TikTok Turns An Extra IKEA Table Leaf Into A Beautiful Place For Hanging Plants

When it comes to the most lost, discarded, and unused pieces of furniture, dining table leaves are surely at the top of the list. If you're the proud owner of an IKEA NÄMMARÖ outdoor dining set, you've probably found that its leaves are no exception. No matter how many big dinner parties you plan on hosting, your table tends to exist sans leaves. Now — thanks to TikTok — you can put your leaves to work in a completely different way: as decorative plant hangers.

All you'll need to repurpose your IKEA table leaf is a few small hanging plant holders, pots with plants, an equal number of planter hooks, and some basic mounting brackets. You can snag a set of six macramé hangers by Swpeet for $11.99 on Amazon and an array of pots and planter hook two-packs at Dollar Tree for $1.25 each. Gather your supplies and find a spot to display your new hanging plant art. 

Once you've chosen a wall to hang your table leaf plant art on, use your brackets to mount the leaf or leaves to the wall. Then, it's time to arrange your best hanging plants. Prepare the plants you wish to hang and place their pots into appropriately sized macramé hangers. If you really want to get creative, consider making your own hangers with the viral string hack for hanging plants. Arrange the planter hooks over the top of the leaf or between a pair of slats, and attach a plant to each hook.

The beauty of Dollar Tree planter hooks is that they do not require screws, nails, or other long-term attachment measures. This means you can arrange and rearrange your hanging plants as many times as necessary until you like the way your new wall hanging looks. Once you've arrived at a finished project that complements your home or lawn, all that's left to do is stand back and admire your own handiwork. You are now a master of repurposing and DIY decor. 

There are plenty of ways to tweak this project to make it fit your style — even if your table leaf isn't from an IKEA NÄMMARÖ set. As long as your table leaf has slats for hooks to connect, you can use it to hang plants. If keeping plants alive isn't your strong suit, simply swap out the live plants for faux versions. This doesn't just free you from needing to water and prune the plants, it also removes sunlight requirements, allowing you to mount your wall hanging absolutely anywhere.

For those who are okay with caring for plants but don't love the idea of placing absorbent macramé hangers outdoors, consider purchasing small plastic hanging baskets, like this four-pack on Amazon for under $17 or this four-pack of self-watering planters that have a woven look on Amazon for $23.99. For a different style altogether, try a bucket type of planter that can be hung from the table leaf; a four-pack is available on Amazon for $19.99. These would be ideal for growing herbs. And, if you'd like to make your piece more colorful, you can easily spray-paint the hangers to achieve any aesthetic.