How to Make a Hygge Holiday Planter Box

Inside: How to incorporate Hygge into your Holiday decorating with a DIY Holiday Planter Box; use it as mantel decor or on the floor for true hygge holiday vibes.

I have had this idea for a simple DIY build for Sooooooo long and I’m pumped to finally have it finished to share with you. As you might know, I’m a big fan of Hygge. It’s the Scandinavian art of being cozy and it has my whole heart. It is not fussy, simple and full of light and texture – and miniature houses! Today, I’m going to share with you how to make a hygge holiday planter box that can also be used as a gift box or as mantel decor.

If you want to see some other Hygge stuff I’ve done, check out my Hygge dining room tablescape and my most recent Hygge Inspired Advent Calendar!

Supplies to make a Hygge Holiday Centrepiece

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1 x 1×6
1 x 1×8
Minwax Stain Cloths (in finish of choice)
White chalk-style paint
Small craft paint brush
Faux greenery
wood glue
wood filler or scratch markers
work bench
clamps
Sharpie Paint Pens

Tools to make a Hygge Holiday Centrepiece

Mitre saw (optional, you can use a hand saw if you’d like)
Cordless Jigsaw
Finish Brad Nailer

In-Depth Step by Step to make a Hygge Holiday Centrepiece

Step One: Measure and Cut

There is no two ways about it. Basically you are building a box with a fancy front. I made my box 16″ long and as wide as a 1×6 because that fit small flower pots and worked for my decor. You can make your box as large or as small as you want. The basic principle is that your bottom and back pieces need to be the same size (in my case 1x6x16) and the side pieces need to fit along the edges and be flush with the front (in my case 1x6x5.5). Glue the pieces together one by one and secure them with a couple of nails using a brad nailer. (The small piece in the top right of this photo is left over scrap from my 1×6 – so this project has very little waste!)

The front piece is cut to a 16″ length from a 1×8 with the house motif detailing sketched on top. Don’t attach this yet.

Step Two: Cut out the Hygge Houses

Clamp your 1×8 to your workbench and use a jigsaw to cut out the houses. Then attach this board to the front of your box using glue and a brad nailer. Sand the entire box with a palm sander or mouse sander.

Step Three: Paint and Decorate

I wanted to keep my centrepiece looking light and airy, so I chose to paint the box white and then stain the houses different tones using stain wipes. You could easily stain the entire box or paint the entire box – it doesn’t really matter.

And then I got all excited and built another one in smaller dimensions. I used the exact same principles, but I swapped the 1×8 and 1×6 for a 1×4 and a 1×6 on the front. I also cut down the length of the second box to about 12″ instead of 16″. For this one, I decorated it in a much more modern way – with grey and white and then blackboard paint accents on the front.