A woman with more than 150 houseplants turned a vintage, mid-century TV into a giant terrarium for her cactuses

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A woman with more than 150 houseplants turned a vintage, mid-century TV into a giant terrarium for her cactuses
Tarrah Schiller repurposed a vintage TV into a terrarium.Tarrah Schiller
  • Tarrah Schiller, a houseplant and antiques collector, wanted to add prickly cactuses to her home.
  • But she also wanted to keep her pets safe, so she repurposed a mid-century CRT TV into a terrarium.
  • The DIY cost $350 and took three days to finish. Schiller told Insider she's thrilled with the result.
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Antiques and houseplants are two of Tarrah Schiller's favorite things. But what she loves even more is finding unique ways to combine the two.

From turning old phonographs into plant stands to upcycling antique glassware into planters, Schiller is constantly melding antiques and plants.

Her recent project involved turning a 1950s TV console into an open terrarium for cactuses.

While it takes a few days to complete and costs about $350, Schiller told Insider anyone can do it - you just need a little patience.

Schiller was inspired by a TV aquarium she spotted on social media

A woman with more than 150 houseplants turned a vintage, mid-century TV into a giant terrarium for her cactuses
She told Insider that it's her favorite project she's done.Tarrah Schiller

Schiller's home is full of houseplants, but she was missing cactuses. With three dogs running around, she wanted a way to incorporate the prickly plants safely in her home.

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A terrarium would do the job, but Schiller wanted something a little more unique than the standard glass tank.

"I had remembered seeing a fish tank that was made out of an old, retro television, and I thought the same idea could be used for upcycling plants," she told Insider.

So Schiller started hunting for a vintage TV. She wanted to find something local that fit a specific color scheme and look. Nearly two and a half years after coming up with the idea, Schiller finally found her perfect TV at a yard sale.

"I got goosebumps," she said. "It made me so happy."

For $100, Schiller's 1950s TV console was made of real wood and fit her dimensions.

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A woman with more than 150 houseplants turned a vintage, mid-century TV into a giant terrarium for her cactuses
Schiller purchased her vintage TV console for $100.Tarrah Schiller

How to turn an old TV into a terrarium

Although the project takes time and effort, Schiller said it was completely worth it.

If you're going to work with an old CRT TV, make sure the cathode ray tubes are already removed or have an expert do the job. These tubes are filled with high levels of toxins.

Fortunately, Schiller found a TV that had already been hollowed out.

Step 1. Schiller started by painting the inside of the empty TV white so her caucuses would pop. Schiller said she wanted everything from the rocks to the paint to be a neutral color, so her plants would be the main focus of the terrarium.

Step 2. She added some plywood to the base of the TV, which supports the weight of the planter.

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Step 3. Next, she added three strips of grow lights to the interior of the TV cabinet.

A woman with more than 150 houseplants turned a vintage, mid-century TV into a giant terrarium for her cactuses
Arrows point to the aluminum turkey trays Tarrah Schiller used for the planter.Tarrah Schiller

Step 4. After the TV was prepped, Schiller used two aluminum turkey trays for the planter. She cut and taped them together so they would fit snuggly into the base of the TV.

Step 5. Schiller collected her cactuses and materials for planting. For this project, she used a mix of cactus soil, perlite, and small river pebbles for the soil and planted the cactuses into the tray.

A woman with more than 150 houseplants turned a vintage, mid-century TV into a giant terrarium for her cactuses
The back view of the terrarium shows how she stacked potted cactuses.Tarrah Schiller

Step 6. Then she placed the planter into the hollowed-out TV compartment. There were four inches of space behind the tray, so she added some potted plants on plywood staggered in height. She also added rocks to the sides to hide any visible aluminum.

A woman with more than 150 houseplants turned a vintage, mid-century TV into a giant terrarium for her cactuses
She added grow lights and a fan for circulation.Tarrah Schiller

Step 7. Finally, she added a tiny fan for air circulation along with some decor, like geodes collected from her parents' home in Tennessee and turtle shell fossils she found on a hike. She also added some crushed quartz, which creates a sparkling appearance.

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The vast majority of the project was completed in three days, but Schiller has spent the last few months perfecting the placement of the cactuses, rocks, and decor inside the terrarium.

Each time she rearranged, Schiller said was covered in wounds. Although she wore neoprene gloves, the cactuses still managed to prick her.

A woman with more than 150 houseplants turned a vintage, mid-century TV into a giant terrarium for her cactuses
Tarrah Schiller spent months perfecting the cactuses' arrangement.Tarrah Schiller

Schiller said she's thrilled with the final product and said she often opts to watch her terrarium instead of her functioning TV.

"I feel zen, peaceful," she said. "I forget about all the stabs because it looks so perfect."

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