potting bench
have recently inspired a new decor theme in part of our home
that will bridge summer into fall quite nicely...

PS: not a sponsored post. links are just for your convenience.