A staircase wall is one of the tallest blank surfaces in a house, and you pass it several times a day, which makes it a natural spot for greenery. The 42 walls below range from simple walnut ledges and vintage teacups to lit niches, scrolling ironwork and a salvaged garden gate.
Some suit a bright stairwell with a window, others are planned around a dim landing, and the last few need no watering at all.
Table of Contents
- Wooden Backboards for Small Pots
- Stepped Shelf with Vintage Teacups
- Black Iron Brackets Above Wainscoting
- Walnut Hexagon Shelves
- Floating Shelves with Black Display Boxes
- Mismatched Mugs on Mini Shelves
- Floating Shelves Beside a Garland Framed Mirror
- Floating Shelves Under a Branch Motif
- Ginkgo Fan Wall Planters
- Tulip Shaped Wall Planters
- Climbing Figure Planters
- Patchwork Ceramic Wall Bowls
- Botanical Drawings with Pot Ledges
- Yellow Window Frames with Flower Boxes
- Painted Crates with Daisy Pots
- Old Window Frames as Plant Shelves
- Painted Arch Boards with Twine Wrapped Pots
- Old Spindles with Glass Tubes
- Lit Recessed Niches
- Lit Black Frames with Round Trays
- Trailing Plants on Lit Wall Columns
- Backlit Arc Panels with Glass Vases
- Backlit Panels with Bud Vases Above a Handrail
- Wavy Walnut Shelf for Water Cuttings
- Framed Jars for Water Cuttings
- Brass Tubes with Orchid Stems
- Slatted Wood Frames for Glass Vases
- Studded Black Plaques with Glass Tubes
- Wicker Baskets, China Wall Pockets and an Iron Trellis
- Teacups, China Wall Pockets and Brass Bud Vases
- Bottles, Wall Pockets and Brass Rings on a Pale Blue Wall
- Carved Brackets and a Lace Lined Fern Basket
- Gothic Iron Scrollwork on a Dark Blue Wall
- Gothic Arch Shelves on a Green Wall
- Amber and Plum Bottles on a Plum Wall
- Iron Holders on a Stone Wall
- Crescent Moon Shelf and Gothic Holders
- Scrolling Iron Panel with Vases and Pots
- Reclaimed Iron Gate Plant Display
- Tree Wall Art with Red Blossoms
- Agate Painted Wall Vases with Lavender
- Gold Hoops with Tied Flowers
- Reading the Light on Your Stairs
Wooden Backboards for Small Pots
Nine plank backboards in alternating light and dark walnut tones form three staggered columns on a sage wall, each with a narrow ledge for one small pot. Every plant is different: a snake plant, a rex begonia, a watermelon peperomia, a fern, a young rubber plant, a trailing plant with tiny round leaves and a few leafy peperomias.
Tape paper templates to the wall before drilling to get the gaps even, and hang each board on a French cleat or two keyhole fixings so it sits flat. A thin lip along the front of each ledge keeps a pot from being nudged off.
Stepped Shelf with Vintage Teacups
A zigzag wooden shelf with four levels echoes the steps below it, and each level holds a different vintage teacup: a cream cup with a red flower and a golden pothos, an embossed green cup with a fern, a blue and white cup with a trailing silver leaved plant, and an orange floral cup with a peperomia. Slip a tiny nursery pot into each cup on a few pebbles so the roots never sit in water, and check each one separately, since small cups dry out at different speeds.
Black Iron Brackets Above Wainscoting
Seven black brackets, each a round tray on a U shaped loop, run in a diagonal above the picture frame molding of a sage paneled stairwell, with two cream shaded sconces in between. Every bracket holds a cream textured pot with a different plant: pothos, ferns, a rubber plant, a peperomia and small leafy plants.
Keep the diagonal parallel to the top of the paneling so it looks planned. The trays only hold the base of the pot, so buy pots that fit them exactly and add a dab of museum putty underneath.
Walnut Hexagon Shelves
Eight walnut hexagons form a loose honeycomb on a blue gray wall, two with small LED strips under the top edge. Inside: purple and pink African violets, a flowering peace lily, a heart leaved plant, a fern, variegated ivy, a red veined prayer plant and a trailing plant with small round leaves.
Each hexagon is six equal boards with both ends cut at 30 degrees, glued and pinned into a ring. Lay them out on the floor first to judge how much room each plant needs, then fix each one through the top inside board into a stud or a proper anchor.
Floating Shelves with Black Display Boxes
Beside a gray marble staircase, five walnut floating shelves with warm LED strips underneath mix with three open black metal boxes. The central box frames a white moth orchid in a ribbed pot at eye level, and ferns and pothos fill the rest, the feathery fronds and heart shaped leaves playing off each other. Floating shelves need concealed brackets fixed into studs or masonry, and the orchid is happiest where it gets bright, indirect daylight.
Mismatched Mugs on Mini Shelves
Nine mugs, each on its own small square shelf, fill the wall next to a tall black framed window. A variegated pothos, small pink flowers, a fern, a white orchid in a terracotta mug, a peperomia, lavender, an African violet, a trailing plant and a nerve plant all get a mug in a different color and texture.
Pick mugs wide enough to lift the inner pot out without pulling the plant, and make each shelf only just wider than the mug base. Fast growers soon outgrow a mug and need moving on.
Floating Shelves Beside a Garland Framed Mirror
At the foot of the stairs, three light oak floating shelves hold a variegated pothos, a Boston fern and a purple African violet on a deep olive wall. Next to them, a tall black mirror reflects the staircase, with an ivy garland and tiny warm lights running over its top and down one side. Hang the mirror on its own fixings and rest the garland on small hooks so its weight never pulls on the frame. Battery string lights avoid a cable at floor level.
Floating Shelves Under a Branch Motif
Five walnut floating shelves step up a cream wall beside oak stairs, with warm lights under three of them. Each holds a flowering plant in a colorful pot: pink impatiens, white flowers, yellow daisies, purple pansies and a fern in a ribbed teal pot. A painted or decal branch with green leaves and pink buds reaches over the top, with three birds above.
Mark the shelves with painter's tape first so the line follows the stair angle. Flowering plants need real light to keep blooming, so this works best near a window or with a grow bulb nearby.
Ginkgo Fan Wall Planters
Five ribbed planters shaped like ginkgo leaves step along a sage wall in cream, terracotta and sage, following the slope of a light oak handrail. The plants change from a trailing pothos and a fern at the top to a flowering peace lily, a small trailing plant and a plant with silver striped leaves. Measure the same height above the handrail for each planter so the row runs parallel to it, and keep an eye on the pothos, which will keep growing down toward the rail.
Tulip Shaped Wall Planters
Five planters shaped like half open tulips rise above white balusters and dark gray risers, cream and terracotta twice each with one sage in the middle. The plants stay small so the petal shape reads: a small leaved trailer, a peperomia, a bird's nest fern, a variegated trailer and a plant with patterned oval leaves. Check whether your planters have a drainage hole before planting straight into them.
Climbing Figure Planters
Seven glossy white figures seem to climb a dusty pink wall, each standing on a little rock and holding a bowl over its head. The bowls hold a golden pothos, an echeveria, a spider plant, a pink nerve plant and three small trailing plants. The bowls are tiny and dry out quickly, so keep the succulent apart from the thirsty ferns and trailers, and hang the figures high enough that small hands cannot grab them from the stairs.
Patchwork Ceramic Wall Bowls
Three half round wall bowls with a patchwork of floral china patterns step up a sage wall over a carpeted staircase. The planting is kept simple, with a pothos, a Boston fern and a flowering peace lily, because the patterns already do plenty. Ceramic bowls are heavy once filled, so hang each from a stud or a heavy duty anchor and check the hanging slot on the back is sound.
Botanical Drawings with Pot Ledges
Eight dark frames hold pencil flower drawings on cream paper, and each has a small ledge at the bottom with a terracotta pot. The drawn stems stop just above the real plant, so the sketch seems to grow out of it. Variegated ivy, a bird's nest fern, a silver leaved plant and several small trailers fill the pots. Paper and water do not mix, so lift every pot off to water it, and pick drawings whose stems end near the bottom edge so the trick works.
Yellow Window Frames with Flower Boxes
Three yellow window frames with open louvered shutters climb a lavender wall. Each has a different top, a round arch, a pointed gable and a double arch, and each wears a garland of tiny flowers with a slatted box below: blue hydrangeas, pink roses and white daisies. Since the garlands wrap the frames, faux or dried flowers are the practical choice. Keep the boxes shallow so they do not reach out over the stairs.
Painted Crates with Daisy Pots
Eight slatted crates painted pink, green, yellow and white are fixed on their sides with the open fronts facing out, and each one holds two cream pots of daisies. The result looks like a wall of small window boxes.
Sand the crates and pull out any loose staples. Paint them in chalky pastels and spread the colors so no two matching crates sit side by side. Screw each crate through its back slats with washers, so the screw heads cannot pull through the thin wood.
Old Window Frames as Plant Shelves
Three salvaged windows hang on a warm pink wall: a turquoise rectangle, a mint frame with an arched fan top and a distressed cream frame with a shaped top. Narrow shelves are fixed across the glazing bars, holding variegated and neon pothos, a philodendron, a zebra haworthia, a pink kalanchoe, a purple tradescantia and a few small pots. Make sure every pane is firmly held and replace cracked glass, test old paint for lead before sanding, and screw the heavy frame to studs through the frame itself.
Painted Arch Boards with Twine Wrapped Pots
Five arched plywood boards painted pink, sage, pale blue, cream and coral are decorated with hand painted vines and tiny flowers. Each narrow ledge holds a white pot tied with a jute bow and a wooden bead: a pink gerbera, lavender, white daisies, purple pansies and yellow daisies. Cut all five arches to the same size so the flower colors carry the variety. The window beside this wall matters, since flowering plants like these need plenty of light.
Old Spindles with Glass Tubes
Old turned staircase spindles of different shapes stand upright on a gray limewashed wall above a gothic iron balustrade. Glass tubes clipped to them hold an asparagus fern, burgundy anemones, a purple iris and pink sprays; one spindle is left bare, and a smoky tube of ivy sits on a small holder nearby. Two pewter gothic cones hold burgundy hellebores and white paperwhites, and a black iron urn on a scroll bracket carries a purple shamrock.
Salvage yards are full of spindles like these. Pull out old nails, test painted ones for lead, fix them through counterbored holes and hold each tube with a small metal band.
Lit Recessed Niches
Five tall niches set into a taupe wall follow a gray marble staircase, each lined in warm stone and lit by a small downlight. They hold a burgundy and green rubber plant, a fern, a monstera with a pink flowering plant below it, a large leaved plant and a feathery palm in cream pots.
This is building work, not decorating. Niches are usually framed between studs, load bearing or fire separating walls need professional advice before any opening is cut, and the lighting must be installed by an electrician.
Lit Black Frames with Round Trays
Seven open black metal frames are scattered across a blue gray wall above a stepped chair rail, each with a small light in the top bar and a round tray on a short arm. A pothos, a striped leaved plant, a fern, a parlor palm, a glossy leafy plant, a trailing pothos and a dieffenbachia each get their own frame, and a small leaf relief plaque fills a gap. Battery puck lights fitted in the top bar give the same glow without wiring; keep leaves clear of the light. The window on the landing is what really keeps these plants green.
Trailing Plants on Lit Wall Columns
Three narrow dark columns stand on a taupe wall beside oak stairs, each with a light box at the top, a small uplight at the base and a black pot near the top. Ivy, a golden pothos and a string of hearts trail down them, and the vertical lines contrast nicely with the diagonal of the stairs. Trim the vines so they stop at the base light, and lift each pot out to water it.
Backlit Arc Panels with Glass Vases
Three panels climb a cool slate wall above walnut stairs: a cream rectangle with a glowing crescent, a half circle lit along its curve and a sage arch with a lit edge. Each has a small dark wood shelf with a clear vase of goldenrod, white daisies or pale purple stock. The glow comes from LED strips hidden behind raised edges; use a low voltage strip, keep the power supply away from the vases, and keep the bunches modest so the curves stay visible.
Backlit Panels with Bud Vases Above a Handrail
Three backlit panels in cream, taupe and sage sit well above a wall mounted handrail: a square with a rounded base, a tall arch and one with a wavy edge. Their narrow shelves hold clear vases of lilac, white roses with eucalyptus, and pink roses with small white sprays. Notice how high they hang; the handrail below stays easy to grip along its whole length, which is exactly how it should be.
Wavy Walnut Shelf for Water Cuttings
A long S shaped walnut shelf floats above a staircase with a glass balustrade. Five tall glass cylinders sit in round holes cut into the top, each with a rooting cutting: a variegated pothos, a striped calathea, a heart leaved philodendron, a monstera leaf and a plant with silver patterned leaves. The holes are what make it safe, because the glass cannot slide or tip. Cut them a little wider than the cylinders so they lift out for rinsing, and fix a shelf this long with heavy duty concealed brackets into studs.
Framed Jars for Water Cuttings
Four wooden frames, a round arch, a scalloped arch and two beaded rectangles, hang near a window on an olive gray wall, each with a small shelf and a clear jar. A golden pothos, a heartleaf philodendron, a satin pothos and a purple tradescantia root in the water. The jars sit loose on narrow shelves, so add a small wire loop or a shallow groove to hold each one, and move the cuttings into soil once their roots fill the jar.
Brass Tubes with Orchid Stems
Six slim brass tubes hang at staggered heights on a mauve wall above white wainscoting, each holding a single orchid stem with one leaf in purple, white and pink, repeated twice. The tubes are far too narrow for a rooted orchid, so use cut stems or good faux ones, and choose tubes sealed at the bottom or fitted with a glass liner.
Slatted Wood Frames for Glass Vases
Four dark stained slatted frames, a tall lattice, an arch on a curved bracket, a grid with extended legs and a diamond lattice, each hold the same clear glass cylinder. Inside are pink roses, purple lisianthus, white daisies with baby's breath and orange alstroemeria. Using one vase shape ties four different frames into a set; saved jars of the same size do the job too. A thin batten across the front of each shelf keeps the glass from sliding.
Studded Black Plaques with Glass Tubes
Four matte black plywood plaques, a teardrop, an oval, an arch and a diamond, are edged with round gold upholstery tacks and step up a warm beige wall. Each has a slim gold rimmed glass tube on a little ledge, holding red roses with eucalyptus, white daisies, lavender or pink carnations. Hold each tube with a small clip as well as the ledge, and top them up daily, because slim tubes hold very little water.
Wicker Baskets, China Wall Pockets and an Iron Trellis
An ornate iron trellis holding a stone look urn of trailing ivy anchors this cream wall. Around it hang three wicker baskets with lavender hydrangea, burgundy clematis and white hydrangea, three floral china wall pockets with pink roses, foxgloves and white cosmos, and two clear bud vases in brass brackets with purple flower spikes and blue hydrangea. Line the baskets with plastic so damp soil never touches the wicker, and trim the ivy before it wanders into the neighboring baskets.
Teacups, China Wall Pockets and Brass Bud Vases
A white textured wall above a curved rustic handrail holds three kinds of vintage container, alternated so no two of the same sit side by side. Four teacups on small shelves carry daisies, a miniature pink rose, a maidenhair fern and a pink cyclamen, three floral china wall pockets hold pansies, blue bellflowers and little white daisies, and two glass bud vases in brass sconces finish the run with lavender and a single white hydrangea.
Add a small raised lip to each plain shelf before setting a cup on it, and keep cut stems and potted plants on separate routines: vases need fresh water, cups need their soil checked.
Bottles, Wall Pockets and Brass Rings on a Pale Blue Wall
Brass shelves and rings tie together an amber bottle of small daisies, a china wall pocket of pink cosmos, an amber bottle of lilac, a brass wall pot of white hydrangea, a clear bottle of pink snapdragons, a blue and white wall pocket of hellebores, and a long shelf with pink tulips and Queen Anne's lace. Choose sturdy bottles without chips, and give the tulips room above the shelf, since they keep stretching after they are cut.
Carved Brackets and a Lace Lined Fern Basket
Five carved, distressed brackets on a pale blue wall hold milk glass vases of white chrysanthemums and daisies, a blue embossed pitcher of pink peonies, a ribbed amber vase of irises and a pale blue vase of blue lobelia. In the middle, a lace lined wicker wall basket holds a Boston fern, and two embossed metal wall pockets carry blue bellflowers and red geraniums. The brackets stick out by different amounts, so keep the deepest ones highest where they cannot catch a shoulder.
Gothic Iron Scrollwork on a Dark Blue Wall
A large wrought iron framework of scrolling vines covers a deep blue wall beside a carved gothic staircase. It links eight holders: a tall cone of white cosmos, an arched trough of dark red dahlias, a cone of ivy, a scalloped bowl of mauve hellebores, a clear vase of blush roses, a cone of burgundy foliage with white sprays, a gothic basket of pale clustered flowers, and a bowl with a trailing plant in pale purple flowers. A piece this size must be fixed at several points into studs or masonry.
Gothic Arch Shelves on a Green Wall
Three dark wood shelves shaped like pointed gothic windows, with carved tracery, hold ivy in a cream patterned pot, a white anthurium and a burgundy orchid. Carved corbels between them carry dark red carnations, a Boston fern and a purple shamrock, a small china wall pocket holds ivy, and a glass bulb vase in an iron holder carries white lace flowers. The deep green wall and leaded window set the mood, while the pale pots stop the plants from vanishing. Arch shelves this deep are heavy and need studs.
Amber and Plum Bottles on a Plum Wall
On a plum wall above a dark wood staircase, iron bracketed shelves hold amber bottles of eucalyptus and a white calla lily and a black pitcher of purple irises. Plum glass bottles in iron clamps carry dried seed heads, deep red roses and pale pink astrantia, and two embossed metal cones hold dark red carnations and dried poppy pods. Mixing fresh and dried stems halves the watering. Dark glass hides the water level, so lift each bottle out to check, and give every clamp a gentle tug before trusting it with water.
Iron Holders on a Stone Wall
A rough limestone wall beside stone steps carries eight holders above an oak handrail: red ranunculus in a bulb vase on a scrolled bracket, ivy in a bronze gothic trough, white flowers in a glass tube, white hellebores in a dark cone, a fern in an iron scroll basket, violets in a clay wall pot, dark red astrantia in another tube and trailing ivy in a wicker basket.
Stone needs masonry plugs and a masonry bit. In old walls, drilling into the mortar joints rather than the stone is often preferred because a joint is easier to repair later. Keep every holder above the handrail and the ivy trimmed back from it.
Crescent Moon Shelf and Gothic Holders
A crescent moon shelf in dark metal holds a pale pink orchid on a plum wall beside a curving iron balustrade. Around it are two embossed cones with dark red lilies and white hellebores, two slim purple glass tubes with orchids and lace flowers, a tall iron scroll panel climbed by ivy from a pot at its base, and a carved gothic shelf with a fern. Leave clear wall around the crescent so it stays the focal point.
Scrolling Iron Panel with Vases and Pots
A black iron panel of scrolling stems and leaves covers a smoky blue wall beside a dark staircase and holds seven containers: two cream pots printed with black botanicals (purple pansies and red carnations), two ornate cream wall planters (a dark heuchera and trailing variegated ivy) and three clear glass vases (cream roses, dried lavender and white cosmos). Treat the ironwork as a framework and clip containers on only where they sit securely.
Reclaimed Iron Gate Plant Display
A large black iron gate panel with arched bars and finials is fixed to a limewashed wall. Black glazed pots hang on it with dark red dahlias, pink hellebores and long trailing ivy, and a small rack below holds a string of hearts. Around it sit a maidenhair fern on an iron bracket, daisies in a brass wall pocket, an empty gothic iron arch and a rack with blue bellflowers in a dark bottle.
Choose a reclaimed piece without sharp points, loose rust or weak joints, and treat flaking paint as possible lead until tested, especially with children in the house. Iron plus wet pots adds up fast, so use fixings rated for the full weight.
Tree Wall Art with Red Blossoms
A dark tree trunk rises from the top of white stair paneling and spreads branches across a pale blue gray wall, covered in red five petal flowers with yellow centers. Black birds fly around it and a small birdcage hangs from one branch. Similar trees come as wall decals or as cut panels with raised flowers. Start the trunk right on the paneling cap so it looks rooted, and check the full width of the branches before you fix the first piece.
Agate Painted Wall Vases with Lavender
Four small wooden wall boxes run diagonally above oak stairs, their fronts painted like sliced agate in mauve, pink, navy and cream with gold veins. Each holds a loose bunch of dried lavender. Layered acrylic paint and a gold paint pen create the stone effect. Lavender sheds buds over time, so shake each bunch outdoors now and then.
Gold Hoops with Tied Flowers
Six gold hoops in two sizes hang from small hooks on a blush wall above white stairs. A small bunch is tied to each one: peach carnations, pink roses with white sprays, a cream and lilac hydrangea, white daisies, lavender with tiny dried flowers, and white blossom sprigs. With no water involved, use dried, preserved or faux flowers. Macrame rings, floral wire and twine are all you need, and two staggered columns leave plenty of the wall visible.
Reading the Light on Your Stairs
Start with the light. A bright stairwell with a window can take flowering plants and even cuttings in water; a dim one is better with ferns and pothos, or with the no water ideas above. Then pick one kind of holder and repeat it, which always looks calmer than one of everything. Whatever you choose, keep the handrail free along the whole flight, fix every holder for its full weight once the soil is wet, and water at the sink rather than on the stairs, because a damp tread is easy to slip on.
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