TikTok's Gorgeous DIY Vertical Planter Door Adds A Pop Of Greenery To Any Room

Sliding room dividers and doors can be an important element in many homes, especially in smaller houses, studio apartments, or multi-use spaces. At best, they can be a great way to define zones, grant privacy, and hide clutter. At worst, they can be ungainly, unattractive, or just kind of boring. 

However, Lindsay Zuelich — known on TikTok as @wood_brain – recently showed off an ingenious way to create a sliding divider that doubles as a stunning wall of plants and greenery. Using wood slats, small wood boxes, and sliding barn door hardware, she creates the perfect sliding door to cover the entryway to a small laundry area. The result is a beautiful addition to the small space, as well as a great biophilic decor element. Though it uses similar hardware to traditional bulky barn doors, this unique sliding door stands out for being easy to maneuver and lightweight due to its airy construction. It's a great way to let light filter through without blocking it, while the ladder format also provides a perfect frame for climbing and dangling plants. 

This project is fully customizable, since you can build it to size and include a mix of boxes that perfectly accommodate the plants you want to use it for. It's also a more stylish alternative to boring traditional sliding closet doors or bulky accordion-style room dividers. Best of all, you don't need to be an expert to make it yourself.

To create this sliding divider, build the outer framework using two longer pieces of 1x4-inch wood for the vertical supports. Cut them to the desired height of the divider, with another two for the top and bottom cut to the desired width. You can then add the thinner 1x2-inch boards between the vertical supports, equally spaced in a ladder format. Use a screwdriver and pocket hole jig to attach each piece together securely. To hide the pocket holes,  add a second layer of wood along the perimeter on the back side of the door. Once the door is complete, attach casters to the bottom and the top of the frame to the barn door sliding hardware, which you can find at Lowes and Amazon.

For the plants, create an assortment of boxes using angled 1x6-inch slabs of wood cut by a miter saw at 45 degrees. Hold the boxes together with wood glue and finishing nails. For the bottom of the boxes, use a router to form a groove into which the bottom of each box fits. Add an angled cut French cleat screwed to the back with leftover wood, which allows the boxes to hang on the rails of the divider. While @wood_brain leaves her divider natural with a coat of polyurethane spray, you can choose to paint it your desired color, or refinish it with the right stain to fit with the rest of your home.

Try using this project anywhere you want to add privacy or define a space — for example, it makes a great way to partition off messy workspaces and desks in hybrid home offices. Use it to discreetly cover an open washer and dryer alcove, or a pantry space, if either is setup in a way that allows you to pull it closed when the area is not in use. It's also a perfect solution to cover closets whose existing sliding doors are outdated in style or have seen better days. Like other hung sliding doors, it can also be a great alternative to a standard door in a small space where privacy is not needed.

Elsewhere, the door itself and the plants can be a great way to hide ugly things like thermostats and electrical panels, or can simply add texture and dimension to a blank wall — not to mention, a cute place to house plants in their full glory. With some weather protection on the wood, it's also great for outdoor spaces as well, and can provide privacy on a porch or patio that can be retracted when not needed.