Smart Ways To Use The IKEA VANILJSTANG Plant Stand Around Your Home

Whether you have a studio apartment or a two-story house, there is always value in using multi-functional furniture. For those pieces you can put to work in any room, look no further than Swedish home goods giant, IKEA. IKEA is known for its many budget friendly, versatile furniture systems. For example, you can turn an IKEA PAX into the ultimate organizer with both doors and drawers, or turn your IKEA BILLY bookcase into a stunning built-in home bar. But you can also repurpose a single product like the VANILJSTÅNG plant stand, for various uses.

The VANILJSTÅNG plant stand is highly rated for its intended purpose as a plant stand. The piece has a 4.6-star average rating across over 220 customer reviews and comes in two sizes — a 21 ¾-inch option for $50 or a 26 ½-inch version for $70. Customers consistently tout the plant stand's cuteness and find it reliable for holding plants. But some others reveal that they put their VANILJSTÅNG to use in a different way — praising the stand as the perfect spot to keep an internet modem. It seems those buyers have the right idea. The designer of the VANILJSTÅNG, Andreas Fredriksson, says that the stand is great for not only plants, but for displaying travel memorabilia and important decorative items. And for even more ways to employ the VANILJSTÅNG around your home, IKEA suggests using it as a mobile dining station, an office organizer, or a plant potting station (via TikTok).

Because the VANILJSTÅNG is already built for plants, it's not surprising that it would be useful for potting them. On the bottom shelf, keep large buckets to fill with soil and other drainage materials to rid your plants of excess moisture. TikTok plant enthusiast @botanicallybe recommends another IKEA product for storing these supplies — the DAMMÄNG lidded bucket. Two small sized DAMMÄNGs will fit perfectly on the VANILJSTÅNG bottom shelf. 

To use the VANILJSTÅNG as a dining station, outfit the top shelf with compartments for your various dining needs. A napkin holder, utensil crock, and bins for condiments, like salt and pepper, are a great place to start. Take advantage of the top shelf's high sides to hang hooks for towels or large utensils, like tongs. A 20-pack of Evob S-hooks can not only be helpful when organizing your stand, but it can also be used in many other ways around the house, like creating the perfect handbag organizer for closet storage. As an office organizer, the VANILJSTÅNG can easily come with you from the office to the couch. Include file holders and small organizers to the top shelf for workday essentials like pens, pencils, paper clips and scissors. Keep larger, closed boxes on the bottom for storing paperwork. A freestanding file organizer, like the Baleine lidded file box, will allow you to keep important documents in order and at arm's length.