Wall-Mounted Herb Planter IKEA Hack

I had a small obsession with shopping at IKEA for a time, and during one of my many trips I bought the IKEA Vurm wine rack. Well I got it home, mounted it and subsequently realized that wider white wine bottles didn't fit in it. So you better believe I took it right down! And then it sat in the closet collecting dust for months.

But then, the other night, it hit me - why not mount it horizontally and stick some pint glasses in there? And then plant basil, cilantro and a few others in the glasses to make an indoor wall-mounted herb garden? And why not label each glass with chalkboard paint? Well, I tried it... and it worked. Bonus: If your pet can jump really high like my dog Charlie can, this is a great way to keep your herb garden away from those mischievous paws.

1. Collect your materials:

• IKEA Vurm
• 4 herb plant
• 4 pint glasses
• A few handfuls of small rocks
• Latex paint in any color
• Americana Clear Chalkboard Coating
• White chalk
• Paintbrush
• Paper towels
• Wax paper

2. Dip the bottom of each glass into the latex paint, creating a 1" tall coating of paint. Let the excess paint drip off.

3. Set each glass lightly onto a paper towel to remove the rest of the excess paint

4. Set the glasses on the wax paper to dry. Move them around on the paper after an hour so they don't get completely stuck. Let them dry for a couple more hours.

5. Next, use a paintbrush to put a layer of the Clear Chalkboard Coating on the painted area of the glass. Do the same for the remaining three glasses. Let this coat dry for one hour, then add another coat. Now let the glasses dry completely overnight.

6. Condition the chalkboard coating by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk over it.

7. Wipe off the excess chalk with a dry paper towel.

8. Fill each glass with rocks, so that they are each almost half full. This will help extra water drain from the soil.

9. Now, transfer the herbs to the glasses. You may need to remove some of the dirt from the side of the plant so it fits in the glass. Try not to damage the roots while doing this.

10. It's time to mount the Vurm on the wall, horizontally instead of vertically. Use a pencil or pen to mark the placement of the Vurm mounting hardware, and use a drill or screwdriver to screw them into the wall. Be sure to attach at least one side to a stud so that it will stay mounted securely to your wall, or alternatively you could use sturdy drywall anchors.

11. Hang up the Vurm, and tighten the screws. Now put your plants into the open spaces in the Vurm. And you're done!

I hope this tutorial will help you breathe new life into your IKEA Vurm wine rack too. Because what's better than fresh herbs to put your culinary masterpiece over the top?!

For tons of other fun DIY projects, check out my blog Design Fixation... I share easy projects that can be done in an afternoon with minimal materials and maximum wow factor!