When we showed photos of our front porch last fall, we described the decorating plan as “plants and more plants.” The greenery helps tie the porch to the yard and, as you’ll see here, it’s also doing a great job hiding some less-attractive features of the house — namely, three large rectangular electrical boxes on the front wall. We’ve been calling those our wall warts, and we finally found a simple, inexpensive way to disguise them.
To give some perspective, here’s what this area looked like last February when we made our offer on the house (that’s our realtor in the photo). We’ve made a lot of changes since then — new paint, new porch updates, and lots more plants — and the space feels much more welcoming now.
One oddity we discovered was the placement of the electrical meter: it sits on the front of the house just a few feet from the front door. That’s unusual — most homes have meters on the back or side — and it essentially greeted visitors as they arrived. When we added a whole-house generator last fall, two more electrical panels were installed beside the original meter. Suddenly our porch faced three large metal boxes that stuck out like sore thumbs, and the fern we’d been relying on wasn’t enough to hide them.
Our solution was straightforward: paint the boxes to match the siding and add a DIY plant shelf to support trailing plants that will spill down and soften the look. We checked with the utility company and the inspector before painting, and they approved the decision. Painting helps the boxes recede visually, and the shelf gives Sherry a new place to grow more plants — which, let’s be honest, she’s thrilled about.
The plant shelf currently holds four larger trailing plants with a smaller fifth placed on top of the far panel. Over the next months they’ll grow and cascade down the front of the wall, diverting attention from the utility boxes. We’ve had excellent luck keeping trailing pothos and similar plants outdoors in our climate — they thrive even in winter — so we’re optimistic these will fill in nicely.
Construction was intentionally simple and budget-friendly. The shelf is built from common primed boards and assembled in four parts:
- Backplate (Green): A 1×8 primed board screwed into the siding to create a flat mounting surface that spans the angled siding boards.
- Supports (Blue): 1×8 boards cut at a 45º angle to form triangular supports underneath the shelf, attached to the backplate with glue and screws before the backplate went on the wall.
- Platform (Pink): Two 1×10 primed boards sandwiched together (glued and finished with nails) form the shelf surface, attached to the supports and backplate with screws from above.
- Face Trim (Purple): 1×2 primed boards nailed to the exposed edges of the platform to give the shelf a finished, cohesive look.
After assembly, we filled the screw holes and painted the shelf to match the house so it blends in. The goal was to minimize the appearance of hardware and make the plants the focal point rather than the metal boxes. We left the clear round meter window unpainted even though the utility company said it would be fine to paint; we preferred to leave that visible.
This setup improves functionality too. Previously, a lightweight fern sat on top of our storage box and had to be moved whenever we needed access to stored items like beach chairs or umbrellas. The shelf keeps plants out of the way, so the storage box remains easy to use and the plants are more stable in wind. No more “fern on the loose.”
If you enjoy simple outdoor DIYs, we’ve shared many other projects and updates from this house — everything from a refreshed exterior and an outdoor shower overhaul to a low-maintenance upper deck and a cozy fenced firepit area. We’ve been focusing on outdoor living since we downsized, and maximizing these spaces has made a big difference in how we use our home.
We’re also planning a more detailed post about our pool planning and progress next — stay tuned for that update when we’re further along.
More Plant Guides
If you want care tips for the plants we like to use outdoors and indoors, these guides are helpful:
- Golden Pothos Care Guide
- Marble Queen Pothos Care Guide
- Neon Pothos Care Guide
- Monstera Deliciosa Care Guide
- Snake Plant Care Guide
- Fiddle Leaf Fig Care Guide
- Tree Philodendron Care Guide
- How to Build An Easy Plant Shelf
- Protecting Outdoor Plants In A Deep Freeze
- Getting Started With Houseplants, An Expert Interview
- My Favorite Faux Plants
- Easy Houseplants To Keep Alive
- 10 Houseplants For Better Indoor Air Quality
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