How To Style Vases In The Home

Once you get past the larger pieces of furniture in a room, the smaller touches you add can make or break an aesthetic. And it's harder to find an ornament that is more versatile or well-loved than the vase. With a multitude of functions, vases have been used since antiquity as vessels for storage, for wine (we can get on board with that), and as trophies, according to the Mayfair Gallery. Vases have been decorating homes since roughly 3,000 B.C., so it's little wonder we still use them today.

Nowadays, though, vases tend to be trusty holders for flowers. But true to their versatile roots, vases don't stop there. There are plenty of innovative ways to style them in your home, and we wanted to make sure you were in the know about the best ways to showcase your favorite vessels. They can be used to spruce up empty mantels, flank doorways, or introduce your home's style right at the entryway. They can also help you channel rustic or eclectic tastes — depending on your preference — or allow you to become a rule-breaker by choosing a piece that doesn't conform to traditional ceramic designs. Let's look at the best ways to show off your vases.

While we're used to seeing vases perched on surfaces, there's no reason why they need to be elevated. The tactical placement of floor vases around your space creates a sense of lower-level visual interest, but you don't have to spend a lot to achieve the look. IKEA's CYLINDER vase, which starts at $24.99, is as tall as a chair and quite affordable. Its clear design can suit both floral arrangements and more unique objects placed inside.

Remember, though, that your floor vases don't need anything in them to make an impact. Acquiring statement vases of varying shapes and placing them on the floor in pairs can conjure a sense of style and serenity, as Rebekkah Davies Interiors + Design shows. Just make sure you consider foot traffic when staying floor vases — you don't want to place a priceless designer vase in an area where small kids or excitable pets are likely to knock them over. Instead, sprucing up your corners with floor vases is a safer choice.

Since time immemorial, vases have been placed on things. On tables, on mantels, on floors. Now, don't get us wrong — we love putting stuff on other stuff as much as the next person, but it's time to change it up. Hanging vases are a fresh and appealing way to introduce levels into a space and to display your flowers and objects innovatively. Hanging vases can be a steal, too, with a pack of 12 available in a stylish rustic-chic design from Walmart for less than $20.

A few hanging vases scattered about your space are great for rustic-chic designs, since rustic decor incorporates natural materials and old-world charm, as per Dianne Decor. However, as with any hanging objects, it's important to consider safety. Make sure any hanging vases you place are well-secured to your wall or ceiling, and it's advisable to put them in an area where, should they drop, they won't cause any damage.

When it comes to interior design, uniformity certainly has its place. But contrasting elements can bring a space to life. Using contrast throughout your design adds dynamism to any room, and helps you avoid that drab feeling some spaces get when everything's just a little too cohesive, says Hudson & Crane. And vases are the perfect vessel (excuse the pun) for contrast in any room.

To achieve contrast that doesn't feel random, you need to follow a few design principles. Oka founder Sue Jones told Homes & Gardens to look at the height of your decor pieces. Creating a contrast between tall and short vases creates pleasing vignettes. It's also useful to try and keep your contrasting elements within an overarching theme or color palette, so your room feels like it makes sense. "For spring and summer, look for ceramics featuring nature-inspired textures and calming shades of blue or cream," Jones suggests.

Vintage design serves the double function of providing something totally unique with a sense of history, and avoiding buying any newly-made stuff. Vases are a natural choice to fulfill your vintage quota, and you can guarantee that your vintage vase will be the talk of the town. Platforms like Chairish and Etsy are perfect places to seek vintage vessels online, or if you want to take it old-school, check out yard sales and vintage stores in your area (via EyeSwoon).

But, contrary to popular belief, styling with vintage pieces isn't as simple as just buying them and placing them in any old room. Once you have your vintage vases, you need to think intelligently. "Plan and scheme your design based on either a furniture or light fixture or wallpaper from a certain era, then build your design from that one inspiration," Jonathan Rachman, owner of the eponymous Jonathan Rachman Design, tells The Spruce. And try not to go kitsch, people. "Unless you are trying to do a movie or theater set to be historically accurate, please don't take the retro style to a level that it becomes theatrical," Rachman says.

In our homes, few things emanate more peace than a sense of order. And few things deliver such a feeling better than a few pops of symmetry. "Symmetry provides balance within a room," designer Liv Wallers told Homes & Gardens. "It brings a sense of comfort and rhythm to a space which is an integral part of our design approach. It can be used right down to the smaller details of the room, cushions on the sofa to lamps on a dresser." 

But understandably, achieving symmetry in a space can be tricky with larger items, which is where smaller ornamental pieces like vases come in handy. Simple touches like matching vases on either end of a mantel or bookcase can create serious equilibrium and anchor a space. If you want to go a little larger, try using floor vases, like this Moroccan embossed floor vase in neutral tones from Walmart. Grabbing two of these and placing them on either side of a door will introduce a sense of balance before your guests even step into a room, which you can then match with more touches of symmetry within.

They say that good things come in threes, and to be honest, we think whoever coined that phrase had vases in mind. Okay, maybe not exactly, but as a general interior design principle, aiming for threes is a great idea. "Grouping items in three is a great way to make your home feel more balanced," says designer Tracy Morris to MyDomaine. And while trios can be harder to introduce in a room with furniture, for smaller items like vases, it's a doddle.

Vases work particularly well in groups of threes in areas closer to eye level, where they can achieve maximum visual impact. "To achieve the perfect shelfie, try clustering three vases together, but with varying heights for visual interest," suggests designer Courtney Sempliner. The height difference will keep the display feeling energetic. And if they're the same vase? No problem. "If items have similar heights, try placing a book — or three — underneath for elevation," Sempliner says. Placing three different vases in a group of three also works perfectly, particularly if they're different shapes or widths but have a sense of uniformity through a shared color.