The best vases, bursting with bouquets, set the tone for your home. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and materials, with one to suit every bloom and room. There's almost too much choice, but you're in luck, because I'm a trained florist and I've found the best.
Every room should have flowers in. Fresh or faux, (but let's be real, preferably fresh) they elevate the look and feel of any space. However, choosing the right vase for your cut flowers is an art. A tall, slim vase is perfect for sunflowers, but if you've got delicate buds, you'll want something shorter.
Rachel Bull, Head of Gardens at Homes & Gardens, says that 'it's a great idea to have a wide range of vases and vessels at the ready, because some flowers, such as tulips, will change, evolve, and grow over time'. There are plenty of versatile vases on the market, but if you're looking for carefully cultivated interiors, you'll want to consider investing in a range of vessels.
Whether you're looking for tips on how to decorate your home with vases or adding to your ever growing vase collection, there are plenty styles you won't want to miss.
Best vases 2024
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Material: Stoneware
Dimensions: 12 x 12 x 13 inches
Ideal flowers: Any blooms, even from the grocery store
+ Classic style
+ Suits a range of flowers
- Too deep for small blooms
In subtle shades and a simple shape, this everyday urn is perfect for most flowers. The wide body can hold lots of water, whilst the small opening will keep even grocery store bouquets looking well-arranged. This is no-frills, no-fuss, and florally perfect.
Material: Earthenware
Dimensions: 6.5 x 5 x5 5
Ideal flowers: Depends on shape
+ Range of sizes
+ Timeless style
- Delicate
These vases, available in a range of shapes, are sold individually. If you want home co-ordination, they're all you need. The smooth ridged design adds some modern texture to these beautiful vases, whilst the color keeps them subtle.
Material: Ceramic
Dimensions: 3.9 x 2.6 x 6.8 inches
Ideal flowers: Wildflowers or single stems
+ Delicate style
+ Great price
- Limited capacity
Martha-Stewart-approved, this small set of three is perfect for individual flowers, especially delicate ones from the garden. Even if you buy a big bunch, you can spread them between these three and place them around the house.
Material: Ceramic
Dimensions: 6.3 x 9.6 x 3.1 inches
Ideal flowers: Dahlias, peonies, hydrangeas
+ Eye-catching style
+ Versatile uses
- Outside is hard to clean
If you like big blooms like dahlias, opt for a composite vase like this. It's simple, with a handmade touch. The natural pebbled outside is balanced by the glossy interior, making it a sculptural centerpiece, filled or not.
Material: Maple wood, glass
Dimensions: 3 x 3 x 6.5 inches
Ideal flowers: Ranunculus, anemone
+ Range of colors
+ Glass inside
- Limited capacity
Melanie Abrantes is the queen of sustainable style and this vase is exactly why. The slim design is perfect for a single stem with a large bloom. I love the authentic grain, available in cherry, walnut, or maple wood, because it cultivates an ultra-organic style.
Material: Ceramic
Dimensions: 9.8 x 4.7 x 4.7 inches
Ideal flowers: Range of blooms
+ Versatile style
+ Excellent capacity
- Heavy
Crafted from Portuguese clay, this glossy, white glazed vase is effortlessly elegant. The natural finish is uneven, with a matte section at the base for added interest. This is my most-used vase, because it's the perfect match for a range of blooms. It's heavy, but truly stunning.
Material: Ivory alabaster
Dimensions: 6.7 x 8 x 8 inches
Ideal flowers: Peonies, hydrangeas
+ Stunning design
+ Feels luxurious
- Expensive
Quietly luxurious, this milky alabaster vase is splendidly subtle. It's chunky and wide, so well suited to big flowers, although you might need some chicken wire to hold them in place. The natural swirls will vary between pieces, so your vase will always be unique to you.
Material: Stainless steel
Dimensions: 2 x 2 x 6 inches
Ideal flowers: Hydrangea, baby's breath, white roses
+ On-trend design
+ Eye-catching style
- Hard to keep clean
A stunning, statement vase, this stainless steel piece looks as elegant full of flowers as it does empty. I love how it looks with branches or sparse flowers, which enhance the contemporary look of this vase. It's striking, retro, and incredibly memorable.
Material: Recycled glass
Dimensions: 18.5 x 10.25 x 2 inches
Ideal flowers: Tall branches, wood and stems
+ Recycled materials
+ Good capacity
- Hard to clean inside
Flowers are a celebration of nature, so it's only fitting that your vase has been kind to nature. Crafted from up-cycled glass, these tinted vases are bulbous and beautiful. They have subtle textures and show off the slenderness of stark stems and branches.
Material: Porcelain
Dimensions: 3 x 3 x 10.2 inches
Ideal flowers: Poppies, peonies, billy buttons
+ Incredibly versatile
+ Feels premium
- Very delicate
Flowers should celebrate themselves, so sometimes, subtle is better. This minimalist round vase is perfect for poppies, peonies, or billy buttons. It's delicate, elegant, and locally made. I have one in charcoal and one in white and I love them both.
Material: Pottery
Dimensions: 4 x 6 x6 inches
Ideal flowers: Any blooms
+ Simple style
+ Excellent quality
- Limited capacity
Each of these Nordic-style, wrinkle pottery vases are handcrafted. The jug shape is simple and could be used for drinks, but it looks beautiful with some simple stems, such as tulips, chrysanthemum, and daisies in. It's so simple, it makes the perfect gift.
Material: Resin
Dimensions: 4.5 x 7.9 x 5.1 inches
Ideal flowers: Dried poppies
+ Bright colors
+ Unusual design
- Quite shallow
Another dramatic option, this handmade resin vase is bright and eye-catching. The low, wide shape makes this a beautiful option for dried flowers, but they'll need to be carefully styled and held in place with wire.
FAQs
Which vases are trending?
People love metal vases at the moment, especially in bent, twisted, or organic shapes. They are eye catching and the perfect meeting point of organic and industrial styles. However, when you're buying vases, I would always go for a style that you like rather than following a movement. You'll keep your vase for much longer than a trending moment.
What is the best vase for real flowers?
If you have fresh cut flowers, your priority will need to be a waterproof vase. To keep your flowers looking fresh, they need to sit in fresh water. Generally, cylinder vases are the best for this, because they hold water well and can give extra support to stems. However, as you've seen, there are plenty of other options.
How do I choose the right vase for my flowers?
You're in luck. Our Head of Gardens, Rachel Bull, has written a whole article on this. She suggests looking at proportions, colors, textures, and which containers you already have. If you want to know all the details, you can read her expert guide here.
Final thoughts
I cannot emphasise enough how important vases are in your home. They don't have to be elaborate (although a few statement styles won't hurt), but they do need to suit your flowers. All of these options are suitable for fresh or dried flowers. If you're better at taking care of faux or dried flowers, there's no shame in filling your home with flower look alikes.
With a house full of florals and vases, you'll feel lighter, brighter, and more like the bouquets you've carefully bought, arranged, and trimmed. If you need help arranging dried flowers, we've got expert advice to ensure you achieve petal perfection too.
How we test
At Homes & Gardens we like to test everything in person before we recommend them to you. Whilst we weren't able to get flowers in all of these vases, our expert, Laura does own a couple of them herself. Where we didn't have in-person experience, we thoroughly researched reviews from experts and customers, so we knew everything you would need to. If there's any pressing issues or stand-out features, we'll tell you about it. If you'd like to know more, you can visit our dedicated how we test page.
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