Creative Air Plant Holder Ideas: Display Your Tillandsia in Style
Air plants, scientifically known as Tillandsia, have surged in popularity, gracing homes and offices with their unique charm. Their appeal lies in their low-maintenance nature, affordability, and the undeniable visual interest they bring to any space. Unlike traditional plants, air plants don’t require soil, opening up a world of creative possibilities for displaying these fascinating botanical wonders. This guide presents a curated collection of innovative air plant holder ideas, offering inspiration to showcase your Tillandsia in truly captivating ways.

Ready to transform your living space with these natural beauties? Let’s dive into a diverse range of air plant display ideas, from simple DIY projects to more elaborate artistic creations.
20+ Unique and Inspiring Air Plant Holder Ideas
Explore these handpicked ideas to find the perfect way to display your air plants and add a touch of greenery to your home or office.

1. Painted Wooden Bell Cups
Transform simple wooden bell cups into charming containers for your air plants. A splash of paint adds a personalized touch, creating a visually appealing display. Check out a detailed tutorial on how to create these DIY painted air plant bell cups.
2. Upside-Down Bottle Display
Embrace the unique nature of air plants by showcasing them in an unexpected way – upside down! An empty glass bottle provides a quirky and stylish home for your Tillandsia. Get inspiration from this photo of an air plant housed in an empty glass bottle.

3. String Art Air Plant Holder
Combine the art of string art with your love for air plants to create a unique and eye-catching display. Learn how to make your own version of this cool air plant holder with this tutorial.
4. Dried Bean Bed
Look no further than your pantry for a simple yet stylish air plant holder. Dried beans provide a natural and textured base for your Tillandsia. Find the full how-to guide here.
5. Mason Jar and Twine Hangers
Embrace rustic charm with mason jars and twine. These simple materials create a beautiful hanging planter for your air plants. Discover more about this project here.

6. Layered Glass Jar
Create a visually appealing terrarium by layering different materials like sand, rice, beans, and rocks in a glass jar beneath your air plants. Get inspired by layering ideas.
7. Flat Platter Display
A simple flat platter or tray can provide an elegant and minimalist setting for your air plants. See an example of a beautiful presentation here.
8. Driftwood Attachment
If you live near the ocean, gather a piece of driftwood and attach your Tillandsia to it for a natural and coastal-inspired display. Check out the tutorial here.
9. Vase-in-Vase Terrarium
This simple yet stunning idea involves placing a glass vase inside another, creating a mini-terrarium for your air plant. It’s also a relatively pet-safe option. Get inspired here.
10. Living Wreath
Create a stunning living wreath using air plants, flowers, branches, and other natural items. Decorate a pre-made wooden wreath for a unique and eye-catching display. Find the tutorial here.

10 More Air Plant Holder Inspiration Ideas
Continue exploring creative possibilities with these additional ideas to display your air plants.

1. Triangular Wall-Mounted Hangers
Give your air plants a modern, geometric look with triangular wall-mounted hangers. Get the look at Homey Oh My!
2. Neon Cord Suspension
Suspend your air plants from the ceiling with neon cord for a bright pop of color. Get inspired via Decoist.

3. Deconstructed Look
Humorously suspend your Tillandsia above the pots of dirt for a deconstructed and artistic display. See it via Minimalisti.
4. Framed Air Plants
Buy several air plants and display them in frames on the wall for a unique and living art piece. See framed air plants at FloraGrubb.

5. Driftwood Display
A piece of driftwood provides a natural and beautiful spot to place an air plant. Get inspired via Minimalisti.
6. Shaped Arrangement
Get super creative and arrange your air plants in the shape of an @ symbol or any other design. Check out an example at Well Groomed.

7. Wire Display
Wire is a great material to use to show off your air plants. See wire display ideas at Homedit.
8. Wire Grid Display
A simple wire grid from the home improvement store is a super easy and stylish display idea. See it at The Horticult.

9. Fishing Twine Suspension
Fishing twine will make your air plants appear to be floating in mid-air. Get inspired by Floatypoe.
10. Air Plant Wreath
A wreath is another great way to share your Tillandsia with passersby. Check out Calypte Collection for inspiration.

Some Unusual Air Plant Displays (Still Gorgeous)
Step outside the box with these unique and stunning air plant display ideas.

A Curbly reader shared some gorgeous pictures of air plant displays. The top image, which utilized silver chains and hoops, is an original creation.

This terrarium features an intriguing alien/pod-like aesthetic.
(You can see more work here.)
Tillandsia takes center stage at this installation by Flora Grubb Gardens at the Bardessono Hotel, Napa Valley:

Detail:

Here’s another installation by Flora Grubb Gardens at The Plant Cafe Organic on Pier 3 in San Francisco:

Check out these ‘domes’ of dripping Tillandsias Usneoides (Spanish hanging moss) that featured last fall at the London Design Festival. They were created by French designer Patrick Nadeau for Boffi.


Air plants might look fake, but they’re not! They can be grown indoors or out, prefer cool nighttime temps and bright filtered light, and do well in artificial light (fluorescent is best). Indoor Tillandsia prefer to be thoroughly wetted 2 to 3 times a week, whereas those grown outdoors may never need watering. For food, a Bromeliad fertilizer (17-8-22) twice a month will suffice. Despite these ‘rules,’ Tillandsia are incredibly hardy, which is why many people think they’re not real!
According to Air Plant City, Tillandsia don’t like to be in containers that hold water.



These are just a few examples of the many creative ways you can display your air plants. With a little imagination, you can create unique and eye-catching displays that will add a touch of greenery to your home or office.