Industrial Copper Macramé Plant Hangers
When we were looking for a new home for our growing family one thing we for sure didn’t want was a cookie cutter home. We wanted somewhere with personality and unique detailing. So when we found or home which was built over 100 years ago, we knew it would be perfect. Although as much as we love all the strange detailing, a few things have been harder to personalize because nothing in this home is industry-standard sized, or even straight for that matter!!
This indoor window was one that we had no idea what to do with. One standing discussion with Matt, the other half of Tall Dork and Matching, was that we needed more texture and greenery in our living area. So this is what we came up with, we hope you enjoy!
Plant Hanger
Things you’ll need for the hanger:
- Copper pipe (any width)
- 2x pipe bracket (make sure it fits the width of your copper pipe)
- Measuring tape
- Pipe cutter
- 8x screws
- Electric drill
We started by measuring the width of where we wanted to have our copper pipe - making sure we measured exactly at the height we wanted, because nothing this house is level or even! We used a pipe cutter to cut the copper pipe to size and drilled the pipe bracket (floor flange) to the walls and inserted the pipe.
Once we had our “plant hanger” installed it was time to work on the pots and adding texture. We found pots in the size we wanted and rope from the dollar store which was way less pricey than the hardware stores.
Rope Textured Pots and Macramé hangers
Things you’ll need for the pots and hanger:
- 7 pots (or however many you need to fill your space)
- Glue gun and glue sticks
- Rust-oleum chalk paint (I used linen white but decided what color works best in the space you’re creating for!)
- Chalk paint brush (any paint brush will do, this one is just easier and I had one kicking around)
- Rope for the pots (you can use this technique on any width of rope that calls to you)
- Painter’s tape
- Macramé cord (any thickness)
- Measuring tape
The wrapping took way more time than we anticipated so we watched an episode of Brooklyn 99 per pot to keep me set on my goal! So settle in and enjoy some Netflix while you craft away.
Here is a video of how Abby wrapped the rope around the pots to create that texture!
Once they were all wrapped we decided to paint the bottom few inches white for a few reasons.
1. The pots we bought were brightly coloured, which didn’t really fit our aesthetic.
2. Adding some white makes the green pop and makes the brown less overwhelming.
3. Taking the dollar store stickers off the bottoms of these is impossible! Instant fix is to just paint over them!
We also varied how much white we used. If they all had different amounts of white, we wouldn’t have to measure! Which we do not care for.
We used painters tape to tape off how much we wanted to be white and used Rust-Oleum’s Chalk Paint in Linen White. It’s a soft white and also it adheres to virtually anything so we didn’t have to worry about priming the surface at all. We will do anything to be efficient….That’s my self-care way of calling us lazy!
We did 3 very thin coats so it would go on smooth and even. On the metal bottom we painted in round strokes with the chalk paint brush. On the rope parts we used the same brush but patted the brush on as if we was sponge painting.
Macramé Time! While we left the pots to dry we started on my macramé. Matt’s parents recently imparted their ‘70s decorating skills on us and taught us how to do it!
We used a basic Lark’s-head knot to attach the macramé cord to the copper pipe. We then used a series of square knots coming down to add interest and texture, alternating the amount of knots. You can do however many knots you want depending on the area you are filling in.
Here’s a quick video of how Abby did the knots. Sorry it’s so fast! She's no pro at macramé but YouTube has many great links that will slow it down for you!
Here in how many knots we did per hanger:
Now we just need to find plants we won’t kill in a week. Sigh. We have already gone through 2 sets of herbs so far. We may be crafty but we do not have green thumbs!!
Check out how we made our plant labels here !
EDIT: These hangers have been up for almost 2 months now. We have gone though 2 set of herbs. We finally listened to all of you who commented and put those poor herbs in the back yard so they can sun bath all day long. Thank you! They are thriving. We now have shade loving plants and they look great!
Another concern from you all, was that the copper was bending and may fall. This was not the case, but the slight bend didn’t look ideal. We put the new plants in smaller pots which hold less soil. This kept the weight down and solved our problem.
Thanks for everyone who sent feedback on this one! It helped us grow.
Not that you asked for it! But we do love to do a little photo shoot. So heres our new and improved after photos.
After after
After after
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I like the plants, but as you say, it's a bit dark and they didn't do so well. I have a similar window, and I used a plant that can grow in darker areas. I got tired of trying to nurture the plants, and eventually I switched it out and hung glass orbs, including an intricate "witch ball" in the space. They are pretty, and I switch them out with fancy large ornaments for Christmas. (Some times these balls are also called fishing net floats.) A friend hung a pretty stained glass panel in the opening.
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Glad that you're continuing with other choices of REAL plants instead of silk or plastic (yuck).
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Lovely idea! I had a window in my living room which used to look outside. After having a large family room added on to the house, it looked at the backside of the drywall. (Lousy contractor) anyway, I cut out the drywall, removed the windows and put trim on the (new) family room side. I added an inside box to join it all together (like a GOOD contractor would think to do) and, voila, a window that looked intentional! I also used copper pipe to hang things along the top but, I inserted a piece of dowling from the home improvement store to prevent any bends. I had plenty of the pipe as it was an old house with well water that loved to eat holes in the piping so, I purchased it both in odd length pieces and a few standard lengths for inevitable repairs. ( I used faux plants from the beginning since they grow so well for me! )
Additionally, I made a couple of shelves out of glass slightly narrower than the depth of the opening and had a few curio shelves that I could cover with Holiday colored napkins or paper and that way, I could incorporate the "hole in the wall" with seasonal decorations.
I also had a SECOND window to nowhere (on the same wall) that was about 20 feet from the other. The door to the original outside was between them. That "window" became an inset shelf area. I used the same type of glass shelves and it became the place for Cookbooks (only on the bottom shelf) and again, I used the pipe along the top to hang smaller "plants" and those shelves became more kitchen related. If you use glass shelving, make sure you purchase the proper strength for your needs. Sorry for being so long winded but, I left that house 35 years ago and your project has reminded me of how much I really liked the look and uses I came up with for those windows!
I'm going downstairs in a minute (our lower level is a 2k,sq.ft. mother-in-law apartment!) to decide where I'm going to cut through a wall to have such fun again! I have 3 walls to choose from, all of which would be perfect for a pass through window into another room!!! Will post the project as soon as I have it done!!
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That sounds amazing! Tag me in insta. Would love to see what you end up doing! @talldorkandmatching
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I would replace those with fake plants they’re never going to grow it’s too dark and they’re not draining well they’re going to drown.. and the plants are at the top ..how come you didn’t make a couple a little longer so they fill up the whole space ? And maybe you don’t want my comments but you asked for them LOL
I agree that it’s not bright enough for the plants. I wonder if you could put some lighting across the top, like those stick-on lights? Or, if all else fails, fake plants. There are some very realistic looking ones nowadays. And they’re light enough to not bend the pipe in the middle. But great idea and I love, love macrame. But it looks too complicated for me.
I agree with all the previous comments, unfortunately. Valiant effort and it can be improved. I see there is a fixture behind the plants. You (if you would like successful plants there) either need to install a grow light bulb in the existing fixture, add a grow light fixture above, or replace the plants with low-light ones such as Mother-in-Law's Tongue.