With or without fresh flowers, we'll show you how to style your favourite vase. Discover practical tips and lovely vase decorating ideas.
How to decorate vases: plenty of ideas
- Arrange flowers or branches beautifully
- Decorate vases without fresh flowers
- Ideas for small, large and tall vases
- Style clear or opaque vases
- Create arrangements with vases
- Vase decorating ideas at a glance
1. Arrange flowers and branches beautifully
If you choose a fresh bouquet, let the vase bring out the best in the flowers. Stick to two or three types of flower, or choose two or three colours.
If you'd like to decorate your vase without fresh flowers, dried branches and twigs are a lovely way to give it a longer-lasting display.
Make sure the flowers or branches suit the vase's height, shape and colour. Think of the arrangement as a whole. As a general rule, flowers or branches should be at least twice as tall as the vase.
Bouquets and branches look naturally beautiful when arranged loosely and with plenty of space. Place the flowers in the vase at an angle, crossing their stems where possible – they'll fall into a relaxed shape while staying in place.
2. Decorate vases without fresh flowers
Combine different vases
Bring vases together through a shared feature. Choose different heights and shapes, but keep them within the same colour family, style or material. An odd number of vases tends to look more harmonious.
Dried branches or foliage
Instead of fresh flowers, choose a plant or flower that will still look good for a long time once dried.
"For example, you could choose a eucalyptus branch, pampas grass or a cotton branch, depending on your taste. Ask a good florist for advice – they can probably suggest even more plants that dry well." – Viktoria, interior expert
You can also dry a bouquet yourself. Hang it upside down in a dark, warm and dry place, and you'll be able to enjoy it for longer.
Easy-care air plants
Have you come across rootless air plants? Also known as Tillandsia, these easy-care plants need no soil or growing medium and like higher humidity, making them ideal for the bathroom. Simply place a suitably sized plant in the vase or lay it loosely beside it.
3. Ideas for small, large and tall vases
How to decorate a large vase
Large vases with narrow openings suit hand-tied bouquets. Round, full flower heads work well in bulbous vases. Try roses, for example – they also need plenty of water. Display them on a table or sideboard, where they'll make a lovely feature.
How to decorate a floor vase
Tall vases with a wide opening are ideal for long-stemmed flowers and branches that reach above the rim. Add a few branches or leave the vase empty: either way, it makes an elegant accessory. Depending on the opening, you can even use it to store wrapping paper. When styling a generous vase, less is more.
How to decorate a small vase
Small vases make an impression even without flowers. They can also complete a larger arrangement. For example, style a large vase with flowers or branches and place smaller vases in the same design alongside it.
You can also decorate small vases with a few pretty branches. Cut fresh flowers from the garden or divide a large bouquet between several small vases.
Tip: "If you don't want to buy a ready-made bouquet and have fresh cut flowers but aren't sure how to arrange them, look for a vase with a flower arranging insert. Its grid helps you create floral displays with blooms, branches or grasses." – Viktoria, interior expert
4. Styling clear and opaque vases
Opaque vases made of ceramic or porcelain look sculptural even without flowers. They're also a good choice when you want to show off the blooms while keeping the greenery hidden inside the vase.
How to decorate a glass vase
Clear vases, on the other hand, reveal what's inside – not just the water level, but the whole bouquet.
Glass vases are versatile, too. Alongside flowers, small cacti and succulents, you can fill a glass vase or bowl with seasonal decorations. Try adding candles, fairy lights, individual blooms, decorative stones, sand or shells. At Christmas, you could use baubles.
5. Style a tray with vases and more
Arrange decorative objects such as vases, candle holders or storage jars on a tray. It gives the display a clear visual frame.
If you need the space on your dining or coffee table, sideboard or windowsill for something else, you can simply move the whole arrangement out of the way.
6. Vase decorating ideas at a glance
Choose
- branches or flowers at least twice as tall as the vase, and place them in at an angle, crossing the stems where possible
- hand-tied bouquets for large vases, round flower heads for bulbous vases, and long-stemmed flowers for tall vases with wide openings
- dried branches, foliage or rootless air plants instead of fresh flowers
- vases with a feature in common, and arrange them together
- ceramic or porcelain vases that look sculptural even without flowers
- glass vases decorated with candles, fairy lights, blooms, stones, sand or shells
Found an idea you like? We hope you enjoy styling your vases!
