Octagonal Wall Planter Shelf

A shallow ceramic bowl cradled inside a gold octagonal iron frame, with a bamboo batten across the back to hold it steady against the wall. The geometry does the work here: the eight-sided outline reads as a deliberate shape on a plain wall, while the bowl inside stays quiet enough to hold whatever you put in it without competing for attention.

The bowl measures 17.5 x 8.5 x 5.8cm and the frame 17.7 x 9 x 17.7cm, so the whole piece projects less than 10cm from the wall. At around 1.8kg assembled it is substantial rather than flimsy, and that weight is worth knowing about before choosing a fixing - a plasterboard wall will want a proper hollow-wall anchor rather than a picture hook.

It is most often used for a small succulent or an air plant, but it works just as well by a front door holding keys and change, or in a bathroom for soap and a folded flannel. The ceramic wipes clean with a damp cloth; the iron frame should only be dusted dry. If you do plant into it, choose something that tolerates a shallow bowl with no drainage hole, and water sparingly rather than filling it.

• Ceramic bowl in a gold-finished iron octagonal frame with a bamboo support
• Bowl 17.5 x 8.5 x 5.8cm; frame 17.7 x 9 x 17.7cm
• Approximately 1.8kg assembled
• No drainage hole - suits succulents, air plants or dry storage
• Fix into a sound wall using a fixing rated for the weight; check for pipes and cables before drilling
• Wipe the ceramic with a damp cloth; dust the frame dry