Along with sliding barn doors, rustic finds, and rustic decor, decorative ladders are another trend in home decorating that merits another look. These simple objects can bring an instant farmhouse, vintage feel to your home when uniquely decorated to reflect your personal style.
12 Ways to Style a Decorative Ladder
- Drape Blankets
- Display Antique Embroidered Dish Towels
- Hang Holiday Decor
- Organize Shoes
- Hang a Wreath and Family Decor
- Hang Baskets
- Store Books
- Hang Plants
- Display Pictures
- Organize Antique Collections
- Hang Pots
- Add Shelves
If you find an old wood ladder in your attic or at a yard sale, don’t pass it by! With a little paint, stain, or just some TLC, you just might have the one piece that will complete the entire style you’re going for. No matter where you plan to utilize a rustic, diy decorative ladder, you can’t go wrong.
Drape Blankets
An antique or vintage blanket ladder is just one of many
types of ladders. A blanket ladder is perfect for displaying seasonal throw blankets during winter or showing off the quilts you made or that were passed down to you. Tuck a decorative diy blanket ladder in the corner of a guest room or by the fireplace in your living room for added coziness during winter months.
If you have lighter summer blankets or throws, change out your blanket ladder seasonally. Add light throws to your ladder during the spring/summer months and bring out heavier blankets for fall and winter. Not only will this display provide a beautiful visual for your room, but the decorative ladder provides easy storage and accessibility for the blankets and throws you frequently use.
Display Antique Embroidered Dish Towels
Nothing says farmhouse “kitchen” like antique embroidered dish cloths. Whether they came from your grandmother, were a fabulous flea market find, or they’re representative of your newfound hobby, embroidered fabric deserves to be shown off. Dress up your diy kitchen with a thin decorative ladder and drape those kitchen towels over each rung. If you don’t have room to stand your ladder against a wall, mount it to the wall instead. Switch out your choices seasonally to keep with the decor in your home year-round.
Pro Tip: Tuck a small, thin ladder into your bathroom to display embroidered bath towels that match your decor for a homey, shabby chic or farmhouse look.
Hang Holiday Decor
For a fun, whimsical way to show off your diy holiday decor, use a ladder that has wide steps or small shelves. During fall, use a white ladder to highlight orange pumpkins, bright displays of fall foliage, and wood words such as ‘gather.’ During winter, use a wooden ladder and string a garland of pine cones, mittens, and Christmas tags to match the cozy feel of your living room. Use your decorative ladder to display decorations for each holiday from Easter to the Fourth of July for an extra festive feel in your home.
Organize Shoes
If you love shoes, you probably love displaying them as much as you enjoy wearing them. Use a decorative ladder to proudly display pumps and sandals during spring and summer, and boots or heels during fall and winter. Ladders with short shelves attached to the runs are ideal for flat shoes such as pumps, sandals, wedges, and boots. Decorative ladders with rungs are perfect for high heel shoes that can easily be slipped over the rung and displayed by hanging. This diy display is perfect for any bedroom and works exceptionally well for the fashion-forward teen or child who enjoys picking out their outfits each day.
Hang a Wreath and Family Decor
If you want to emphasize family-oriented decor such as a last name initial cut from wood, signs with important dates, or other significant decor, a ladder is the perfect place to show off those special pieces. Use a simple wooden ladder in natural wood or a painted color to match the colors of your room. Place a wreath in the center and add your last name wood initial to the middle of the wreath. Place the wreath higher on the ladder so it’s immediately noticeable when casually observing the ladder. Then, add other special signs and decor to the rungs or steps. Once you have each piece placed on your ladder, you’ll have a beautiful centerpiece that shows off valuable memorabilia and contributes to a farmhouse feel for your family.
Hang Baskets
If you’ve heard of a basket tree, using a decorative ladder to display woven baskets is similar. Basket trees are typically placed at the front entrance of a home to symbolize abundance and family. They were originally used around the house to gather fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden and eggs from the chicken coop. If you love the idea but aren’t in love with the “tree” stand often used, deck out your diy vintage ladder, instead. Use a ladder that has steps wide enough to set them on or add hooks to the vertical pieces of your decorative ladder for extra areas to place your favorite pieces. Wicker or other handmade rustic baskets look the best for this type of farmhouse display.
Store Books
For a whimsical and creative way to store and display your favorite books, use a decorative ladder with wide steps or small shelves. This display works in nearly any room in the house, from guest rooms to the family room.
Display children’s books in their playroom. Put seasonal books on display with a decorative ladder in the front room for Christmas, such as Charles Dickens’
A Christmas Carol or
The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore. Rotate your favorites and introduce classics like
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin and
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain for enjoyable summer reading.
If you have a library and want a
sliding ladder, use this multi-functional piece of decor for climbing to high shelves or for display. Sliding ladders look wonderful in any room and by following simple instructions to
measure a ladder, you can have one installed in no time. No matter what time of year or how you use it, a library ladder will always be in style.
Hang Plants
If you have a green thumb and want to add another area in your home to display plants, a ladder is the perfect diy opportunity. Place succulents or small flowering plants on steps and hang small vine plants from hanging planters. For a drought-tolerant display, use small potted cacti and air plants for a low-maintenance, unique look. Utilize both potted and hanging plants for a visually appealing, varied display.
When watering plants used for your ladder display, place a small dish under the potted plants so excess water can drain through without damaging the wood ladder. For hanging plants, simply take them outside when you water. Let them drain thoroughly until no more water drips through the bottom of the planter, then rehang them on the ladder.
Display Pictures
When it comes to picture displays, there are numerous ways to use an old ladder for decorative purposes. First, if you have a standing ladder that has shelves at each rung, you can create a bookshelf type display. Use a variety of picture frames in antique styles and sizes for a visually engaging display. Switch out pictures to go with holidays, themes, or seasons. Finally, intersperse pieces of decor and memorabilia for a complete look.
If you have a ladder that only has rungs, mount the ladder to your wall. In between the rungs, attach a hanging picture frame to the vertical wood pieces. Use picture frames that stand out from the ladder but stay with the overall rustic feel the decorative ladder provides. Use pictures that you want on permanent display or rotate as the seasons change for a complete look that matches your home all year long. Frames suspended within the natural wood grain of your ladder look stunning anywhere in the house.
Organize Antique Collections
If you’re looking for an organized display-worthy area to place your antique collectibles like old mason jars, kitchenware, creamers, or salt and pepper shakers, a vintage ladder is what you need. Secure an area in your kitchen that doesn’t get frequent foot traffic, isn’t near a cupboard or refrigerator, and rarely gets attention. A quiet corner or nook in your kitchen is perfect. You can also use out-of-the-way small spaces in your breakfast area or dining room.
Whether you live in an earthquake-prone area or not, it’s always a good idea to secure antiques onto your ladder shelves. Accidents happen and earthquake or otherwise, securing your antiques now can save you heartache later. Apply a museum-grade earthquake putty to the bottom of your antiques to ensure a stable hold. Using putty will protect your valuables from accidental bumps and keep them on the shelves.
Hang Pots
Do you love your unique kitchen pot and pan set? Are you too in love with it to hide it away in a drawer? No problem. Use a rustic ladder to display pots and pans hanging over your kitchen island. This project will take a little more involvement, but once you’re finished, you’ll have a magazine-worthy kitchen centerpiece.
To create a perfect pot rack, you’ll want a ladder no bigger than the size of your kitchen island, and probably slightly smaller. You want just enough rungs for your pots and pans to hang evenly on the rack without looking too spaced out or too crowded together. Five rungs should be plenty – you want it to be a lovely focal point without looking overcrowded. To mount it to your ceiling, you’ll need a chain for hanging the ladder and mounting hardware for your ceiling. The mounting hardware attaches to a beam in your ceiling for a secure hold. The chain attaches to the decorative ladder and up to the mounting hardware and hangs evenly. Hooks then go over each run to hold your pots and pans. Most kits will include hanging hardware such as wood screws.
Stainless steel, brightly colored, or copper pots make for a beautiful hanging kitchen centerpiece when displayed on a hanging ladder.
Add Shelves
To give yourself more display space on your ladder, attach shelves to an a-frame ladder. Open up the a-frame ladder, so it stands secure, then slide wood boards fit the size of your frame between rungs. Do this down the whole ladder, and you’ll have a ladder shelf that can house plenty of items, from small to large. Create a shelf ladder when adding larger items that need a sturdy base in addition to displaying a menagerie of smaller items bunched up in groups together.
Add a Decorative Ladder to Your Home
Decorative ladders add a perfect touch of whimsy, a farmhouse feel, or a pop of decor in an otherwise unused space in your house. You can style them any way you desire, whether you enjoy a sliding library ladder or a stationary blanket ladder. There are no restrictions when it comes to the many ways you can use a decorative ladder in your home. They’re easy to set up, functional, and beautiful in any room. For a quick way to make your home that much more picture worthy, get your decorative ladder set up today.
