The column outdoor plant stand at the end of our patio looked a bit forlorn once the flowers had faded and we removed them and their pot. After looking at it for several days and wondering what could be place on top during the winter I began to change my thinking.
Why not bring the stand indoors and enjoy it in the house during the cold season? The result after completion was absolutely stunning and resulted in many compliments and raves.
Here is a suggestion how to create such a focal point in your home. If you have a large column or square plant stand, either in your garden or consider purchasing one, first look at your living space and envision where a free standing column might add interest
That could be near a window, in an open area between two different use areas such living room to dining room, or between family and living room. I choose a location at the end of a dividing wall that separated the kitchen from the living room but was wide open to the dining room both from kitchen and living room.
Before you start hauling the stand to your chosen location, try it first by placing a tall chair, or better yet, stacked chairs, at that spot. If you can’t quite envision what it will look like, possibly cover the chairs with a white sheet or table clothes. Look at it from several directions to see your best choice.
Prepare the column for its trip indoors. If it is dirty, either wash it or brush it and make sure that you look underneath and clean off any bugs that might winter there. You might even want to paint it first. The kind of paint depends on what it is made of.
If applicable, high gloss paint in a complimentary color either blending with the wall paint or contrasting but blending with your color scheme can be very attractive. Before you use color, cover your “sample chairs” with a fabric of that color and see how it looks.
When ready to place the column, if on carpet, it is best to place either a piece of wood, heavy plastic or glass underneath the stand to protect the carpet since you might choose to remove the column at a later date. Once in place, make sure that the column stands firmly by wiggling and pushing it a little. If it is not solid, you might have to wedge a wood chip or some other items in the gap that makes it be wiggly. Often just turning the stand a bit resolves the problem.
Once you are satisfied with the placement you can place floral or other decorations on it. The possibilities are endless. Consider decorating with the Holidays. Thanksgiving might lend to a large bowl or cornucopia filled with fruits, vegetables and flowers.
For Christmas poinsettias, angels, Santa Clause, large glass balls, or a Christmas tree and wide ribbons of gold or silver draped around the column look stunning. For Hanukkah a Menorah and silver and blue ribbons. Start the New Year with a bowl of flowers with some trailing vines such as ivy or asparagus fern extending below the top of the column. Surprise your Valentine with an interesting heart decoration place on top or the red roses he sent you.
There just is no limit to what you can do, creating a new look every time the mood strikes you. Come spring, you might do as we did, instead of moving the column plant stand outdoors again, we bought a new one just like it and extended the look to the outdoors.
