The Vintage Vase At The Thrift Store That Turns Flowers Into A Statement Piece

Decorating your home with flowers is an easy way to make it feel more stylish, lush, and personalized, but not every arrangement is equal. Sure, a couple daisies will look adorable on a nightstand, but if you want a display that will wow, it takes a bit more work. The best floral arrangements require variety, layering, and structure, and while this can be accomplished using just about any vessel and a number of smart tips to tie flowers together, it's much easier to pull off if the vase is doing the bulk of the work for you. That's where tulipiere vases come in. 

If you stumble across a tulipiere vase at a thrift store, you might be a bit taken aback by its strange design, but these vases' odd shapes serve a purpose. Rather than being a simple cup with one opening at the top, these vases feature multiple spouts for holding stems. Their origins date back to the 1600s, and, as implied by the name, they were designed to grow tulips. Each hole allowed space for one bloom, resulting in a final floral display that enabled you to admire each flower in all of its glory. While they can still be used for this purpose today, they also make a fantastic base for all kinds of floral arrangements — especially ones that you want to make a bold impact in your space.

Tulipieres come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, from large, sculptural beauties to smaller, dantier accent pieces, so you should let your choice of vase decide the direction you go with your styling. Regardless of the size, the easiest way to style a tulipiere is by using it for its original intended purpose. Place one tulip stem in each hole to enjoy a simple floral display that allows you to take in the full beauty of the flowers without crowding them. This also works for other large, showstopper flowers that tend to get swallowed up in arrangements — think sunflowers, peonies, hyacinths, ranunculuses, and dahlias.

If you want to create more texture, however, you can also use a vase like this as a structured base for a typical arrangement that contains both large flowers and filler. Because the holes are smaller, you'll be limited to a few stems per spout, but this can help to ease the overwhelmment that comes with designing a large arrangement. Pick a couple of flowers that pair well together — a larger flower and a sprig of some filler will always be a winner — then either carry the theme through the rest of the vase or vary your selections for a wildflower-like look. In particular, flowers that have a bit of droop to them or organic movement to their stems look great in these vases — look to Japanese flower arranging for some great inspiration.

If you're not a huge floral fan, your options don't have to stop there. Dried grasses and greenery can be used on their own as a low-fuss styling option that leans a bit more minimalistic. And if you truly love the tulipiere vase you found, you can use it as a statement piece all on its own.