Ways to Design with Planters

Front porch planters with mid-century modern inspired chevron base

Give your plants a unique home with modern planters made from COR-TEN steel. Often used for bridges or outdoor sculptures, this weathering steel forms a stable, rust-like patina when exposed to the elements. When you receive the planter, it has a shiny appearance that develops a protective layer over time, revealing shades of orange, brown and black. It’s a one-of-a-kind, industrial look that adds interest to your outdoor spaces.

The Large and Small Hexagonal Concrete Planters are $89.99 and $69.99, respectively.

The Zizmors didn't want to use curtains to screen their wide-open home from noisy neighbors. Instead, Kari Elwell Katzander of Mingo Design, an urban landscaper, created a living wall of wooden planters and English ivy that provides privacy without blocking light.

Clean modern planters mix well with vintage terra-cotta on the front porch.

Danielle Trofe DesignThe Live Screen is an indoor planter system that uses self-sustaining, hydroponic technology.

Here's the walnut planter set with a natural finish.

The new Living Wall Planter 2 can be watered once in as long as two weeks' time, during which it "self waters" via a vessel in the back.

Berlin-based Atelier Hors-Serie’s AT collection comes in natural or contrasting engobe finishes, which give the planters unique color combinations. From $63

French company Bacsac creates innovative products that can be used for a variety of purposes, indoors and out. Made of a double-walled, 100 percent recyclable geotextile fabric, the innovative trio planter maintains the balance between air, soil, and water. The planter can be used for flowers or vegetables, and is an excellent option for organizing a garden on a patio or deck. When not in use, the flexible, lightweight bag can easily be folded and stored, making the Trio Planter a more versatile option than traditional ceramic pots.

Concrete planters frame the facade—a union of monolithic slabs that offers privacy and compositional integrity to the building. The exterior is a plaster finish over insulation and concrete.

Burks's Man Made collection and his Dala line of outdoor furniture for Dedon—featuring stools, chairs, and ottomans crafted by weavers in a Philippines factory—have brought him to a pivotal point in his career. "My relationship with Dwell has been about taking my Man Made project on the road," he says. Dedon produces 300 of Burks's pieces daily, by hand. "It's the ultimate expression of where I can see my own brand and my own studio going someday," he says. Stephen Burks for Dedon, Dala planters in recycled polyethylene, 2012>

@lilahvintage: "Because your tomatoes should be stylish. #dod2014 #dwell #dwellondesign @dwellmagazine"

A cluster of maple trees sprout from a trio of Autumn Lake eccentric silicone planters and a Ginko medium classic planter in the courtyard of Hayes' gallery, Salon 94.

A Woolly Pocket planter hangs on the steel beam above a polished-concrete floor warmed by radiant heat.

The vertical planter in the deck contains ten varieties of succulents.

Terra-cotta planters are ubiquitous, but these pots (available in white or natural clay) by Brooklyn-based designer Megumi Yoshida update the typology with a mod geometric bent. Read more about the Faceted Planter here.

Weathered wood tempers the gray stucco siding and provides a pleasant refuge in the community garden space.

Board-formed concrete planters hold species fitting for the Pacific Northwest, including conifers and moss.