DIY Gold Mini Greenhouse {Ikea Hack}

This DIY Gold Mini Greenhouse from IKEA is so cute! It only takes 30 minute total to complete and costs less than $30. Perfect Spring IKEA hack!

I’m super excited about today’s project! Even though I have a black thumb, I have been swooning over all the beautiful greenhouses I’ve seen online lately. Although this greenhouse is tiny, it’s affordable…and gold!

This DIY gold mini greenhouse from IKEA might be my favorite Ikea hack yet.

Easy IKEA Hack: Mini Greenhouse

Back in 2014, I feel in love with the Socker Greenhouse in the IKEA catalog.

A cute greenhouse for less than $20? Sold. I picked it up at IKEA immediately and knew right away it would be the perfect hacking candidate. 😄

I took it home for a makeover—and you can too!

How To Make A DIY Mini Greenhouse

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how easy it is to create your own mini greenhouse. Just follow along!

First up, gather your supplies.

Supplies

• Ikea Socker Greenhouse (you can find it online at Amazon right here, but it’s quite a bit more expensive. If you don’t have an Ikea around, use this glass terrarium instead—it’s similar! 
• Martha Stewart’s Gold Liquid Gilding
• Foam Brush

In the photo below, you see what comes in the box when you buy the IKEA SOCKER greenhouse.

The instructions are just like you’d expect from IKEA, and the greenhouse is actually a stark white color.

The white greenhouse is simple and clean, but I wanted more! So I purchased some Martha Stewart liquid gilding.

DIY Mini Greenhouse Instructions

Here’s how I hacked the IKEA SOCKER greenhouse and created my own gold mini greenhouse.

1. Remove All The Plastic Pieces From the Frames

My plan was to paint the outsides of the greenhouse with the gilding and I was super excited to see that the plastic sides were not only wrapped in a sticky layer of plastic, but they were also easily removable from the frame.

I opted to remove all the pieces, leaving just the metal frames.

2. Cover The Outside of the Frame With Gilding

I then enlisted Scott to help me and we used foam brushes to cover the entire outside of the frame.

It was my first time working with this product, and I loved how beautiful the gold finish was!

Luckily, even the box it came in was able to be used as a painting mat for us to work on. 😄

3. Paint Over Cardboard

To prevent your work area from getting any drips, layout some cardboard. I used the cardboard box the greenhouse pieces came in and it was the perfect size for us to paint over.

4. Paint Slowly And Cover Completely

The reason I prefer to use a foam brush is because I feel like I have more control over where the gilding ends up. You want to make sure every single space of your greenhouse is covered.

Take your time! If you rush, you might waste gilding.

5. Only Dip The Tip of the Brush

As you can see in my photo below, you only want to dip the tip of the foam brush in the gilding.

If you get too much gilding on your brush, it will drip off and waste the gilding. It will also be difficult to control and could leave unsightly brush strokes and drips on your greenhouse.

6. Use Even Strokes

Pay close attention to the direction you paint the pieces of your greenhouse. Always apply the gilding with the strokes in the same direction. This will give it a polished and professional appearance.

Isn’t it looking amazing so far? If you notice some drips or things don’t look quite right, you can always add a second coat.

I just adore how shiny and glamorous the liquid gilding makes this greenhouse! That color reminds me of the sun!

7. Let It Dry Completely

Before putting it together, you might let all the parts dry completely. To be safe, let the dry overnight.

8. Assemble the Mini Greenhouse

The next day, after it was dry, we put the greenhouse plastic sides back in the frame and put it all together again.

I decided to leave the inner frame white since the gild had a strong scent and I wasn’t sure how plants would do with it.

You all will be proud to know that I put REAL plants in it, and fought the temptation to get plastics. 😁

I didn’t hack the greenhouse mechanically, so we just followed the instructions it came with and put it together.

What To Put In A Mini Greenhouse

Now that you have your fully assembled, repainted, mini greenhouse what will you put inside?

This is a small size, but here are a few ideas for you!

Fill With Mini Succulents

Isn’t this beautiful? I chose to fill my mini greenhouse with succulents. It’s the perfect size for small plants too.

You can leave the top of the greenhouse fully closed, fully open, or partially open. How cool is it??

I love the color it came out to be! Isn’t that gold finish gorgeous? And…if you don’t like plants/flowers, that’s okay!

Fill it with books and glitter dipped feathers. Or, whatever you happen to have on hand.

Display Old Books

Another thing I love decorating with are old books! I played around with this mini greenhouse and discovered it is the perfect size for holding a small stack of books along with a few plants.

I love how my mini greenhouse matches the gold in my plant pot too.

Gold is a very trendy color right now, and this craft couldn’t be any easier!

Now go make one of your own! 🙂 It’s super easy, promise!!

More Gilding Crafts and Ideas

After we finished the outside of the greenhouse frame and were waiting for it to dry, we went a little crazy with the gilding.

Here are just a few more things you can apply gild to and create. Honestly, the options are endless!

1. Upcycle An Old Book Into A Notebook

We could also call this post “we must gild all things”.

First, we tried to gild one of the books I converted into a notebook– isn’t it pretty? 

2. Make Old Scissors Look Like New

Then, I found a pair of crafting scissors that were red. Red, boo! So, I decided to make them gold instead.

Much prettier!

3. Redecorate A White Mirror

Then, we found a plain white-framed mirror and decided we’d rather it be gold, so Scott gilded it for us. You might recognize it as my DIY rope mirrors twin!

Isn’t this color amazing? One little jar goes a long way.

I’m actually impressed with how many projects we accomplished with just a little jar of liquid gilding and some foam brushes.

The best thing about using foam brushes and being extra careful is that you don’t need painter’s tape. I still recommend adding painter’s tape to the mirror before painting it, just in case.

More Easy Crafts

After you finish this craft, here are some more you’ll enjoy too!

• Craft Blocking Wood Utensils
• Leftover Wallpaper Craft
• Easy DIY Bath Bombs