Flowers are the gift that keeps on giving, and they brighten up any room in an instant. To keep blooms looking their very best, you'll need something to display them in. A vase with a beautiful bouquet of roses or tulips is a simple way to spice up a bookshelf or mantlepiece, and you can even pick a design to complement your décor.
However, choosing the right vase for yourself or a gift for someone else can be tricky. If you’re unsure about which style to go for, read on. We’ll be comparing the different options, including tall, round, flared, and bottle designs made from popular materials like glass, crystal, and ceramics. Then, we'll share our favourite vases to buy from Amazon, eBay, and John Lewis to help you decide on the best one for your home.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the main factors to consider when buying a vase. We’ll be focusing on the different styles available, popular materials, and how to pick the right-sized vase for your flowers.
Vases come in all kinds of shapes nowadays, with glaziers and potters pushing the boundaries when it comes to design and structure. In this section, we'll focus on the most common styles that you're likely to come across when browsing and which type of flowers they work best with.
Bottleneck vases, sometimes called column vases, are narrow and tall rather than wide. This style of vase will securely support flowers with longer stems like lilies and magnolias, preventing them from drooping over the side.
Due to its narrow neck, this kind of vase looks best with just a few blooms rather than a whole bouquet. Place one on a bookshelf or bedside table if you want to add a bit of subtle sophistication to your room.
Probably the most classic of all vase styles, the flared vase will look fantastic pretty much anywhere. It's similar to a bottleneck at the bottom, but then about two-thirds of the way up it begins to narrow before flaring out at the top.
As this shape is meant to mimic the natural shape of flowers, it makes a beautiful centrepiece for your dining table and it's best suited to large, voluptuous bouquets.
Decorative vases are meant to be a piece of art on their own, so they'll look equally as good empty or filled with flowers. When it comes to the design, go for a structure that aligns with the décor of your room - but don’t be afraid to go for something bold and unique!
If you do choose to add blooms to your decorative vase, stick to something simple with complementing colours, to avoid detracting from its design.
Bud vases are for showcasing blooms on a micro-scale; they’re much smaller than other types of vases and can only accommodate a couple of stems. Because of their miniature size, they’re a brilliant cost-effective option as both the vase and the flowers you put in it will be less expensive!
Another popular vase shape is the cube, which can be generously filled with a number of flowers. However, it’s best to look for flowers that have shorter stems and larger heads to allow for a greater impact.
You could also fill one of these vases with small stones or gravel and place succulents inside, for a contemporary twist on a classic floral arrangement.
Round or fishbowl style vases aren’t suited to all types of flowers, due to their unique shape. To get the best out of this kind of vase, fill it with a tightly grouped selection of blooms that are all cut to the height of the vase - the flower heads will create a stunning domed effect!
There are so many types of materials available when it comes to shopping for a new vase, but we've split them into four main categories: glass, crystal, pottery, and acrylic.
Glass is by far the most common material, which is designed to seamlessly suit any décor and work with any type of flowers. It's also breakable though, so you'll need to place a vase made from this material somewhere safe.
If you have a bit more money to spend, you might want to go for a crystal vase instead - it looks just like glass but it's much more durable, due to the higher mineral content.
Pottery is another popular option, including stylish ceramic, delicate porcelain, and industrial-chic concrete. As vases made from these materials are generally more colourful and have bold designs, they make great decorative pieces. Unfortunately though, they're fragile so they aren't ideal if you have kids or pets at home.
For an affordable, kid-friendly material, opt for acrylic. Not only is it lightweight, but it won't break as easily as glass or pottery if your little one accidentally knocks your vase off the dining table during playtime!
The final factors to consider are the size and weight of the vase. These may seem obvious at first - it's important to pick a vase that'll fit in the designated space and that won't fall off a surface because it's too heavy. However, there is also another reason that we mention size!
The size of the vase will also affect the size of the bouquet that you can display in it. Professional florists suggest that the length of flower stems should be trimmed, at an angle, to be 1.5-2 times the size of the vase. This will help to make the flowers look their very best in the vase that you buy.
Now you’re all clued up on what to look out for when purchasing a vase, here are the best ones available online today. From beautiful classic styles to stunning contemporary designs, there's something for every household on our list!
£80.00
Style | Flared |
---|---|
Material | Crystal |
Dimensions | 23 x 13.5 cm |
Weight | - |
£7.05
Style | Cube |
---|---|
Material | Acrylic |
Dimensions | 15 x 15 x 15 cm |
Weight | 0.9 kg |
£30.00
Style | Decorative |
---|---|
Material | Concrete |
Dimensions | - |
Weight | - |
£40.00
Style | Round |
---|---|
Material | Glass |
Dimensions | 22 x 23.5 x 23.5 cm |
Weight | 1.9 kg |
£30.00
Style | Round/flared |
---|---|
Material | Glass |
Dimensions | 14.5 x 16 x 16 cm |
Weight | - |
£27.90
Style | Round/bottleneck |
---|---|
Material | Ceramic |
Dimensions | 20 x 16.5 cm |
Weight | 0.67 kg |
£40.00
Style | Bottleneck |
---|---|
Material | Glass |
Dimensions | 18 x 11 x 11 cm |
Weight | 1 kg |
£18.39
Style | Bud |
---|---|
Material | Glass and metal |
Dimensions | 24 x 10 x 10 cm (tall vase), 16 x 10 x 10 cm (small vase) |
Weight | 0.54 kg |
£13.99
Style | Decorative/bottleneck |
---|---|
Material | Porcelain |
Dimensions | 29.2 x 16.2 x 16.2 cm |
Weight | 0.71 kg |
£45.00
Style | Flared |
---|---|
Material | Glass |
Dimensions | 29 cm height, other dimensions not specified |
Weight | - |
Image | 1 ![]() LSA International | 2 ![]() Teresa's Collections | 3 ![]() PuTwo | 4 ![]() Dartington Crystal | 5 ![]() Kähler | 6 ![]() Dartington Crystal | 7 ![]() LSA International | 8 ![]() John Lewis & Partners | 9 ![]() Smith Oasis | 10 ![]() Vera Wang for Wedgwood |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Flower Bouquet Flared Vase | Ceramic Flower Vase | Glass Flower Vases | Lily Flower Bottle Vase | Ceramic Omaggio Vase | Cushion Medium Posy Vase - Optic Ink | Round Flower Bouquet Vase | Geometric Concrete Vases - Set of 3 | Clear Acrylic Cube Vase | Love Knots Vase |
Features | Chic, Timeless, and Handmade by a Top Brand | Rustic and Slimline, Perfect for Neutral Interiors | A Minimalist, Scandinavian-Style Set | Beautiful Both With and Without Flowers | Simple Stripes That Should Suit Most Rooms | Elegant and Built to Last | A Classic Shape That's Available in Several Sizes | Make a Statement With This Bold Set | Affordable, Lightweight, and Child-Proof | A Crystal Design Inspired by Love |
Price | £45.00 | £13.99 | £18.39 | £40.00 | £27.90 | £30.00 | £40.00 | £30.00 | £7.05 | £80.00 |
Style | Flared | Decorative/bottleneck | Bud | Bottleneck | Round/bottleneck | Round/flared | Round | Decorative | Cube | Flared |
Material | Glass | Porcelain | Glass and metal | Glass | Ceramic | Glass | Glass | Concrete | Acrylic | Crystal |
Dimensions | 29 cm height, other dimensions not specified | 29.2 x 16.2 x 16.2 cm | 24 x 10 x 10 cm (tall vase), 16 x 10 x 10 cm (small vase) | 18 x 11 x 11 cm | 20 x 16.5 cm | 14.5 x 16 x 16 cm | 22 x 23.5 x 23.5 cm | - | 15 x 15 x 15 cm | 23 x 13.5 cm |
Weight | - | 0.71 kg | 0.54 kg | 1 kg | 0.67 kg | - | 1.9 kg | - | 0.9 kg | - |
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As well as being a space where you can relax after a long day at work, your home is somewhere you can express yourself freely. Why not check out the links below for more products to help decorate your living room in your favourite style?
Hopefully you've found our article on vases not only informative, but interesting too. Keep our points in mind and you'll easily be able to find one that complements your flowers and the room you want to put them in. Whichever vase you choose, we guarantee your home will look even more beautiful from now on!
Author: Lewis Clark
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