We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again — wooden ladders have a lot of design potential. We love their rustic, farmhouse chic look. If you have an old wooden ladder in your garage or shed, it may be time to upgrade to an aluminum one from your local Co-op Home Centre and upcycle your older one.

If your wooden ladder is new, you can make it appear rustic with this chalk-paint method. You can also check out Getting Creative with Wooden Ladders: DIY Ideas for Your Home for Beginners for a simple whitewashing method.

See below for our top wooden ladder decor ideas ranging from a medium-to-hard difficulty level.

Turn your ladders into an open closet

Open closets are perfect for those with limited space. They look great and provide ventilation for your clothes or shoes. To make an open closet with ladders, you will need two wooden stepladders with rungs that are the same height. You will also need flat boards that can fit through each ladder, stretching from the outside edge of one ladder to the outside edge of the other.

To start, place your ladders beside each other with the inside feet of each ladder touching. The ladders should create an ‘M’ shape. Place your boards on the rungs of your ladders stretching between the two. You can add a wooden dowel across the top of your ladders to form a clothing rod. Then, once you have measured out your shelving and/or dowels twice, cut them to size. Screw everything onto the rungs of your ladder so it is secure.

Note: This project can be done with one stepladder for a smaller shelving unit.

Suspended ladder projects

The following projects involve suspending ladders from your ceiling. If a project of this nature is new to you, we suggest speaking to a Co-op Home Centre employee for expert advice.

To start, locate a ceiling joist using a stud finder. It’s best to hang your ladder from a load-bearing joist beam for optimal support. Your ladder will need multiple points to hang from so make sure each point lines up with a ceiling joist. Then, mark off each joist before you screw in your hooks. Always check the weight limits of each of your hooks.

Ladder canopy

A ladder canopy can make a child’s bed look cozy and adorable. Attach your ladder to the ceiling above the bed, ensuring weight and safety are taken into consideration. Then, drape tulle or a fabric of your choice over the suspended ladder.

This idea can be used as a drying rack in your laundry room, too. Instead of draping fabric over the ladder in a canopy style, hang your clothes to dry after laundering.

Suspended ladder pot rack in your kitchen

Using largely the same method as the canopy, you can create a suspended pot rack in your kitchen. This project will, however, need more support as the pots and pans will have additional weight. Be aware of hanging heavier cast iron pots and pans.

Attach S hooks to your ladder’s rungs so you can hang your pots and pans.

Farmhouse chandelier

The farmhouse chandelier is probably the hardest project on this list. You follow the same steps as the kitchen pot rack, but make sure your ladder is suspended underneath a hanging light fixture. Then, you can suspend the hanging lights from the ladder’s rungs. You can also substitute battery-operated string lights here or hanging lanterns if your ladder chandelier is not close enough to a light fixture.

Note: If you are wiring your own hanging lights, be sure to follow all safety precautions regarding electrical work.