Learn From Vern: Vases
Vern Yip of Live in Vern's House shares his best tips with HGTV Magazine for picking the perfect container.
From:
HGTV Magazine
Perfect Choice Every Time
For a no-fail shape that makes any flower look good, try a trumpet vase. It flares out at the top, so stems always fall in a pretty cluster. Fiesta 9 3/4"H x 4"-diameter vitrified china vase in sunflower, $62, kohls.com
From:
HGTV Magazine
Placement Points
Save taller vases for side tables, kitchen islands, and coffee tables. On bookshelves, a grouping of bud vases always works. Chalkboard 8"W x 1 1/2"D x 8"H plywood vase with removable glass tube, $40, momastore.org; Miami 11 3/4" x 16 1/2" glazed ceramic vase, $40, zgallerie.com
From:
HGTV Magazine
Quality Picks
A well-made vase should be at least 1/8-inch thick, and it should have some heft to it so it doesn’t topple over when you fill it with water and flowers. Bliss 3 1/2"W x 6"D x 7"H glass vase in peridot square, $36.50, chive.com
From:
HGTV Magazine
Varying Heights
Vase heights range from just a few inches to well over two feet. Any vase you use on a dining table should be no more than a foot tall so you can see the people sitting across from you. Free-Form Art 13 1/4"W x 7 3/4"D x 15"H glass vase, $60, pier1.com; Trough Matte Aqua 8 1/4"W x 3 3/4"D x 6 1/2"H stoneware vase, $13, cb2.com
From:
HGTV Magazine
Easy Arrangement
Not super confident arranging flowers? Put one or two standout blooms, such as lilies, in a vase with a small mouth for a dramatic look. Lola 10"H x 8"-diameter terra-cotta vase, $45, crateandbarrel.com
From:
HGTV Magazine
Let Blooms Have the Spotlight
If you usually buy brightly colored flowers, stick with a vase in a neutral material like wood, metal, or mercury glass, or try a solid, pale hue so the flowers can be the star. Steven Alan Striped 9 1/2"H x 3 1/2"-diameter earthenware and terra-cotta vase in yellow, $29, westelm.com
From:
HGTV Magazine
Go for Low Maintenance
Clear glass vases are classics, but they require work to look neat. You may need to strip the leaves off the stems, and you should change the water daily so it doesn’t get discolored. Opaque glass, metal, and ceramic are more forgiving. Iittala Colored Aalto 4 3/4"H x 6"-diameter glass vase in dark lilac, $140, macys.com
From:
HGTV Magazine
Your Pairing Guide
Tulips and peonies, which have full blooms and thin stems, look pretty in a trumpet vase. Alstroemeria and flowers with long, thick stems, like hydrangeas, work well in a cylindrical vase. Roses look great in a sphere vase. And cone-shaped blooms, like calla lilies, pair nicely with a tall, rectangular vase. Trough Matte Aqua 8 1/4"W x 3 3/4"D x 6 1/2"H stoneware vase, $13, cb2.com
From:
HGTV Magazine
