8 Planter Ideas That Look Expensive But Aren’t

You don’t have to spend $60 a pot for your porch or living room to look pulled together. A lot of “designer” planters are just basic materials dressed up with paint, texture, or better shapes.

These ideas start with affordable pieces and tweak them so they look a lot higher-end than what you actually paid for them.

Painted terracotta in simple, modern colors

Terracotta pots are cheap and everywhere, but straight out of the store they can look a little flat. Give them a couple of coats of matte or satin spray paint in colors like charcoal, warm white, deep green, or tan.

You can leave the rim terracotta, paint just the bottom half, or do a simple stripe. Group three or four together in the same color family but different sizes. Suddenly they look like a coordinated set you bought as a collection instead of a handful of hardware store pots.

Faux-concrete plastic pots using paint

Those big concrete-look planters are beautiful and heavy—and usually pricey. You can fake the look using plain plastic pots and a mix of gray paints. Start with a mid-gray base, then dab on lighter and darker gray with a sponge or crumpled paper towel.

The texture doesn’t have to be perfect to read as concrete from a few feet away. Because the pot is plastic, it’s still light and easy to move, but it has that solid, grounded look that feels more expensive than it is.

Woven baskets with a hidden liner

A simple woven basket instantly looks cozy on a porch or in a living room, and you can usually find them cheaply at discount or thrift stores. The key is to line them with a plastic nursery pot or tray so water doesn’t ruin the basket.

Drop your plant (in its grower pot) into the basket and tuck a bit of plastic or a saucer at the bottom to catch drips. It looks like a custom planter, but you can swap plants easily or replace the basket if it wears out without crying over the cost.

Galvanized tubs for grouped containers

A galvanized drink tub, small trough, or even a metal storage bin makes a great low-cost planter with a farmhouse feel. Drill a few drainage holes in the bottom, add some gravel or broken pot pieces, and fill with potting mix.

Plant a small mix of flowers or evergreens together—one taller plant in the center or back, fuller plants around it, and something trailing over the edge. You get the impact of a large, “statement” piece for far less than a single big ceramic pot.

Thrifted ceramic or stoneware with added drainage

Thrift stores are full of old stoneware crocks, bowls, and ceramic pieces that would be expensive if you bought them new. Look for heavy, neutral pieces with shapes you like.

If they don’t have drainage, you can either drill a hole carefully (using the right bit) or use them as cache pots—keeping your plant in a plastic nursery pot inside and lifting it out to water in the sink. Grouping a few of these together looks collected and curated instead of “we bought it all in one day.”

Spray-painted plastic pots with ribbed or fluted texture

Those lightweight, fluted plastic pots that come in odd colors can actually look nice with paint. Choose a matte spray paint in a stone, clay, or muted color and cover the whole thing, inside rim and out.

The ribbed or fluted texture suddenly looks intentional, almost like something you’d see in a catalog. Pair a tall one with a shorter, wider one in the same color for a layered, custom feel that still weighs next to nothing when you need to move it.

Simple DIY window box from basic boards

A custom window box looks high-end from the street, but you can build a simple one from basic fence pickets or 1×6 boards. Cut pieces to length, screw them together into a basic rectangle, and add a few drainage holes in the bottom.

Paint or stain it to match your trim or contrast with your siding. Fill with plastic liner or pots so the wood lasts longer. It doesn’t have to be fancy to look pulled together—just straight cuts, solid brackets, and a clean color make it read as intentional from the sidewalk.

Tiered plant stand made from budget shelving

Instead of buying an expensive plant stand, repurpose a small metal or wooden shelf unit as a tiered planter. Look for narrow shelving that fits on a porch, balcony, or empty corner.

Spray paint it a single neutral color, then use basic terracotta or painted pots on each shelf. The height difference and repetition of pots make everything look styled, even if the shelves themselves were cheap. It’s an easy way to display multiple plants without buying individual stands.