Upcycled Wooden Shoe Clogs As Vintage Wall Decor

Do you love unique and quirky wall decor like I do? When I think about wall decor, one of the last things I might think about is wooden shoes, specifically wooden Dutch shoes known as clogs or “Klompen”. These shoes are often found at the thrift stores, flea markets or antique shops and were and are popular tourist items. Did you know these aren’t just a souvenir, but worn in the Netherlands as proper footwear especially by farmers. Many of them have beautiful artwork and are real vintage treasures. While they are a great collectors item, they have a fun vintage charm and don’t have to just be put away in a closet on a shelf. They can be enjoyed and used as beautiful home decor in various upcycling projects (more ideas at the end of the post!)! It’s easy to create upcycled wooden shoe clogs as vintage wall decor out of Dutch wooden shoes with a few simple supplies. We turned the mixed and matched gathered set of vintage wooden shoes from our stash into faux wall planters with dried moss and beaded faux strawberries. It was an easy and fun project that became quirky wall decor from old shoes, and you can really stretch your creativity by adding other floral picks and small items.

Two painted wooden clogs are mounted on a wall, each filled with faux greenery and artificial strawberries. An artificial vine with beads hangs between them.

Supplies to Create Vintage Wooden Shoe Wall Decor

-Dutch wooden clogs (either a pair of wooden shoes, or mixed ones)

-Dry floral foam

-Beaded strawberry picks or other faux floral picks

-Green dried moss

-White craft glue

-Smaller D-ring hangers and small screws

-Small screw driver

-Scissors

Clean the Shoes

Clean the shoes from any dirt, grime or debris with mild detergent and a soft rag. It’s ok if they have a little patina, but if they are extremely worn, the old designs can be carefully painted over or the shoes can be painted one color. You can still buy these new too, so no worries of you can’t find older ones!

A person cuts a block of green floral foam with scissors next to a carved wooden shoe on a black surface.

A person cuts a piece of green floral foam with scissors next to a wooden shoe on a black surface.

Trim the Floral Foam

-Cut the floral foam to fit inside of the shoe. It’s helpful to place the shoe on a white piece of paper and trace it to get an idea of how to shape the foam. The foam should be rounded at one end to fit all of the way into the toe and flat at the top to just come up to where the toe opening ends. It may need to be slowly trimmed to get a good fit. Make sure it fits snugly into the shoe, and insert. Trim off any excess from the top so it’s level with the beginning of the opening,

A person placing a piece of green foam into a carved wooden shoe, with scissors and foam scraps visible on a black surface.

Glue the Moss onto the Foam

The preserve the shoe, add white craft glue onto the top of the moss, using care to keep it off of the shor itself. Press the dried moss onto the white craft glue and let dry.

A hand holds a hollow wooden shoe containing a block of floral foam with green and white camouflage pattern. The surface below is scattered with debris.

Two hands are placing green moss into a hollowed-out wooden shoe, with a green book partially visible in the background.

Add the Hanger to the Back

Once the moss has dried in the vintage wooden shoe, flip it over and add the D-ring hanger on the upper back near the heel. This will give it the best place to hang from. Once the hanger is attached, return to the front to finish the design.

Close-up of a metal D-ring picture hanger attached to a piece of back of a wooden Dutch clog shoe; blurred holiday decorations and the watermark "Jennifer Rizzo" are visible in the background.

Add the Floral Picks

We used cute beaded strawberries floral picks, but this can be done with any type. Cute flowers or even succulents would be super cute! Before pushing the floral pick into the moss and foam, measure the length and trim it so it nestles in at the right place and height.

A person arranges artificial strawberries on stems into a wooden shoe filled with green moss for a decorative project.

A wooden shoe filled with moss and three artificial strawberries held by a person's hands.

Display Your New Wooden Shoe Wall Decor!

Once all of the shoes are completed, they are ready to hang and display! I am so excited with how these turned out! I love how these made a mismatched collection look cohesive and add a touch of whimsy to the walls!

Five decorative wooden clogs, some filled with artificial strawberries and greenery, are mounted on a white wall with small glass vases holding sprigs of foliage.

They are all so sweet in their own way!

Decorative yellow clogs with painted designs are mounted on a wall and used as planters, holding green foliage and artificial red strawberries.

I displayed these in the store with some little flower tubes of faux plants to add interest. They were so much fun to make! I have some for sale in the store and they already have had a ton of people commenting on how cute they think Upcycled Wooden Shoe Clogs As Vintage Wall Decor are!

Three decorative wooden shoes mounted on a white wall, each filled with faux strawberries, greenery, and moss; small glass vials with plants are also attached to the wall.

Other Creative Ideas For Upcycling Wooden Shoes

-Turn a matched pair into unique bookends by attaching them to a sturdy base

-Paint wooden clog shoes of different sizes to create a beautiful wall display

-Drill drainage holes in the bottom and make them into whimsical planters

-Repurpose them into storage containers for smaller items like earrings, jewelry or even keys

-Hang them on the wall, add small jars of water or floral tubes and create a unique plant propagation station

A wooden clog mounted on a wall, filled with moss and artificial strawberries, with another decorated clog and greenery nearby.

I hope you’ve found lots of inspiration to go on the hunt and be on the lookout to find a pair of wooden clogs to add to your own home as decor!