Decorate and repurpose a vintage ladder or wooden blanket ladder with these DIY ladder decor ideas for your home. A blanket ladder can display more than quilts and throw blankets!
Build your own blanket ladder 3 ways with our tutorials: pallet wood blanket ladder | easy $5 blanket ladder | vintage style orchard ladder.
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Use Vertical Space in Your Home Decor
When decorating your home, having some variety in your wall decor can be what sets your style apart and makes your home feel designed, rather than just simply decorated.
See our ideas for creative and affordable large wall decor.
Thinking vertical, especially when decorating tall walls, helps give visual interest to your walls. We love vertical decorating elements like
(We even made a mini ladder for the kitchen counter 😉
Related Reading: How to Decorate Tall Walls
A blanket ladder can be for more than just blankets though, so we rounded up 10 beautiful ways to decorate a wooden ladder, vintage or fresh built.
Please note that all of these ladders and ideas are for decorative use only — not for climbing. If you need a boost, build a sturdy ladder chair, easy bar stool step ladder, or antique step ladder.
Looking for more ways to store blankets? Read 5 Easy Ways to Store Extra Blankets.
DIY Ladder Decor Ideas for Your Home
Just The Ladder
You don’t have to add anything to a ladder for it to be a great addition to your home decor!
This home office, featured in Better Homes and Gardens (with our decor tips here) inspired the design for our DIY wooden orchard ladder.
The rustic wood finish, angled design and extra height makes it a great standalone ladder for decor.
Dried Flowers on a Vintage Ladder
Flowers are always in style! When they’re not fresh in season, dried flowers can be just as beautiful in this vintage ladder idea from French Country Cottage.
Add a Wreath or Lantern
This blanket ladder decor by Nested Sanctuary has been on my favorites list for ages.
A couple throw blankets at the bottom, a wreath, lanterns, picture frame, and hanging basket with a plant — practically perfect!
Add Vintage Decor
At Gratefully Vintage, Kellie hung her vintage wooden ladder on the wall to make a shelf for vintage plates, bud vases, and frames.
A wall-mounted ladder makes a great low-profile shelf that fills the whole wall, especially for a narrow wall decor idea.
Add Photos
A bit of twine and some photos make the perfect addition to a blanket ladder! via Daisy Maebelle
Add Baskets for Functional Storage
Baskets on a ladder can be great for storage but also for fun farmhouse decor, like lemons and vintage rolling pins and fun tea towels.
via Pinterest, original image source unknown
A basket on each rung adds even more storage! Use baskets with hooks or attach wall mount baskets using S hooks or twine.
Buy this ladder with baskets here, or find similar hanging baskets here or wall mount wire baskets here to add to your existing ladder.
More hanging ladder baskets:
Go Horizontal
Who says a blanket ladder has to be stood up against the wall vertically?
Hang the ladder horizontally with a couple of shelf brackets or decorative corbels like this quilt ladder display from All People Quilt.
Or hang a ladder overhead for a creative floating display shelf like this ladder with baskets in this country kitchen.
Use A Ladder on the Porch
Going vertical on the front porch gives your entry so much curb appeal! Primitive and Proper added a cute welcome chalkboard sign.
Shoe Storage Ladder
When we built our pallet blanket ladder, we also put it to use in our master bedroom/closet area — holding high heels! Form meets function.
If you’d like to use a wooden ladder to store shoes that don’t have a heel, add knobs or hooks to the ladder rungs.
See more shoe storage ideas here.
Blankets – and Lots of ‘Em
Of course, blanket ladders are great at holding blankets, and few fluffy blankets, colorful throws, or handmade quilts make great decor, too.
Build a blanket ladder for only $5 in materials with Amy’s tutorial and plans:
Or go even taller — look how many blankets HerToolbelt can fit on her tall 6-ft blanket ladder!
See more blanket storage ideas here.
A cozy guest room always needs more blankets, and a blanket ladder is a great way to make them accessible to guests! Sustain My Craft Habit channeled beach vibes by using a DIY driftwood blanket ladder.
Bathroom Towel Storage
A blanket ladder makes for great bathroom towel hanging, too! A wood ladder holds full size towels or hand towels. Learn to build a rustic towel ladder from 12 Oaks.
Get more bathroom storage ideas.
Add Lights
String lights are one of our favorite tricks for adding ambiance anywhere! Christmas lights or fairy lights wrapped around a wood ladder make a great nightlight for a kid’s room or a ladder Christmas tree.
via Urban Outfitters
See our favorite string light options here.
Hang Christmas Stockings
This is one of my favorite ideas for easy Christmas decor — a stocking ladder! If you don’t have a fireplace or mantel for stockings, use a wooden ladder with hooks or knobs or just tied twine like Gluesticks Blog did.
A wooden ladder makes a great advent calendar idea, too, like Our Crafty Mom used.
or Hertoolbelt built:
See more of our favorite advent calendars here.
Get a blanket ladder here:
Shop our picks for great blanket ladders for your home, so you can have your own DIY ladder decor!
More easy home decor ideas:
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