Handmade ceramic bud vases

Choosing bud vases

Small vases hold one or two stems, so they suit a windowsill, a bedside table or the middle of a dinner table. Pick a neck narrow enough to hold a single stem upright, and a base heavy enough not to tip. Habulous makes almost every vase here, wheel-throwing each bud vase by hand in Great Britain from British clay with a natural fleck. We checked each maker here for how and where its pieces are made.

Ceramic bud vases in pastel glazes

Habulous makes ceramic bud vases in cornflower blue, mint green, pale pink, light yellow, off-white, fuchsia and cotton candy glazes. They come in mini and small sizes and in sets, so you can mix colours along a shelf. Its Moorland and Shoreline glazes appear on mini vases and dome vases, and there is a bird pot vase and a whale bud vase that doubles as an air plant holder.

Handmade vases for fuller bunches

For more than a few stems, Habulous makes stoneware vases in medium sizes, Bouclé sells a Charlotte Ceramics vase, and So Just Shop sells a black soapstone vase. Handmade vases vary a little in shape and glaze, so no two are quite the same. Cut stems at an angle, strip leaves below the water line and change the water every two days.

Ceramic vases care and styling

Ceramic vases are best washed by hand with warm, soapy water and a bottle brush. Dry them upside down so no water sits inside. Group them in odd numbers and mix heights for a relaxed look, or use one with a single seasonal stem. In winter, a few stems of eucalyptus, holly or dried honesty last for weeks, and in spring a single tulip or narcissus is enough to brighten a desk. Small sprigs of herbs from the garden work too. Dried flowers and grasses suit vases you would rather not fill with water. Plants & Greenery has ceramic plant pots and flowers, Candles has soy wax candles, Dinnerware has handmade tableware, and Eco-home essentials worth building a room around has more ideas for the home.