How to make your own plant containers, get this book
Decorating, either inside or outside, can be pricey, but two Los Angeles DIY design divas offer plenty of solutions for repurposing and planting.
Annette Gutierrez and Mary Gray, long-time proprietors of the garden go-to Los Angeles store called Potted, spent a year experimenting with everyday materials to create lovely containers suitable for any room in your home or even outside. The book, “Potted: Make Your Own Stylish Containers’’ (Timber Press, $19.95) provides a step-by-step tutorial on how to take yard sale or hardware store finds or even concrete, plastic, metal and driftwood and turn them into attention grabbers.
Fall is here and with it that seasonal pull to plant. It can be hard to contain yourself when trying to choose the right vessels, especially with so many options, but Gutierrez and Gray point you in the right direction with 23 easy and affordable projects.
“It’s funny. Timber Press came to us and asked us to write the book. We thought, we sell these, but you want us to write a book about this?’’ said Gutierrez with a chuckle. “Then we realized a lot of people can’t afford what we sell.” They put their heads together, experimented, failed, tried again and came up with almost two dozen fun planter projects for those who can’t get ready made containers, but want the same aesthetic. You only have to look to Pinterest to see the truth in that statement.
“The book is about making DIY containers with stuff you can find, but we tried to put our spin on it,’’ she said. “There’s some pretty cool projects in there,’’ Gutierrez said.
Writing a how-to book sounds relatively easy. It’s not, she said. “We had to figure out the projects. It was hard. We even had some that we just had to make up.” Example, the pair’s “Marbleized Masterpieces’’ turning plain terra-cotta containers into swirled art by coming up with their own slightly tricky painting style took multiple tries.
The projects and the time it takes to accomplish them vary from less than an hour – “Trash Chic” transforming a simple garbage can with some paint and stencils – to a bit more time – “The Modern Rectangle’’ using backer board for a hipster planter. But the authors make the artistic journey easy by providing plenty of photos, even ones showing the necessary tools involved (essential for those who may not know the difference between a handsaw and a hacksaw).
Although plants provide most of the color and texture and garner most of the attention, don’t discount containers, which can be very important, “Especially for people who don’t have the space or yards. And right now, the biggest trend we’re seeing is houseplants. People want green in their lives whether that’s on their patios, balconies, yards or inside their homes,’’ she said.
Personally, Gutierrez likes plants that catch people by surprise. “I love containers to just pop out in the middle of a planting. I like seeing the highs and lows of a space. I like having a gazing ball or container that adds interest.”
Containers can and should be considered focal points. “The plant is always going to be the star, but if you’re going to spend all this time and money on a container don’t plant a plant that covers it up. The plant is not a throwaway but sometimes a plant can overpower a container.”
When selecting a container, consider space. Assess the need of the plant and the limits you face. “I like pots that punctuate a landscape,’’ she said. “Pots can fill up a space and exercise control. Succulents, for one, grow to their environment and most actually do better in them. They like being crowded.”
Gutierrez and Gray both worked in the film industry and brought different creative perspectives to Potted, the store, when they first opened more than a decade ago. “When we started these stores didn’t exist,’’ Gutierrez said. “We wanted a home store for the garden. We emphasized decor. I loved plants, but I’m not a plant person. I looked at the yard and saw how to decorate it.”
They agreed on one thing – wanting to come up with a place where people could shop for the exterior of their homes with the same choices as their interiors. During the years, they’ve added more plants. They’re especially fond of cactus, succulents and houseplants, all of which like to nestle in containers.
DIY Info
What: “Potted: Make Your Own Stylish Containers’’ (Timber Press, $19.95)
Where: Potted, the store, featuring outdoor furnishings, pottery, plants and fountains, 3158 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Angeles
Information: 323-665-3801; pottedstore.com
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