Give An Old Bookcase A New Life As A Stunning Upcycled Succulent Garden

When it comes to upcycling, it's all about the gap. The gap is the difference between what something once was and what it will become, and the wider that gap, the more satisfying the result. For DIYers who love to repurpose old junk furniture and turn it into something useful, filling that gap starts by seeing the potential in a discarded piece. If you're looking for some upcycle ideas to consider before tossing an old bookcase, you might just be sitting on one of the biggest upcycling gaps of all, as seen with this idea from TikTok creator josuai20, which gives new life to an old bookcase with an upcycled succulent garden that can serve double duty as patio furniture.

For this DIY, you can turn any old bookcase or cube shelf — even the cheap ones from big-box stores — into a patio planter for succulents. In this design, josuai20 takes a small white bookcase with three shelves, turns it on its back, and uses the shelves as a divided planter. Waterproof peel-and-stick vinyl floor tiles cover the bookcase, giving it the look of a designer piece, and legs added to the back literally and figuratively elevate its appearance. After filling the bookcase with cactus potting mix, planting the succulents, and covering the soil with pea gravel, josuai20 uses felt pads on the corners of the bookcase and places a piece of glass over the top. Placement matters more with glass over the plants, but the visual effect is inspiring.

Instead of throwing out an old bookcase, you can build on the ideas from this unique upcycle and make it your own. Some ideas worth considering include adding some scrap wood to the back to make a sturdier base so you can screw the legs in rather than just gluing them on. You could even use rolling casters instead of legs to make it movable. Another improvement you can make is to line the shelves with plastic so the planter is watertight. As long as you provide good drainage, succulents don't need a lot of water, but you still don't want to risk rotting out the back of the bookcase. Succulents don't have deep roots, so you could save on potting soil by filling the depth of the planter with empty plastic bottles, one of many clever ways to repurpose plastic in the garden.

Since many succulents grow best in a sunny location, and a glass top could turn your planter into a solar oven when the sun hits it, another option to consider for the top is to use a caddy system, much like this custom drawer organizer that reduces bathroom clutter. It's based on a design that uses circular cutouts for canisters, but you could easily replace the canister idea with a plant container. Then, you have the rest of the space for holding drinks when you're relaxing or entertaining outdoors. You can decorate the top by staining, painting, or epoxying it for a durable, long-lasting finish.